3 cheers cafe

3 Cheers Cafe is a small neighbourhood cafe at 2A Edwardes Street, Reservoir, doing dependable breakfast and lunch for locals a short walk from Edwardes Lake Park. It is listed as pet friendly, and with roughly 40 seats split between indoors and the Edwardes Street frontage, the outdoor tables are the ones to aim for with a dog.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcome in the outdoor and alfresco seating along the Edwardes Street frontage, on lead beside your table. The frontage makes arriving with a dog simple, straight off the street and into a chair. Bowls are not guaranteed, so bring your own water bowl to be safe.

The vibe

This is a morning-ritual cafe rather than a weekend destination: quality barista coffee, classic breakfast plates, burgers and a straightforward lunch menu, served by people who know their regulars' orders. It opens early, 6am on weekdays and 8am on weekends, with the kitchen closing at 3pm midweek and 2pm on weekends, which suits the pre-work or post-lap-of-the-lake crowd.

Max: coffee in hand, dog at my feet, lake loop done before eight. It is that kind of cafe.

Getting there and parking

The cafe sits on Edwardes Street in Reservoir, with street parking along Edwardes Street and the surrounding blocks. Reservoir station and the Edwardes Lake Park precinct are both within easy walking distance, and the route from Preston or Thornbury along Edwardes Street is direct.

Close by with the dogs

Edwardes Lake Park is the obvious pairing: the fenced Edwardes Lake Park dog off-lead area sits at the Leamington Street and Seaver Grove corner, with double-gated entry, water stations and a separate run for small or shy dogs. Under City of Darebin rules, dogs stay on lead through the rest of the park, keep clear of playgrounds and barbecue areas, and you carry a leash at all times. Loop the lake on lead, then finish at the cafe.

The Reservoir guide and the Victoria dog-friendly cafes list cover more of the area; All Heart Cafe is another local favourite with dogs in mind.