Eis Haus

Eis Haus is a German-style ice cream cafe at 47 Mount Barker Road, on Hahndorf's main strip at the corner of Pine Avenue, with a 4.7 star listing from about 150 reviews. It is the town's home of spaghetti ice cream, and for dog owners it is a footpath stop: dogs are welcome at the outdoor tables out front while you order.

The dog setup

Dogs are allowed in the outdoor seating area only; no dogs inside. The tables sit right on the lively main street, so a dog that can settle through passing foot traffic will be happiest. Bring your own water bowl, since the stop is usually short and the shop is more takeaway counter than lounge. There is no dog menu.

The vibe

The signature is spaghetti eis: gelati pressed through a spaghetti press over whipped cream, dressed with house-made strawberry sauce where tomato sauce would be and white chocolate shavings for parmesan, with sweet and liqueur variations alongside. There are hot sundaes such as the Heisse Liebe and a good range of German-style gelati, plus Gluhwein service in the evenings later in the week. It is a treat stop rather than a meal. The site lists midday openings, closing mid-afternoon Monday to Thursday and 9pm from Friday through Sunday.

Getting there and parking

Free street parking runs along Mount Barker Road and the side streets, but it gets competitive on weekends, so arrive early or be ready to walk a block or two. Most visitors arrive on foot anyway, working the main street shop by shop.

Close by with the dogs

The whole main street is a good on-leash walk, and Bracegirdle's up the road has a shaded front area for chocolate-and-coffee stops with dogs. For an off-leash run, the Balhannah Dog Park has creek swimming a short drive north, and the Barka Park fenced dog park near Mount Barker separates big and small dogs.

More options are in the South Australia dog-friendly cafes list and the Hahndorf guide.

Max: spaghetti eis that looks like dinner, dog on the main street footpath doing crowd work. Hahndorf in one stop.