Poacher & Hound Cafe & Catering

Poacher & Hound is a contemporary cafe inside the Spectrum Business Park on Ricketts Road, Mount Waverley, with a sleek fit-out that is a step up from the usual warehouse-estate coffee counter. It is a weekday operation with a busy catering arm on the side, and the clean outdoor area at the front welcomes dogs while the main dining room stays people only.

The dog setup

Dogs join you in the outdoor seating and courtyard, where the tables have enough room to tuck a dog in beside you away from passing trades and office traffic. Water bowls are usually put out, but bring a portable bowl to be safe. The business-park setting is calm on weekday mid-mornings and busier at the 7am and lunch rushes. The venue is wheelchair accessible, which also makes prams and dogs easy to manoeuvre.

Worth knowing

The menu leans European alongside Melbourne cafe staples: scrambles, burgers, a schnitzel with pedigree, avocado salad and house-made brownies, with a genuine vegetarian and vegan range and serious coffee. Hours are 6am to 3:30pm Monday to Friday, with the kitchen closing at 2:30pm, and the cafe shuts on weekends entirely, so plan a visit around the working week.

Getting there and parking

Find it at 21-35 Ricketts Road in the Spectrum Business Park, Mount Waverley, handy to the Monash Freeway corridor. There is plenty of free parking on-site and on the surrounding streets, and Mount Waverley station is a short drive away.

While you are out there

The Federal Reserve Dog Off Leash Area is a quick drive for off-lead time, and Damper Creek Reserve is a leafy bush-walk option nearby. For weekend dog-friendly tables in the area, Son of Tucci Cafe and Hamlet Mount Waverley both trade seven days.

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

Max: A cafe that runs on trades and office workers means early starts and early finishes. We are both morning dogs anyway.