Flipside Cafe & Cocktail Garden

Flipside Cafe & Cocktail Garden sits at 2442 Gold Coast Highway, Mermaid Beach, and does two jobs: specialty coffee and brunch from before dawn, then a cocktail garden once the day cools. For dog owners the draw is the open-air back garden and outdoor terrace, roomy enough for a proper sit rather than a squeeze against a footpath table.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcome across the outdoor spaces, including the courtyard garden and the terrace out front, not inside. Locals on the Gold Coast dog community pages call it out by name as a spot where pets are genuinely expected rather than merely tolerated. Staff are used to dogs at the garden tables and will arrange a water bowl on request; the courtyard is big enough for a large dog to stretch out flat without blocking the path.

What is on the menu

The daytime side runs to brunch plates such as avocado smash and salmon benny, house-baked treats, fresh muffins and oversized soft cookies, with the coffee doing the heavy lifting. As the name suggests, the evening shift leans into cocktails, including coffee-based mixed drinks. Most of the menu sits at the budget end, quick bites and drinks rather than a long sit-down lunch.

Getting there and parking

The cafe fronts the Gold Coast Highway, with weekday service starting at 5:45am and weekends from 7:30am, closing early to mid afternoon. Street parking runs along the highway, but the side streets a block back usually have better availability, so expect a short walk in. The entrance is wheelchair accessible.

Close by with the dogs

Mermaid Beach is a short walk east if you want sand underfoot before or after; check the council signage for the on-leash and off-leash time zones. For a proper fenced run, the Pizzey Park Fenced Dog Park at Mermaid Waters is a short drive inland, and the Burleigh Esplanade makes a good on-lead walk just south.

More options nearby are on the Mermaid Beach destination page and in the QLD cafes index.