Fork and Grind

Fork and Grind is a weekday breakfast and lunch cafe on Mary Ann Street in Ultimo, a few minutes from the Broadway end of the city fringe. It opens at 6am and closes at 2:30pm, Monday to Friday, and sits tight on weekends, so it lives as a work-week stop for the office and student crowd. The kitchen keeps the pace with bacon and egg rolls and wraps, and finds room for smoked salmon and a halloumi stack sandwich that regulars come back for, with gluten free bread available for anyone who needs it.

Dogs are welcome in the alfresco seating area, which the cafe states plainly on its own website. In practice that means the street-side tables out front: pick a spot, settle the leash around the chair leg, and the coffee arrives. There is no indoor option for dogs, so a wet or hot day changes the shape of the visit rather than cancelling it, since the footpath cover keeps most of the weather off. Staff have a reputation for being welcoming, and the turnover between 7am and 9am suggests they have the routine down.

Worth knowing

The weekday-only schedule is the thing to plan around: no Saturday or Sunday service, and doors shut at 2:30pm, so this is a first-thing or long-lunch call. Mary Ann Street parking is short-stay metro territory and thins out quickly after 8am, though walking in from Broadway or the ABC precinct is often easier than driving. Because it closes before mid-afternoon, treat it as the start of an outing rather than the finish.

Make a day of it

For a second coffee or a slower sit-down, Quarry St Cafe is the local alternative nearby, and Fig Lane Park gives the dog a patch of grass to burn off the walk. Our Ultimo guide and the NSW cafe list cover the rest of the inner-city options.