Zarb & Ru

Zarb & Ru is a small, old-school cafe on Point Nepean Road in the middle of the Rosebud shopping strip, directly opposite the foreshore. The pitch is simple: specialty coffee and a short menu of loaded jaffles, toasties and paninis, served at street-side tables where a dog is part of the furniture rather than an exception to it.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcome at the footpath tables out front, which is the natural way to do this cafe anyway. Being a small room, dogs are not taken inside, so pick a street-side seat and settle in. Staff are reliably warm with visiting dogs and usually bring a water bowl out without being asked, with the occasional treat appearing for well-behaved regulars. It sits on a working main road, so keep the lead short and the dog clear of passing prams.

On the plate

The jaffles are the reason people cross town, with the spaghetti toastie and the John Wayne panini among the regular orders, alongside egg and bacon rolls and artisan pastries. Coffee is locally sourced, with Commonfolk beans in the hopper. Doors open at 7am Monday to Saturday and 8am Sunday, closing early afternoon, and the beach across the road makes the early slot worthwhile.

Getting there and parking

Street parking out front on Point Nepean Road fills fast in the morning rush, but the larger free public car parks behind the shopping strip, reached via Wannaeue Place or Rosebud Parade, leave you a short walk from the door.

While you're out there

The Rosebud foreshore opposite is an easy flat walk with a dog on lead, and for a proper off-lead run Lawson Park and Woodvale Reserve are both fenced dog parks close by. Waterfall Gully Cafe and Nursery is the other Peninsula dog-friendly stop if you are making a morning of it.

See what else the area offers on the Rosebud destination page, or browse the VIC cafes index.