Red Bean Coffee Roaster

Red Bean Coffee Roaster is a house-roasting cafe at 121 Plenty Road in Preston, and the reason to bring the dog is the relaxed welcome: staff are genuinely keen on visiting dogs, the front alfresco catches the morning sun, and the coffee is roasted on site, which is rare in these parts.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcome at the outdoor footpath tables out front, and there are regular reports of dogs being fine inside when you are only ducking in for a takeaway. The room is narrow and industrial and gets tight on weekends, so the front seating is your best bet with a dog in tow. Bring your own water bowl to be safe, though staff are friendly enough that it rarely matters.

The vibe and the menu

Open 7am to 3pm weekdays and 8am to 3pm weekends. The espresso comes from the roaster out the back with single origins through the grinder, plus the odd turmeric or beetroot latte, and the kitchen covers breakfast and lunch with gluten-free bread on hand. Regulars point to the potato rosti benedict, the breakfast bowl and the haloumi toastie, and reviewers rate the value as hard to beat in the north.

Getting there and parking

The cafe sits on Plenty Road between Preston's retail strip and the Reservoir border, with street parking on the side streets off Plenty Road and trams running past the door. For an off-lead run nearby, the G H Mott Reserve dog off-leash area is the closest, with A H Capp Reserve also within easy reach.

Other dog-friendly coffee nearby includes Jackson Dodds in Preston and Lady Bower Cafe over in Reservoir.

More of the area's dog-friendly venues are on the Preston destination page, with the full state list in the Victorian cafes index.