De Groot Coffee Co

De Groot Coffee Co is an independent roastery and cellar-door coffee shop set in an industrial shed at Shed 5, Factory 9, 89 Hill Street, Port Elliot, tucked off the main drag near the corner of Waterport Road. It is one of the Fleurieu's better-known coffee addresses, and one of its more welcoming for dogs: well-behaved dogs are allowed in the space as well as outside, which makes it an easy all-weather stop when the coastal wind picks up.

The dog setup

The shed is roomy, so there is space to settle a dog on a lead beside your table, inside or out on the undercover areas. Water bowls are usually on hand, though it is worth carrying your own to be sure on a hot day. It is a counter-service roastery rather than a full brunch floor, so the rhythm is coffee and something from the cabinet, then back to the coast.

The roastery

The coffee is roasted on site and you can watch it happen, with single origins and house blends rotating through the seasons and bags of freshly roasted beans to take home. The cabinet runs to almond croissants, homemade biscuits, cakes and slices, with vegan and other dietary-friendly options in the mix. Hours are 7:30am to 2pm weekdays and 8am to 2pm weekends.

Getting there and parking

Being off the main street, parking is the easy part, with free spaces in the complex around the shed, which is what makes it a simpler stop than the North Terrace cafes on a busy summer weekend.

While you're out there

Horseshoe Bay and the coastal path are minutes away, and the beach rules shift with the seasons under Alexandrina Council: on-lead at all times from 1 December to 31 January, on-lead between 10am and 6pm from February to April, and effective control from May through November, with Hooded Plover nesting signs to watch for. The off-lead run at Port Elliot Fenced Dog Park is the reliable year-round option, and Cockles Cafe on North Terrace is the other dog-friendly deck in town. For a longer outing, the Middleton to Port Elliot trail links the two towns, or Yilki Store at Encounter Bay does water bowls across from the water.

More dog-friendly options around the area are on the Port Elliot destination page, with the wider list in the SA cafes index.