Cedarwood Cafe

Cedarwood Cafe sits at 23 Coonanbarra Road in the middle of Wahroonga Village, a busy brunch kitchen with a serious coffee program. Dogs are welcome at the outdoor tables, which makes it the natural stop after a village walk or a run at one of the local dog parks.

The dog setup

Outdoors only: dogs sit with you in the external seating area, not in the main dining room. The cafe runs hard on weekend mornings and the footpath traffic is real, so a well-behaved dog on a short lead tucked beside your chair is the right arrangement. Bring a travel bowl rather than counting on one being out, since the staff move quickly on busy services.

The vibe

The kitchen leans into Middle Eastern and global brunch plates, and reviewers keep coming back to the corn fritters, the shakshuka-style Moroccan eggs, falafel and beetroot hummus, with gluten-free bread available. Plates tend to arrive garnished with edible flowers, and there are cold-pressed juices alongside a well-regarded coffee program. It is a buzzing room rather than a sleepy local, particularly between 8 and 11 on weekends.

Max: outdoor table, short lead, and a corner position where I can watch the village go by. The coffee queue is worth the wait, apparently.

Getting there and parking

The cafe is in the Wahroonga Village shopping strip, with free council street parking around Coonanbarra Road and the surrounding blocks. Wahroonga Station is a short walk, which makes a train-plus-coffee outing easy.

Close by with the dogs

Burn energy first at the Wahroonga Dog Park or the Frances O'Brien Dog Park, then claim a table before the brunch rush.

When to go

Doors open 6am on weekdays and 7am on weekends, closing at 3pm daily. Early weekday mornings are the calm window with a dog; weekend mornings are the busy, lively version.

More options are on the NSW dog-friendly cafes guide and the Wahroonga destination page.