The Mordi Canteen

The Mordi Canteen sits at 226 Beach Road, directly across from the Mordialloc foreshore, which makes it the natural coffee stop on a Bay Trail outing or a beach walk. Open 7am to 3pm every day, it is relaxed, busy and set up for dogs on the front deck.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcome in the outdoor seating, mainly the spacious front deck, so you can keep your dog by the table while you eat. Indoor seating is people only. Staff put out water bowls and have been known to hand out a treat. The deck fills with cyclists, families and dog walkers, so expect a bustle rather than a quiet corner on sunny weekends.

Worth knowing

Hearty cafe breakfast is the draw: big serves of smashed avo, chilli scramble, fritters and fruit toast, plus drinks like the strawberry matcha that locals photograph as often as they drink. The beach rules are the thing to get right before you wander: dogs are banned at all times in the no-dog zone between Mordialloc Creek and the end of Bay Street, and City of Kingston applies seasonal time limits elsewhere on the foreshore, with off-lead windows typically before 11am and after 3pm in summer. Leashes stay on the shared paths and bike tracks, and you must carry a waste bag.

Getting there and parking

Street parking runs along Beach Road but it gets competitive on fine weekends. Mordialloc station on the Frankston line is a 10 to 15 minute walk, and the cafe sits right on the Bay Trail for anyone arriving on foot or by bike.

Close by with the dogs

Kevin Hayes Dog Park is the easy off-lead option in Mordialloc itself, complete with its own coffee van, and George Woods Reserve covers the other side of the creek. Mentone Beach Dog Off Leash Area is one suburb north if a dog beach swim is the goal.

More options are on the Victoria dog friendly cafes guide and the Mordialloc destination page.

Pepsi: grab a takeaway and head for the foreshore lawns, but read the signage at the beach access first, the no-dog zone boundary is closer than it looks.