Little Bear Pantry

Little Bear Pantry sits inside Big Bear Village at 116 Military Road, Neutral Bay, a boutique pantry doing specialty roasted coffee, freshly baked goods and a solid run of breakfast and lunch options built on local produce. The draw for dog owners is the undercover outdoor seating tucked within the centre, sheltered from the Military Road traffic, which makes it one of the calmer tables on that stretch.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcome at the outdoor, undercover tables next to the pantry, but not in the indoor food area. The setup works best as a quick stop mid-walk rather than a long brunch. Bring a collapsible water bowl, because staff water for dogs is not guaranteed, and keep the lead tidy since the tables sit in a working village centre with shoppers passing through.

Worth knowing

The coffee is the anchor, backed by fresh pastries, toasted sandwiches and a chicken katsu wrap that regulars single out. It reads as a tidy coffee-and-bite stop more than a destination lunch. Hours run 6:30am to 2:30pm Monday to Saturday and the pantry is closed Sundays per the Big Bear Village listing, so plan the weekend visit for Saturday morning and double-check times before a late-morning run.

Getting there and parking

Big Bear Village offers 90 minutes of free parking in its car park, with level access from the car park to the pantry, which makes arrival with a dog about as painless as Military Road gets. Buses along Military Road stop close by if you are coming from the city or the north.

Close by with the dogs

For green space before or after coffee, the harbour-side walks are a few minutes south. Primrose Park Walking Track gives you a quiet bush-and-bay loop in Cammeray, and the longer Tunks Park to Artarmon Reserve route covers a proper leg-stretch on lead. For another dog-welcoming table nearby, Cafe ZoZo is in the same suburb and The Alchemist Espresso is one suburb over.

More options are on the NSW dog friendly cafes guide and the Neutral Bay destination page.

Pepsi: the undercover tables are the whole point here. Rain on Military Road, dry dog under cover, katsu wrap in hand. That is the play.