Cafe 52 Fourteen

Cafe 52 Fourteen is a family-run cafe at Shop 1/11 Goolwa Terrace, in the middle of Goolwa opposite the visitor information centre and a short walk from the Cockle Train platform. It opens seven days, 8:30am to 3:30pm, covering all-day breakfast and lunch, with LaCrema coffee and a Gelista gelati cabinet for dessert.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcome at the outdoor tables: a back deck that catches morning sun or afternoon shade depending on the hour, plus street-side seating out front. Staff have a friendly reputation and will usually oblige a water bowl request; keep your dog settled on the floor beside the table and inside is people only.

The vibe

Portions are generous and the owners are the draw: regulars name the coffee, the bacon and egg rolls and the chicken burger, and the menu stretches to breakfast burritos, loaded rice bowls with Kewpie mayo or buffalo sauce, and salt and pepper squid tacos. There is a kids menu, and gelati handles the after-lunch crowd. Mornings are the calmest time to claim a deck table with a dog.

Getting there and parking

Goolwa Terrace is the main street, with on-site and usually free street parking nearby plus accessible parking and entry close by. The wharf precinct and the river are an easy stroll from the door.

Close by with the dogs

Goolwa Beach's off-leash dog area is a quick drive for a proper sandy run; under Alexandrina Council's seasonal rules the stretch from Beach Road toward Bradford Road is the core exercise zone, and dogs stay leashed within 50 metres of signed hooded plover breeding areas near the Murray Mouth end. The Middleton to Goolwa trail suits a longer on-lead leg. For riverfront dining, Bombora on the River also takes dogs outside.

More options are on the SA dog friendly cafes guide and the Goolwa destination page.

Max: the deck is the pick on a cool sunny morning and the street tables are the pick when you want to people-watch. Both welcome the dog; neither is big, so arrive before 9am on summer weekends.