Coffee on High

Coffee on High is a family-owned cafe at 27 High Street in central Wauchope, and its claim to fame among Hastings Valley dog walkers is simple: it opens at 5am on weekdays, earlier than anything else around, so the pre-dawn walk crew has somewhere to land. It is a straightforward, friendly local cafe doing breakfast, burgers and solid local coffee, with dogs welcome at the footpath tables out front.

The dog setup

Dogs sit with you at the outdoor street-front tables, on lead, while the indoor dining stays humans only under standard NSW food rules. Staff are welcoming to pets but do not automatically bring a water bowl, so carry your own. The footpath gets pedestrian traffic, so keep your dog tucked close and settled rather than sprawling.

The menu

Bacon and egg rolls and hearty breakfast plates lead the morning, with French toast and fresh pastries close behind. Lunch moves to burgers, including a traditional schnitzel burger and a proper Aussie beef burger with beetroot, plus a custom sandwich bar with builds like the Rolls Royce roll and a vego stack with pesto and eggplant. Coffee uses local Peak beans. Hours run 5am to 5pm on weekdays and 6am to 2pm on weekends.

Getting there and parking

The cafe sits on High Street in the Wauchope town centre, with free street parking directly out front and on the side streets. It is an easy stop on the way through to Port Macquarie or the hinterland, and early mornings are quietest if you want a footpath table to yourselves.

While you're out there

For an off-lead run, Blackbutt Reserve Fenced Dog Park has separate large and small dog areas a few minutes away. On the same street, Watermans Cafe is the other dog-friendly High Street option with alfresco seating near Bain Park.

More options are on the New South Wales dog friendly cafes guide and the Wauchope destination page.