Champi Express Cafe

Champi Express Cafe runs from 10G/35 Furzer Street in the Phillip commercial precinct of Woden, and it is not a standard bacon-and-eggs operation: the menu is a South East Asian fusion lineup with a drink list to match. The dog-friendly part is the outdoor seating out front, where dogs are welcome while you work through a bowl of congee and a matcha.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcome at the outdoor tables, not inside the main dining area. A water bowl is usually on offer and the counter staff have a name for accommodating four-legged customers. The footpath setting is casual and moderately busy, so it suits a dog that settles well around passing pedestrians. Keep yours on lead and out of the way of the foot traffic.

Pepsi: Order the soft shell crab burger, claim the footpath table and let the dog have the shade side. Weekday mornings are the quiet slot.

The food and drink

The menu runs wider than most Phillip cafes: comforting congee with chicken meatballs, pickled vegetables and breadsticks, a soft shell crab burger, chilli eggs, pork belly rice and massaman curry. The drinks are a draw in their own right, with matcha in yuzu, strawberry and iced pistachio variations plus hot hojicha. Hours are Monday to Friday 8am to 2:30pm and Saturday and Sunday 9am to 3pm.

Getting there and parking

The cafe sits in the Phillip commercial area near Callam Street and Hindmarsh Drive. Street parking in the surrounding streets is usually available and free, and the frontage is step-free, which makes the walk from the car with a dog straightforward.

Nearby with the dogs

Phillip Oval is close by: under ACT rules it works as a conditional off-leash exercise area when no organised sport or training is on, so check for bookings before unclipping. Eddison Park is nearby for an on-lead walk along its paths, and dogs must stay ten metres clear of playgrounds and BBQs across ACT public parks. For a guaranteed fenced run, Yarralumla Dog Park is the nearest dedicated off-leash option.

If you are pairing coffee stops in the precinct, The Pour House Espresso and Raven Coffee are the other Phillip listings. More options are on the Phillip destination page and in the ACT cafes index.