Cafe Gold Coast

Cafe Gold Coast sits on Marine Parade in Labrador directly opposite the Broadwater, and the deal is simple: big breakfasts with a water view and your dog on the seat beside you. The kitchen opens early, the footpath tables run long, and the whole Broadwater foreshore spreads out across the road for the walk either side of brunch.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcome at the outdoor, footpath-side tables only; inside is people-only. Staff are generally accommodating and water bowls are usually on hand, but bring your own collapsible bowl so you are not waiting on a busy morning. It gets packed with locals, tourists and other dogs, so a settled, sociable dog copes best here.

Worth knowing

The kitchen is known for big breakfasts: the hash stack, french toast, steak sandwiches and poached-egg plates, with fresh juice and a broad coffee list. Hours run from 5:30am on weekdays and 6am on weekends through to mid-afternoon. Arriving early, or walking in along the Broadwater path, saves the parking hunt and gets the calmest version of the room.

Pepsi: take the footpath table facing the water, order the hash stack, and let the dog run the gull interceptor committee from under the table.

Getting there and parking

Free street parking along Marine Parade is limited and fills on weekends, with the adjacent residential streets such as Robert Street as the backup. The cafe is an easy walk from the Broadwater foreshore path, so pairing coffee with a beach-side walk works without moving the car.

Close by with the dogs

The Broadwater Parklands are straight across the road for a long waterfront walk, and further north near the Labrador AFL club there is a dedicated off-leash area on the Broadwater, with signage marking the zones and times. The Spit Dog Beach is a short drive north for a proper swim, Musgrave Offleash Agility Dog Park is the suburb's fenced option, and Daark Espresso on Musgrave Avenue is the other big dog-welcoming deck nearby.

More options are on the Queensland dog friendly cafes guide and the Labrador destinations page.