Uptown Cafe & Bar

Uptown Cafe & Bar holds a prime corner at 316 Pakington Street, the thick of Geelong's best-known cafe strip in Newtown. It is a stylish brunch spot with a bar licence, and the front footpath tables are where dogs fit: a bright, busy perch that suits a settled dog who likes watching the street.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcome in the front outdoor and footpath seating along Pakington Street. Inside is generally service dogs only, so plan for the front tables. Water bowls are usually on offer and the staff are known for a soft spot for the local dogs that pass through. Weekends get lively, which is part of the appeal but worth knowing if your dog is nervous.

The vibe and the food

The menu runs from the Uptown Full Breakfast, a fan favourite reviewers describe as multiple meals in one, to smashed avocado, acai bowls, bao buns and solid coffee, with beer, wine and cocktails for the afternoon shift. Open daily 8am to 3pm, so it covers both a weekday coffee and a long weekend brunch.

Getting there and parking

Street parking runs along Pakington Street and the side streets, and the strip is an easy walk if you are already exploring Newtown on foot. Weekday mornings are calmer; on weekends the front tables are the only dog seating and they go first, so an early arrival is the difference between a table and a wait.

Nearby with the dogs

Pakington Street is made for an on-lead wander past other dog-friendly cafes, and Rebecchi's up the strip is the same-suburb alternative. For a proper leg-stretch either side of brunch, the Barwon River trail is a short walk away; the river corridor is on-lead by default, though City of Greater Geelong designates sections of the northern bank upstream from Queens Park Bridge as supervised off-leash, so follow the signage. Two Sisters Cafe over in Geelong West is the other half of the Pakington precinct's dog-friendly run.

More options are on the Newtown destination page, and the full cafe list is in the VIC cafes index.