Sly Fox Coffee.

Sly Fox Coffee is a pop-up style coffee shop on the O'Connor bike path at 81 MacArthur Avenue in Canberra's inner north, drawing a steady stream of dog walkers, cyclists and locals from the nearby shops. With no indoor space at all, every seat is effectively dog seating, and it has built a name as one of the friendliest canine stops in the Inner North.

The dog setup

The whole setup is outdoors, with benches and tables around the pop-up right beside a public footpath and a busy bike path, so dogs are welcome at your feet on lead. Water is often put out for visiting dogs, though bringing your own bowl is the safer bet. Because the seating sits on a shared path, keep your dog close and settled; the space is best for a lead-side coffee rather than a long sit-down, and it fills fast on weekend mornings.

The vibe

Quality coffee and genuinely friendly service carry the place, along with a pancake breakfast that keeps locals coming back. It doubles as a small community hub, famous in particular among pug owners, whose meetups on the path have become part of the cafe's story, and among cyclists using the Inner North route.

Pepsi: the resident pugs have made this a pilgrimage stop for the flat-faced community. Expect snorts, wiggles and not much personal space.

Getting there and parking

The pop-up sits on the bike path at 81 MacArthur Avenue, an easy walk from the O'Connor shops, with parking available around the shops and along nearby streets. Cyclists on the Belconnen-to-city path network pass the door, which is exactly the traffic it was built for.

Close by with the dogs

Haig Park Dog Agility Course in Braddon is a short ride south for an off-lead workout, and for other dog-friendly coffee nearby, Clay. in Turner and Casa Espresso and Supersweet Cafe in Braddon all work.

More options are on the ACT dog-friendly cafes guide and the O'Connor destination page.