Cafe Memory Lane

Cafe Memory Lane is the breakfast-and-lunch stop on High Street, Russell Island, set at the entrance to the island's IGA shopping centre at 29-35 High Street. It opens 7am to 2:30pm every day, which makes it the default first coffee off the ferry and the last one before the ride home. Dogs are welcome at the outdoor seating out the front.

The dog setup

Dogs sit at the outdoor tables only; the small indoor room is people-only. Out-front seating is limited, so on weekend mornings arrive early to claim a table. Staff will often bring a water bowl out, but bringing your own removes the risk. A leashed dog is the norm here, given the plaza setting right by the shopping centre.

The food

The reputation rests on generous portions and home baking: date scones and fresh muffins get named in most reviews, and the menu runs from an all-day breakfast and lunch list with a Mediterranean and Lebanese lean, including a Mediterranean big breakfast and dippy eggs. Steak sandwiches and eggs benny are the hearty picks, vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options are available, and milkshakes and specialty coffee cover the drinks.

Getting there and ferry notes

The cafe is about a five-minute walk from the Russell Island ferry terminal, with free parking in the plaza lot shared with the IGA. Coming over on the SeaLink Bay Islands car ferry, dogs travel either safely inside a vehicle cabin or on a fitted lead and muzzle per the SeaLink conditions, and stay out of the ferry's indoor eating areas. That makes a car-based visit the simplest way to bring a dog across.

Close by with the dogs

Russell Island Dog Park is the island's dedicated off-lead spot a short drive away, and Jock Kennedy Recreation Reserve adds open space for a leashed walk. Redland City Council keeps dogs leashed outside designated areas and off the foreshore in front of swimming enclosures, so check signage near the water.

More island options are on the Russell Island destination page, with the wider list on the Queensland cafe guide.