Busy Boy

Busy Boy is the retro-styled brunch cafe in the middle of Mentone Parade's shopping strip, pouring coffee from 6am and turning out generous, creative plates all day. The front footpath tables are the dog-friendly spot, which makes it a natural mid-walk stop if you are doing the Mentone Parade to beach circuit.

The dog setup

Dogs join you at the outdoor tables on the Mentone Parade footpath. There are only a handful of them, so on weekends it pays to arrive early and claim one before the brunch queue builds. Keep your dog leashed and settled, and bring a collapsible water bowl as a backup. It is a busy street setting with prams and shoppers passing, so it best suits a dog that relaxes amid foot traffic; a weekday morning session is the quiet version of the same experience.

Worth knowing

The menu goes big: chilli scrambled eggs, southern-fried chicken and waffles, cornflake-crumbed brioche French toast, acai bowls and a solid gluten-free and vegan range alongside proper coffee. Hours are 6am to 4pm every day, so it covers early starts and late-ish lunches, though the kitchen winds down through the afternoon. Expect a short wait at peak weekend brunch.

Getting there and parking

The address is 133 Mentone Parade, Mentone. Street parking runs along Mentone Parade with one to two hour limits, and there are more bays behind the shops on Florence Street and near Mentone station, which is a short walk away for a car-free visit.

While you are out there

Mentone Beach is a short walk down the parade, and the Mentone Beach Dog Off Leash Area covers the western sand between Charman and Plummer Roads. For fenced play, the Reg Marlow Reserve Fenced Dog Park is close by. Other dog-friendly tables in Mentone include Happy As Larry Cafe and Applehead Deli.

More stops are on the VIC dog friendly cafes guide and the Mentone destination page.

Pepsi: Beach first, then the footpath table while the sand dries off my coat. Order the chicken and waffles.