The Tea Club Cafe

The Tea Club Cafe is a long-running Nowra favourite at 46 Berry Street, opposite the Roxy cinema, and the reason it works for dogs sits out the back: a large, leafy garden courtyard, covered and spacious, well away from the Berry Street foot traffic. Leashed dogs are welcome out there, and it is listed among the Shoalhaven's pet-friendly venues on AGFG.

The dog setup

Dogs join you in the rear garden courtyard, where tables tuck under trees and behind the buildings, giving a settled dog genuine space. Indoor seating stays people-only. Staff will usually bring a water bowl out, but on a busy lunch service bring your own to be safe. The courtyard is the whole reason to come with a dog, so ask for a table out the back when you order.

Worth knowing

The menu is hearty home-style: breakfast and lunch plates, thai chicken salad, lentil soup and burgers with proper vegetarian and gluten-free coverage, backed by good coffee and a broad tea list that earns the name. Sticky chai is the signature order. Live music turns up in the courtyard from time to time, which is lovely for humans and not always for dogs, so check what is on and pick a quieter session if yours is noise-shy. Hours run weekdays from 7:30am into the afternoon, with limited weekend trade advertised, so confirm before a Saturday or Sunday trip.

Getting there and parking

The cafe is central Nowra on Berry Street, with street parking along the strip and more in the surrounding streets and behind the shops. It is easy to find on foot, and the cinema and CBD side streets make a natural wander either side of a meal.

Close by with the dogs

The Shoalhaven riverfront walk is a few minutes away for an on-lead leg-stretch before or after. For off-lead time, Nowra Fenced Dog Park is the suburb's dedicated run, and the Bomo Dog Bowl Fenced Dog Park in Bomaderry is just over the bridge. For another coffee in town, Blak Cede Gunyah is the local option worth knowing.

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

Pepsi: sneak out the back before you even look at the menu. The secret garden is the seat, the stage and the whole point of the place.