CROSTA Espresso & Panini Bar

CROSTA is an Italian-style espresso and panini bar at 33 High Street in Fremantle's West End, doing made-to-order panini, rotating focaccia specials and proper espresso from a tiny, busy footprint. Dogs are welcome at the footpath tables out the front, which makes it a good pause mid-walk through the historic quarter.

The dog setup

The dog spot is the small outdoor seating on the High Street footpath, where you get the busy Freo street outlook. The venue itself is compact, so the footpath is the area to aim for with a dog, on lead beside the table. Staff are good with pets; bring your own bowl, as water is on request rather than standard.

The vibe

It is a proper Italian bar rather than an all-day cafe: generously stacked panini, daily focaccia combos with things like sopressa salami and house-made fillings, freshly filled cannoli, house-made pastries, banana bread and a biscoff brownie, alongside expertly pulled espresso and flat whites. The owners run the room with energy and get repeated praise for it.

Pepsi: espresso, a focaccia with sopressa, and the lead tied to the chair on High Street. Freo does mornings right.

Getting there and parking

Find it at 33 High Street in the West End. Street parking along High Street is mostly paid City of Fremantle parking, with the Henderson Street car park about a five-minute walk away and bays filling quickly on weekday mornings. It runs 5:30am to 2pm on weekdays, 5:30am to noon on Saturday, and is closed Sunday, so treat it as an early stop.

Close by with the dogs

The West End's quiet historic streets are pleasant for an on-lead wander between the panini stop and the water, and the South Beach dog off-leash area is a short drive south for a proper run. For an off-lead park option, the East Fremantle Community Park fenced dog park is also within reach. If you want a second coffee nearby, Broody Hen Coffee Shop and The Salty Beetroot are local picks.

More options are in the WA dog-friendly cafes list and the Fremantle guide.