Milkbar & Co.

Milkbar & Co. is the easy-going bayside cafe at 1/42 Lochiel Avenue in the Mount Martha village shops, a short walk up from South Beach. It opens early, 6:30am every day, with the cafe running to about 3pm on weekdays and 4pm on weekends, and it has quietly become the village's all-rounder: proper coffee, fresh-pressed juice, thick milkshakes, and a kitchen with real range.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcome across the outdoor seating, and you get two options: the sunny front footpath tables or the more sheltered garden out the back. If your dog prefers a quieter corner away from the village foot traffic, the garden is the pick. Staff are welcoming to pets and water bowls are usually on hand outside. Keep the lead on, since the front tables sit on the main village strip.

Worth knowing

The menu leans generous: the two-piece chicken schnitzel burger is the signature, the sausage roll earns its reputation, and there are left-field breakfasts like thai green eggs alongside the specials board. Portions are big and the pace is relaxed enough to linger. Weekends draw a village crowd from mid-morning, so an early table is the calm one.

Getting there and parking

The village shops sit on Lochiel Avenue, with free street parking along the avenue and surrounding streets plus a public car park nearby. It is an easy pull-off from the Esplanade if you are working the bay, and the beach end of the village is walkable from the tables.

Close by with the dogs

Mount Martha South Beach is a short walk away, with the coastal bluffs tracks beyond it for a stroll afterwards, and the area's off-lead options are strong. Mount Martha Fenced Leash-Free Area is the closest fenced run, Community Forest Fenced Dog Park adds a bushland option, and seasonal off-leash times on the beach itself are signposted by the council. For a second coffee in the same suburb, Donato is a local favourite.

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

Max: the schnitzel burger is a two-hander and the garden table is a two-dog-wide miss. Take the back corner if your dog is still learning the cafe game.