Bianco & Black

Bianco and Black is a small, well-run cafe at 22 Collins Place in Kilsyth, in Melbourne's outer east, and it is one of the more genuinely dog-welcoming spots in the pocket: dogs are allowed inside as well as in the outdoor area, which is rare enough to matter when the weather turns.

The dog setup

There is a garden-style outdoor area plus indoor tables, with water bowls provided and free dog biscuits handed out to visiting dogs. Puppuccinos are on offer too. Keep your dog leashed and settled close to your table, particularly inside where the floor space is tighter, and leave other diners room to move.

Pepsi: free biscuits and a dog wash next door. Clean paws, full belly, best kind of morning.

A dog wash facility sits right next door, so a muddy off-lead session can end with clean paws before you drive home.

Worth knowing

The kitchen runs a solid breakfast and lunch menu with iced lattes, in-house desserts and gluten-free options. The pork scramble and Turkish eggs come up again and again from regulars, the karaage chicken covers the lunch side, and Vietnamese coffee sits on the list alongside the usual espresso line-up. It is a neighbourhood cafe rather than a big-room venue, so mornings can fill quickly.

Getting there and parking

Easiest by car: there is a free off-street car park plus street parking around Collins Place, so finding a spot is rarely the problem. Doors open at 7am Monday to Saturday and 8am on Sunday, and the kitchen winds up by mid afternoon.

Close by with the dogs

For an off-lead stretch nearby, the Kilsyth Off Lead Dog Park is the local option, and Appletree Hill Reserve in Kilsyth South is a short drive south. The Wattle Tree Co. up the road is the other cafe on the strip worth knowing.

More options sit on the Victoria cafes guide and the Kilsyth destination page.