The Porch Cafe

The Porch Cafe is a family-run cafe at 10 Nautilus Crescent, on a quiet residential street just off the Scarborough beachfront, and it is one of the most genuinely dog-welcoming spots in the suburb. The name tells you the seating plan: dogs are set up for on the front porch, with a garden area alongside the tables, and the staff are visibly happy to see them arrive.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcome at the porch and outdoor tables; keep to the outdoor side rather than assuming the dining room. Water bowls are usually available, and the garden strip beside the seating gives a dog a patch of ground to settle on rather than a bare footpath. If your dog does better on grass, the takeaway option works well too: there is a small park right next door where a blanket and a takeaway cup make an easy fallback. The street is quiet and low-traffic, which helps nervous dogs.

The vibe and the food

It opens from 6:30am to 2pm every day, so it is strictly a breakfast-and-lunch stop. The menu covers specialty coffee, fresh smoothies, juices and acai bowls, plus bagels and toast plates like the smoked salmon bagel and avocado with brie. The tone is slow and neighbourhood-y rather than beachfront-busy, which suits an unhurried morning with a dog at your feet.

Pepsi: It closes at 2pm, so this is a morning plan. Do the beach first, coffee second, not the other way around.

Getting there and parking

Nautilus Crescent sits a block or two back from the Scarborough foreshore. Street parking is on Nautilus Crescent and the surrounding streets, and it fills on weekend mornings, so coming earlier makes both parking and porch tables easier.

While you're out there

Peasholm Dog Beach is the off-lead swim a short trip up the coast, with wash-down hoses at the exits, and the Abbett Park Reserve Fenced Dog Park covers the grass-and-fence option. Lady Latte and Bazil and Co are other dog-friendly cafes close by if the porch is full.

The wider suburb rundown is on the Scarborough destination page, and the full list is in the WA cafes index.