Boy Espresso Bar

Boy Espresso Bar is a small specialty coffee shop at 1/65 Tank Street in the Gladstone Central business district, pouring from 5am on weekdays. It has built a local following on the coffee rather than the fit-out: silky lattes, organic chai, dirty chais and a strawberry iced matcha share the board with carrot cake, banana bread and brekky wraps. Dogs are welcome at the casual outdoor seating.

The dog setup

Dogs join you outside, not inside, and the footpath-style tables suit a leashed dog parked beside your chair. The bar leans towards quick takeaway trade, so bring your own water bowl and pick a table where the lead can lie flat without tripping foot traffic.

Worth knowing

Hours are 5am to 2pm Monday to Friday and 6am to midday on weekends, so this is a breakfast-and-morning-coffee stop. The menu runs to all-day breakfast items, waffles and bacon-and-egg muffins, with vegetarian and vegan options and gluten-free and dairy-free chocolate powder for mochas. There is a small kids play area, and local art prints on the walls are for sale. Weekday mornings are the busiest stretch as shift workers come through.

Getting there and parking

Tank Street sits a short walk from Goondoon Street, Gladstone's main strip, with street parking out front and on the surrounding blocks. Central Gladstone is easily covered on foot from here.

Close by with the dogs

For off-lead time, Webb Park Fenced Dog Park in West Gladstone is the area's dedicated fully fenced exercise space, a short drive away. Lightbox Espresso & Wine Bar on Goondoon Street is another central coffee stop that takes dogs outside, and Auckland House covers the waterfront end of town.

More options are on the QLD dog friendly cafes guide and the Gladstone Central destination page.

Pepsi: this is a feed-run, not a sit-run. Order, claim a footpath table, and keep the lead short while the tradie traffic files past at 7am.