Pitch Black Cafe

Pitch Black Cafe sits in the small Rivett shopping centre at 14 Rivett Place, a Weston Creek local that opens before most of Canberra has stirred, from 5am on weekdays and 7:30am on weekends, closing mid afternoon. It runs on Seven Mile Roasters beans and covers the full cafe spread, from bacon and egg rolls to burgers and pizzas, with the supermarket next door handy for combining a coffee run with the groceries.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcome in the outdoor seating, which is where most of the room is anyway: a courtyard area plus footpath tables along the front of the shops. The footpath position makes arrivals and departures easy on a lead, and it is a normal stop for locals walking the neighbourhood. Staff are relaxed about dogs and will usually bring out water if you ask when you order.

Worth knowing

The bacon and egg roll is the signature order, and the kitchen handles eggs benedict, croissants and milkshakes alongside the heavier lunch plates. Mornings are the natural window here given the early opens and the 2:30pm close, so plan a breakfast or brunch visit rather than an afternoon one. Seating fills with the local regular crowd on weekend mornings.

Getting there and parking

Free parking sits directly in front of the cafe in the shopping centre carpark, with street space around the shops as overflow. Rivett is a short drive from Duffy, Holder and Weston, and the shops are walkable from most of the suburb's streets.

Make a day of it

The Weston Creek Dog Park in Duffy is the closest proper off-lead run, a few minutes away by car. For a longer on-lead outing, the Cooleman Ridge Nature Track climbs through Chapman and pairs well with a big breakfast afterwards.

More options are on the ACT dog friendly cafes guide and the Rivett destination page.

Pepsi: order first, then ask for a water bowl while they make it. The footpath tables give you a clear view of the carpark and everyone walking past.