This Little Kitchen

This Little Kitchen is a busy neighbourhood cafe in the Ringwood North shopping village, the kind of place with a proper local following and a wait for outdoor tables on weekends. Dogs are welcome in the outdoor seating, and with a full brunch and lunch menu it works as a real sit-down stop rather than a grab-and-go.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcome at the outdoor tables, and staff have a reputation for being accommodating with them. Water bowls are generally around, though on a hot day it is worth bringing your own. It is a social, comfortable setting, so a settled dog that is happy to lie at your feet fits in easily.

Worth knowing

The kitchen runs a full brunch and lunch menu, and a few dishes come up again and again in reviews: the chilli scrambled eggs, the eggs benedict with its hollandaise, and a line of focaccias. There is a jalapeno burger for lunch and a strong tea selection. Service runs from 6am midweek and 7am on weekends until 3pm, with the kitchen closed on Tuesdays.

Getting there and parking

The cafe sits at Shop 2/170-172 Warrandyte Road in the local shopping village, with free parking in the plaza lot right outside, and the entrance and seating are wheelchair accessible. Buses run along Warrandyte Road if you are not driving.

Close by with the dogs

For a leg stretch before or after, BJ Hubbard Reserve Dog Off Leash Area is in the same suburb, and Parkwood Fenced Dog Park gives a fully fenced run. If you would rather keep the lead on, Mullum Mullum Reserve has quiet on-lead tracks. And when This Little Kitchen is packed, Slow Lane Coffee is the other Ringwood North cafe with outdoor seating.

Max: Aim for a weekday morning. You get the 6am start, an empty outdoor table and none of the weekend queue.

See more dog friendly cafes across Victoria or plan a longer visit around Ringwood North.