Sketch Coffee & Art

Sketch Coffee & Art sits at 121 Towradgi Road, a short drive north of the Wollongong CBD, and doubles as a working gallery: coffee and a seasonally driven kitchen out front, rotating local art and handmade gifts inside. For dog owners it is one of the friendliest stops in the Illawarra, because the kitchen cooks for your dog as well as you.

The dog setup

Well-behaved dogs on leads are welcome in the outdoor seating area, and staff are known for greeting canine visitors with pats and treats. There is even a small pup-friendly menu item, a serving of scrambled eggs, so your dog gets a proper plate while you eat. It is an open-air street setting rather than a fenced yard, so keep your dog on lead and settled beside the table.

Worth knowing

The kitchen runs fresh to order: acai bowls, bacon and egg rolls, cheese toasties, smashed avo, gourmet burgers and chicken schnitzel burgers, with banana bread and sweets in the cabinet. Dietary needs are handled well, with coeliac-safe gluten-free options plus vegetarian and vegan choices marked on the menu. Coffee is the backbone, backed by loose-leaf teas and iced lattes. Hours run 6:30am to 2pm on weekdays and 7am to midday on weekends, so mornings are the play.

Getting there and parking

On-street parking is available on Towradgi Road and the surrounding residential streets, and the cafe sits between the village shops and the beach end of the suburb. Towradgi station is a short walk if you are arriving by train with a dog on lead.

Pepsi: Scrambled eggs, served. Art on the walls, crumbs on the floor. Five stars from me.

Close by with the dogs

Towradgi Beach Park and the coastal shared path out front make an easy on-lead stroll. Towradgi Beach itself is a time-share beach under Wollongong City Council rules: dogs on lead before 9am and after 6pm in summer, or after 4pm in the rest of the year. For a proper off-lead run, Bellambi Beach has green-zone 24 hour access to the north, and Bark at the Beach at Thirroul is a dedicated dog beach further up the coast. Saltie Dog in East Corrimal is the natural cafe pairing on that stretch.

Check Bellambi Beach and Bark at the Beach for the off-lead details, browse more dog friendly cafes in NSW, or plan a day around Towradgi. Council beach zones change with the seasons, so confirm signage on arrival.