Mr Frankie

Mr Frankie is a modern brunch cafe on Norman Avenue in Frankston South with a strong local following, and dogs are welcome at the outdoor tables, which makes it an easy anchor for a peninsula walk-and-breakfast morning.

The dog setup

Dogs sit with you at the footpath and outdoor seating only; the main dining room stays people only. In practice you can settle at an outside table without going through the cafe at all.

Staff are friendly to dogs and often bring out a water bowl unprompted, but pack your own to be sure on hot mornings.

The vibe

The coffee and brunch do the talking: corn fritters, poached eggs, savoury crumpets, the chicken burger and a halloumi salad come up again and again, with a decent cake selection for the sweet tooth. It has an easy, community feel rather than a destination-queue scene.

Worth knowing: this is a daytime operation, closed Mondays, with weekday trade running 7am to about 2:30pm and shorter weekend hours, so it is a breakfast and lunch stop rather than dinner.

Getting there and parking

You will find it in the Norman Avenue shopping strip in Frankston South, with street parking on Norman Avenue and around the nearby shops. Sweetwater Creek Nature Reserve and its on-leash trails are close by, and the Frankston foreshore is a short drive down the hill.

Make a day of it

Pair brunch with an off-leash run at Robinsons Park or the fenced agility setup at Ballam Park. For a second coffee stop with bay views, Flourish at Olivers Hill is up the road.

More options are in our guide to dog friendly cafes in Victoria, or start from the Frankston South destination page.