Hearts Cafe

Hearts Cafe, also known as Racing Hearts Coffee Shop, sits inside the Racing Hearts McIntyre Centre at 2963 Moggill Road in Pinjarra Hills, west of Brisbane. It is a casual community coffee shop on a working equestrian property, and the draw with a dog is straightforward: outdoor seating among semi-rural surroundings, and proceeds that support equine-assisted therapy and the rehoming of retired racehorses.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcome at the outdoor seating areas during regular cafe hours, and on the third Sunday of the month they can join you around the community markets held on site, leads on the whole time. That rule is firm rather than flexible: this is an active equestrian and therapy facility with horses moving about, so a calm, leashed dog is part of the deal. Bring your own water bowl, as the property is set up around horses rather than visiting dogs.

Max: keep your dog leashed and calm near the horses. This is their home and their workplace, and a calm dog respects both.

Worth knowing

The menu covers coffee, cakes and light breakfast options, and the morning window is the one that matters: the cafe runs early starts, closing late morning most days, with Saturday the longest day at 6am to 2pm. Sunday trading is market days only. The monthly markets from 8am to 1pm bring arts and crafts stalls, pony rides and food, which is the busiest and best-attended visit of the month for dog owners.

Getting there and parking

The centre sits directly on Moggill Road with on-site parking at the entrance. Spaces fill quickly on market mornings, so arrive early on the third Sunday or park back along the road. It is roughly a 20 minute drive from the Brisbane CBD outside peak hour.

Close by with the dogs

The Curious Caravan Cafe at Pullenvale is another dog-friendly coffee stop a few minutes out, and if your dog needs a proper run first, Booker Place Park Fenced Dog Park at Bellbowrie is close by.

More options are on the Queensland dog-friendly cafes guide and the Pinjarra Hills destination page.