Freshwaters

Freshwaters sits at the end of Lilla Street, right on the Freshwater Bay foreshore in Peppermint Grove, and the position does most of the talking. This is a relaxed, family friendly cafe trading 6am to 8pm every day, with sweeping views over the Swan River, boat traffic drifting past, and a covered outdoor dining area that welcomes dogs. If you want a river breakfast with your dog settled at your feet, this is about as simple as it gets in the western suburbs.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcome in the covered outdoor dining area, which is where the river views are best anyway, and there is lawn space beside the alfresco tables where a dog can stretch out. Water bowls are usually available, and staff are used to regulars arriving with a dog on the lead. Indoor seating is for humans only, so if you have a larger dog, pick a table with room to settle rather than squeezing into the alfresco edge. Keep your dog close to the table and out of the waiter paths as you would anywhere that serves food.

Worth knowing

The menu covers breakfast, lunch and coffee without fussing over any of them: fish and chips, barramundi, squid, chia pudding and the usual brunch standards. It is a locals' venue rather than a destination restaurant, and the crowd shifts with the tide of the day. Weekdays are noticeably quieter and easier for a dog that prefers a calm corner, while Sunday brunch fills up fast, so arrive early if you are heading in after a morning walk. The Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club sits immediately to the south, which tells you everything about the outlook.

Getting there and parking

Set your navigation for 3 Lilla Street, Peppermint Grove. There is a free on-site car park, and the surrounding residential streets generally have free kerbside parking. The cafe is an easy walk from the foreshore paths, so a river walk before breakfast slots straight in.

Close by with the dogs

The Foreshore Reserve runs north along the riverbank and makes a long, scenic on-lead walk, with a couple of dog exercise areas near the cafe where leads can come off. If you are cafe-hopping, Kinky Lizard Cafe Mosman Park and Phyl & Tom are a few minutes away, as are Daisies and John Street Cafe Cottesloe.

More river-side options are listed on the Western Australia dog cafes guide and the Peppermint Grove destination page.