Cafe Twelve91

Cafe Twelve91 sits underneath the Pacific Surf Life Saving Club at 1291 Gold Coast Highway, Palm Beach, absolute beachfront with ocean views from the tables. It opens 6am and the kitchen wraps around midday, so this is a breakfast-and-swim-hours stop, and a popular post-walk one for local dog walkers.

The dog setup

Dogs on lead are welcome in the downstairs outdoor alfresco garden: casual tables on the grass and paving shaded by fixed umbrellas, with deck-chair seating out towards the sand. Water bowls are often out and the cafe is used to dogs, and doggie treats are available for purchase at the counter. Keep your dog settled under the table so staff have clear walkways; entry is via the laneway off the highway, so watch the footpath traffic coming through.

The menu

Breakfast is the strength: bacon and egg rolls, homemade scones, Eggs Benny and the Eggs NOT Benny with lemon-preserve hollandaise, corn fritters, avocado smash, the double bacon and egg burger, buttermilk pancakes and ham and cheese croissants. Barista coffee, smoothies and housemade watermelon slushies cover the drinks, which matters on a Gold Coast summer morning.

Getting there and parking

Street parking on the highway and nearby residential streets is limited at peak hours; the public car park just north at Jefferson Lane is the easier bet, and the beachfront path runs right to the door if you are walking in with the dog.

Nearby with the dogs

The northern end of Palm Beach near Jefferson Lane is the off-leash beach zone for a run, and the Palm Beach off-leash dog beach is the designated stretch to aim for. The fenced run at Melaleuca dog park is the backup when the tide is high. After coffee, the Tallebudgera off-leash beach is just around the creek, and Custard Canteen is the other dog-friendly cafe on this strip.