Mister Focaccia

Mister Focaccia is an Italian sandwich bar at the southern end of Oxford Street in Leederville, baking Pugliese-style focaccia in-house daily and stuffing it with Southern Italian fillings. The footpath strip out the front is dog territory: undercover bar seats and tables welcome dogs with no booking and no fuss, and staff are known to bring out water bowls unprompted.

The dog setup

Dogs settle at the undercover seats and tables right on the footpath, which suits a dog that likes watching Oxford Street go by. Nothing to book and nothing to pay; just find a spot. Water bowls come out for canine visitors, though on a busy weekend the footpath fills fast, so arrive before the lunch rush with a dog that minds its manners.

The vibe

The bread is the show: crunchy outside, cloud-soft inside, baked fresh each morning. The prosciutto focaccia with rocket and bocconcini is the signature order, with a Vegetariana for the plant-based side of the table, and taralli and sweet treats in the cabinet. Reviews run hot on the generous fillings and the friendly service, and most visits stay under twenty dollars a head.

Hours are 6:30am to 2:30pm on weekdays and 7am to 2pm on weekends, so it is a breakfast-and-lunch operation rather than an afternoon one.

A proper run first

Leederville itself is short on fenced dog space, so drive five minutes to Lake Monger dog park, which has a fenced off-lead zone with double-gated entry and a dog fountain beside the Galup circuit. Back in the suburb, Roasted N Toasted is another local cafe stop.

For more, browse dog friendly cafes in Western Australia or the dog friendly cafes in Leederville guide.

Max: a water bowl before I even sit down, and the prosciutto crumbs off a focaccia worth the trip up Oxford Street.