Ray's Place

Ray's Place is an old-school all-day breakfast and lunch cafe on High Street in North Willoughby, and it has earned its local following on generous plates and an easy welcome rather than anything trendy. Middle Eastern influences sit alongside standard brunch classics, with house falafel, lamb kafta, and manoush sharing the menu with eggs benedict and burgers. For dog walkers on the lower north shore, it is the kind of unpretentious room where a post-walk feed works any day of the week, open 7am to 3pm, seven days.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcome in the outdoor seating area, where regulars report everything from small dogs curled on their own bedding to a couple of pups sharing the same awning. Tables sit close together, so a leashed, settled dog is part of the deal. There is no confirmed dedicated water station, so pack a portable bowl to be safe. The outdoor section fills quickly on weekends, which is worth remembering if your dog prefers quieter surroundings: weekday mornings are a far gentler introduction.

The vibe

Rustic and family friendly, with service that reviewers consistently call warm and unpretentious. The Big Brekky is the headline order, and the falafel and mushroom bruschetta have their own fans. Coffee is a custom house blend, with frappes and organic teas covering the rest. The weekend brunch rush is the busiest window; arrive before 8am on a Saturday if you want an outdoor table with room for a dog to lie down.

Getting there and parking

The address is 271 High Street, North Willoughby. Street parking runs along High Street and the side streets, and it is generally easier than the busier strips nearby, though weekend mornings tighten up. Buses on Willoughby Road and High Street stop within walking distance. Willoughby Park is a short stroll away for a pre or post-brunch leg stretch, and Warners Park further downhill offers more open space toward the water.

Close by with the dogs

Keep it local with SML Cafe or The Incinerator Cafe, or burn some energy first at Unleashed Dog Exercise Area in Chatswood. The Flat Rock Gully walk is nearby too, and more dog friendly cafes in NSW are listed for wider routes.

Ray's Place does the simple things right: big breakfasts, friendly service, and outdoor tables where dogs are part of the furniture. Beat the weekend rush and it is one of the more relaxed dog-accompanying brunches on the north side.