Platform One Espresso

Platform One Espresso sits at Shop 12, 1 Railway Parade, directly outside Kogarah station, built for commuters and early starts with coffee from 6am on most mornings. The footpath seating along the station side is where dogs are welcome, which makes it an easy first stop on a walking loop through the Kogarah streets or the last stop before the train home.

The dog setup

Dogs sit at the outdoor sidewalk tables, not inside, and staff are used to the regular walking crowd. The footpath is busy with station foot traffic, so a short lead and a dog that settles close to the chair make the stop easy. Bring a water bowl if yours is fussy; the corner tables away from the ticket gates are the calmest pick.

Worth knowing

The menu runs well past the usual commuter coffee: acai bowls, chilli scrambled eggs, bacon and egg rolls, ham and cheese croissants, banana bread, burgers and juices and smoothies, with flat whites the coffee order of the house. Delivery and pickup run through Uber Eats for the days you are passing without the dog. Opening hours vary by day and can shift, from a 6am weekday open and 7am Sundays, so check the latest times before a special trip.

Getting there and parking

The train is the obvious way in, with the cafe a few steps from the Kogarah station entrance on Railway Parade. Drivers will find street parking on Railway Parade and the surrounding blocks, though it fills early on weekdays; Princes Highway runs one block away for through-traffic.

Close by with the dogs

For an off-lead leg-stretch, Scarborough Off Leash Dog Park on Civic Avenue and Frys Reserve Fenced Dog Park are both local options, and Carss Bush Park Fenced Dog Park is a short drive south for a waterfront run at Carss Park. By the Bay Cafe pairs with that park for a post-run table. More options sit in the Kogarah guide and across NSW.