George's Milkbar

George's Milkbar is a busy riverside cafe at 61 Yarra Street, Warrandyte, directly opposite the Yarra River. It runs as a modern take on the corner milkbar, and the footpath tables out front make it an easy stop on a riverside walk with the dog.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcome at the under-cover outdoor seating on the pavement, and water bowls are generally available. Because the frontage sits on a busy footpath, keep your dog tucked in close to the table and out of the pedestrian line. Bringing your own bowl as backup is a sensible habit here.

Worth knowing

The counter runs to pies, sausage rolls, focaccias, bagels and quiche, with the French vanilla slices a house signature, and gluten-free bread is available. The coffee draws consistent praise. Hours run 6am to 4pm Monday through Saturday and 7am to 4:30pm on Sunday, so it suits an early start. Weekend mornings are the busiest stretch for a street-side table.

Getting there and parking

Street parking runs along Yarra Street, with a car park across the road near the riverbank that fills on weekends. Warrandyte is roughly half an hour northeast of central Melbourne, and the cafe is easy to fold into a morning on the river.

Close by with the dogs

The river frontage directly across the road connects to Warrandyte Yarra River Water Frontage for an on-lead stroll before or after coffee. Warrandyte River Reserve Dog Off Leash Area is minutes away for proper off-lead time. Note that most of Warrandyte State Park itself is off limits to dogs, so stick to the designated reserves along the river.

More options are on the Victoria dog friendly cafes guide and the Warrandyte destination page.

Max: claim the outer table on the footpath side, the longer lead still reaches and you can watch the whole street go past.