Salt Cafe Bistro Manly West

Salt Cafe Bistro is a relaxed, family-run cafe bistro on Wondall Road in Manly West that welcomes dogs at its outdoor tables, which makes it a straightforward call for a proper breakfast out with the dog rather than a takeaway-only stop. The feel is local and unpretentious, and reviewers regularly point to the friendly service and generous plates.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcome in the outdoor seating area, which sits at ground level with no steps to negotiate, so it works for older dogs and wobbly puppies alike. Staff have been known to bring out a water bowl, but pack your own to be safe on a busy morning. Keep your dog settled beside the table; this is a family cafe and prams and dogs share the same patch.

The menu

This is a full breakfast and lunch kitchen, not a pastry cabinet: steak burgers, chicken burgers, buttermilk pancakes, scrambled eggs with bacon and well-made poached eggs are the orders that keep coming back. Hours run 6am to 2:30pm weekdays, from 7am Saturday and 7:30am Sunday, so early walkers can land a table before the rush.

Getting there and parking

The cafe is at 2/305 Wondall Road with on-site parking and easy car access, which is handy in a suburb where everything is a drive. It also makes a natural stop on the way to the bay for a foreshore walk.

Close by with the dogs

A short drive east takes you to the water, and the Manly off-leash dog beach is the obvious pairing for a coffee here. For a fenced run closer to home, Stannard Road Park is the local fenced option, and Andonis Cafe & Bar at Manly is another dog-friendly table if you are making a longer day of the bayside.

More dog-friendly venues around the suburb are on the Manly West destination page, with the wider list in the QLD cafes index.