Aurenda Coffee Co.

Aurenda Coffee Co. sits at 34 Esplanade Headland, Kings Beach, with alfresco tables looking straight down the Caloundra coastline. It opens at 5am every day of the week and closes at 2pm, which makes it the sunrise coffee spot before the beach gets busy. The dog welcome is genuine rather than grudging: water bowls go out, and there are dog friendly treats at the counter.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcome across the outdoor patio and alfresco seating, with indoors left to people. The alfresco area is generous enough that you are not wedged against the next table, which matters with a dog at your feet. Staff keep water bowls out for pets, and if you want to spoil yours there are treats sold at the counter. Keep your dog leashed and out of the through path between tables and the counter.

Max: Get here at opening, pick a headland table before the walkers roll in, and the water bowl will already be waiting.

Worth knowing

The menu runs from breakfast and brunch through to tapas, with croissants, smashed avo and matcha all part of the regular rotation, and the ocean view does the rest of the work. Weekend mornings are the crunch: tables with the view go early and Esplanade parking follows them, so the 5am to 7am window is the sweet spot.

Getting there and parking

Free street parking lines the Esplanade around the headland, but it fills on weekends. If the front is full, the side streets towards Minchinton Street and the parking near the amphitheatre are the usual overflow. The coastal walkway runs right past the door, so arriving on foot from Kings Beach Parkland or Bulcock Beach is easy.

Close by with the dogs

Keep your dog on lead on the main Kings Beach sand, but a drive south takes you to the Currimundi Beach dog off leash area for a proper off lead swim. Back towards the sand, Kings Beach Bar serves right on the beachfront with dogs at the outdoor tables, and Between the Flags Coffee up at Dicky Beach is the next coffee stop north. Ridgehaven Park Fenced Dog Park covers the fenced run option.

More of the coast is mapped in dog friendly cafes in Queensland, and the local roundup sits in our Kings Beach guide.