Brown Deli

Brown Deli is a compact toastie and bagel bar at 123A Pakington Street, Geelong West, pulling a 4.7 star rating from about 175 reviews. It sits on one of Geelong's most dog-friendly shopping strips, and with a small indoor space the footpath tables out front are where you and the dog will be sitting.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcome at the outdoor footpath tables along Pakington Street. Inside is tiny, so plan on the footpath being the whole experience. It is a fast-moving counter operation rather than a waiter-service room, so ask for a water bowl rather than expecting one already on the ground; there is no dog menu. Keep your dog tucked close to the table because the footpath gets real foot traffic.

The vibe

This is a coffee-and-sandwich stop, not a leisurely brunch. The menu leans on loaded bagels and toasties: a Korean fried chicken bagel, a breakfast egg bagel, the tuna melt, a truffle mushroom melt and a chicken, avocado and chilli sandwich, with peanut butter porridge and matcha lattes rounding it out. Weekday trade runs 7am to 2:30pm, weekends 8am to 3pm, so it is a morning-and-lunch venue.

Getting there and parking

Free street parking runs along Pakington Street and fills up on weekends; Waratah Street and Gertrude Street nearby usually have spillover space. If you are coming from central Geelong, the strip is a short drive or a reasonable walk across the river end of town.

Close by with the dogs

The strip itself is the walk, and other dog-friendly shopfronts line it: SODI Cafe serves dog cookies and pupuccinos a few doors up, and Poco Cafe Expres keeps sidewalk tables too. For a proper off-leash run afterwards, Belmont Dog Park is a short drive south with the Barwon River trail alongside.

More options are in the Victoria dog-friendly cafes list and the Geelong guide.

Max: truffle mushroom melt on the Pako footpath, dog flat out in the sun. Ten minutes flat, zero regrets.