Bentley's Cafe

Bentley's Cafe is a Southport local at shop 3, 201 Ferry Road, trading on good coffee, famous breakfast rolls and a genuinely welcoming attitude to dogs. It opens at 5am, seven days, and shuts at 2pm, which makes it the natural first stop on an early morning walk before the Gold Coast heat arrives. Dogs are welcome at the outdoor seating, and the cafe's own socials show pups getting their own treats at the counter.

The dog setup

Dogs settle with you in the outdoor seating area. Some reviewers report dogs allowed inside as well, but check with staff on arrival rather than assume it. Staff have a reputation for looking after canine customers as well as their owners, though carrying your own water bowl is still the dependable move. Ferry Road is a busy through-road, so seat your dog on the inside of the table with a short lead.

Worth knowing

The breakfast rolls are the signature, backed by a menu that runs to acai bowls, coconut oats, gourmet toasties, banana bread and bakery treats, with smoothies and matcha alongside the coffee. The entrance and seating are wheelchair accessible, and there is a free parking lot plus street parking around the complex. Early is the play either way: parking is easiest, the queue is short and the outdoor tables are all still free.

Getting there and parking

The cafe sits in the Ferry Road precinct, a short hop from Southport's central shopping blocks, with on-site and street parking nearby. It is also an easy detour if you are already walking the Broadwater foreshore paths, which start a couple of minutes away by car.

Close by with the dogs

Broadwater Parklands is a 2 to 3 minute drive for waterfront walking, though under City of Gold Coast rules dogs stay on lead there and are kept out of the swimming enclosure and playgrounds. For off-lead time, the Musgrave Park Dog Off Leash Area is the designated Southport option, and The Spit Dog Beach at Labrador is the go for a swim. If you are cafe-hopping, Broadwater Cafe and Caffe Republic are both nearby Southport alternatives.

More picks are on the QLD dog friendly cafes guide and the Southport destination page.

Pepsi: be through the door not long after the 5am opening and you will have first run at the breakfast rolls and every outdoor table to choose from.