Touchstone Cafe

Touchstone Cafe holds a corner spot on Aberdeen Road in Macleod's small shopping strip, and it has quietly become a regular dog-owner meetup for the suburb. Dogs are welcome in the sun-soaked outdoor seating, the staff are known for being good with local pups, and there is even a takeaway window so you can order from the footpath without tying up a table. It is the sort of cafe where the weekend morning crowd arrives with leads in hand.

The dog setup

Well-behaved dogs on lead settle into the outdoor courtyard and street-side seating, with water easy to come by if you ask the floor staff. The side takeaway window is the practical trick for solo walkers: order your coffee from the footpath and keep your dog with you the whole time. The cafe's own social posts occasionally mention dogs inside as well, but treat indoor access as a day-to-day call and confirm at the door when the room is full.

The vibe

The kitchen is more ambitious than the corner-shop front suggests: a chilli scramble with chorizo, pulled pork benny, a miso salmon bowl, salmon bagels and a buttermilk fried chicken burger, with good takeaway coffee for the station crowd. Weekday mornings are calm; weekend breakfasts draw the dog-walking locals, so arrive early for a table.

Getting there and parking

The cafe is at 4/64 Aberdeen Road, Macleod, a short walk from Macleod railway station, with street parking along Aberdeen Road and the surrounding streets. It runs from 7am weekdays and 8am weekends through to mid-afternoon, so it is a breakfast-and-lunch venue rather than a late one.

Close by with the dogs

JIJI's and Hey Sunshine Cafe are the other Macleod dog-friendly picks, while the Bundoora Park Fenced Dog Park and Banyule Flats Reserve Dog Off Leash Area cover the off-lead runs nearby. More are in the Victoria dog friendly cafes guide and on the Macleod destination page.