Jawz Coffee

Jawz Coffee sits at 11A Railway Place West in Preston, a small cafe tucked on a quiet pocket of footpath between Bell and Thornbury stations, well away from High Street traffic. Run by Jess and Andrea, it has become a local favourite with regulars who bring their dogs to the outdoor tables, and the cafe's own resident Labrador in training, Taffy, is often on site.

The dog setup

The outdoor tables on Railway Place West are where dog owners settle. The street is calm and low-traffic, so a leashed dog relaxes easily beside the table; bring your own water bowl to be certain. Parking is generally available in the surrounding streets but tightens up on weekends, and the train is the easy option: both stations are a short walk.

The vibe

Jawz pours Toby's Estate coffee and turns out rotating specialty drinks like the Ichigo Matcha Latte. The kitchen runs seasonal brunch dishes, think unagi scramble sangas and mushroom croissants, while the weekend bake list is the real drawcard: kimcheese scones, ube mochi cakes, miso caramel brownies and changing cheesecakes and tarts. The weekly pastry lineup tends to sell through, so earlier is safer. Closed Mondays; Tuesday to Friday 7am to 3pm, weekends 7am to 4pm.

More walks nearby

G.H. Mott Reserve Dog Off Leash Area on Patterson Street is the closest big run, a long grassed space popular with local dogs. W.R. Ruthven V.C. Reserve Dog Off Leash Area is another oval-sized option nearby. For a creekside walk, the Merri Creek shared trail runs dogs on lead, and Merri Park Dog Off Leash Area in Northcote sits right beside it.

More northern Melbourne picks: cafes in VIC and Preston.