PB & Js

PB & Js is a small gourmet donut and coffee bakery in the shopping strip on Mcilwraith Street, South Townsville, a few minutes from the CBD edge. It has built a local following on rotating donut flavours, chunky cookies and specialty coffee, and dogs are welcome at the outdoor tables along the front of the shop.

The dog setup

Seating for dog owners is the pavement and outdoor area of the small complex, with dogs welcome on lead beside your table. Service is counter and walk-in, so you order, grab a spot out front and settle in. Bring a portable water bowl because supply at the outdoor tables is not guaranteed, and keep your dog close in as this is a small shared walkway rather than a wide footpath. The menu list includes puppyccinos, so it is worth asking at the counter when you order.

The vibe

This is a lazy bakery in the best sense: donuts start coming out around 7:30am and the full range is ready by about 9am, so early visits get first pick. Flavours rotate weekly and have included Half Baked, Pineapple Express and PB&J plus Bacon, alongside cinnamon scrolls, chunky brown butter cookies, brownies, burnt basque cheesecake and a coffee and matcha lineup with rotating specials. Tuesdays run on baked goods and cookies rather than donuts, the full donut range is out Wednesday to Saturday, and the shop closes Sunday and Monday.

Getting there and parking

The bakery is at Shop 4/1 Mcilwraith St, South Townsville QLD 4810. Free street parking is available nearby and is generally easy, though it tightens up on Saturday mornings, when a short walk in may be needed.

Close by with the dogs

Ross Creek and the Palmer Street dining strip are an easy on-lead walk away for a post-donut stretch along the water. If you want to keep the cafe crawl going, Skull and Swallow on Allen Street and Levanti are both in South Townsville, and the fenced off-lead area at National Park in Railway Estate is a short drive south for a proper run before donuts.

Max: I got a puppyccino and half a donut. Best Tuesday ever.

Go early on Saturday for the full donut range and easier parking, or pick a weekday morning if you would rather a quiet sit with the dog. More dog-friendly spots across the state are listed on the Queensland cafes page, and planning notes for the area sit on the South Townsville guide.