Ellen's Cafe North Shore

Ellen's Cafe is a casual local bakery-cafe at 9 Seabeach Parade in North Shore, Geelong, and dogs are welcome at the outdoor footpath seating. It opens 7am to 2:30pm Monday to Friday and 8am to 2pm on Saturday, and closes Sunday, so time your visit for the morning.

The dog setup

The footpath tables out front are the dog zone; the cafe interior is people-only. Keep your dog leashed and settled beside the table, and bring your own water on a warm day since no dedicated bowl is advertised. The setting is what makes it work: Moorpanyal's off-lead beach and cliff-top reserve are a short walk away, so the usual pattern is a swim and a run first, then coffee.

The baking

Everything is made on site, and the sausage rolls are the thing people cross town for, sold fresh daily until they run out. The cabinet also turns over egg and bacon rolls on brioche, focaccia, burek, burgers and house slices like clinker and wagon wheel, with solid coffee alongside. Staff have a welcoming reputation, which helps when a sandy dog is involved.

Getting there and the off-lead beach

Free street parking runs along Seabeach Parade, and the cafe is an easy stop if you are already walking the North Shore waterfront. The Moorpanyal Dog Area is the main draw: dogs can run off lead on the beach and grassed cliff paths at all times, staying on lead within ten metres of playgrounds and picnic spots. Fork N Flower in Moolap is another dog-friendly cafe nearby.

More of the area's dog-friendly venues are on the North Shore destination page, with the state list in the VIC cafes index.