The Salty Breeze Cafe

The Salty Breeze Cafe sits inside Princess Park at 1 Tobin Drive, Queenscliff, a relaxed coastal cafe where the easiest dog-friendly seat is also the best one. It works as a breakfast, brunch and lunch stop either side of a walk through the park or along the nearby shoreline.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcome in the covered outdoor seating area, which holds up whether the day is bright or cool. Access is straight off the park paths, so there is no threading through an indoor room with a lead, and staff are attentive, usually bringing water out and often stocking kangaroo treats at the counter.

The kitchen runs the full morning-to-afternoon spread, from the bacon and egg roll and eggs benedict to smashed avo, steak sandwiches and burgers, with coffee rated highly and later sessions turning to wood-fired pizza.

The vibe

It is unpretentious park-kiosk-grown-proper, with picnic tables under cover and the playground and open lawns of Princess Park spread around it. Weekends run longer than weekdays, when service winds up mid-afternoon.

Hours sit at 9am to 2:30pm Wednesday to Friday, from 8:30am on Saturdays and to early afternoon on Sundays, but they can shift with seasons, so check the cafe's page before a long drive.

Getting there and parking

Enter Princess Park from Tobin Drive, where free parking is usually available within the parkland. The cafe is an easy walk from surrounding streets and the beach end of town.

Pair it with

You are already in the park, so a lead-on stroll before or after costs nothing, and the Shelly Beach walk via Queenscliff Beach starts along the coast.

Point Lonsdale Dog Beach is the swim stop, Manly Lagoon Dog Park covers an off-lead run, and La Loca Cafe is the backup coffee if the Breeze is closed.

More dog-friendly cafes in Victoria and our guide to Queenscliff with the dogs are on site.