Buddys Coffee (Drive Thru)

Buddys Coffee is a drive-thru and takeaway coffee shop at 8 Maroochydore Road, built for speed rather than a long sit. It opens at 5am every day of the week, which makes it the fuel-up stop before a morning beach or river walk with the dog rather than a brunch destination.

The dog setup

The format actually suits dog owners well. Your dog rides along in the car through the drive-thru, and staff are used to pups in the passenger seat. There is a small outdoor area beside the lane where you can park up and take a short breather with the dog out of the car, though it is a brief-stop setup, not a sit-down cafe courtyard. There is no dog menu or treat jar here, so bring your own water bowl if you plan to pause.

The coffee and the menu

Reviews consistently praise the coffee as strong, consistent and fast, and the compact menu covers wraps, muffins and simple breakfast and lunch bites. Hours are 5am to 2pm, seven days, so it works for pre-dawn starters as well as late risers.

Getting there and parking

The shop sits on Maroochydore Road with a free on-site car park and street parking nearby, convenient if you are heading to or from Sunshine Plaza.

While you're out there

Grab the coffee first, then head for the riverfront off-lead area at the Maroochydore leash free park along Bradman Avenue a couple of minutes away. If you would rather a full sit-down dog-friendly brunch, MURRAYS on sixth keeps a dedicated dog menu with treats.

More of the area's dog-friendly venues are on the Maroochydore destination page, with the state list in the Queensland cafes index.