SOULPLATE

SOULPLATE is a modern licensed cafe on Penshurst Street in Willoughby with a creative brunch menu and a street-level alfresco area that takes dogs. It has become a regular stop for North Shore owners doing a coffee lap with the leash still in hand, opening early on weekdays at 6:30am.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcome in the outdoor alfresco seating at street level; the indoor dining room stays people-only. Keep dogs leashed and settled at the table. Water bowls are typically available outside, though a portable bowl is worth carrying on hot days. The staff have a reputation for being welcoming rather than merely tolerant of dogs at the tables.

The vibe

Warm and plant-filled, with strong coffee and a menu that runs from brunch classics like eggs benny on croissant to more inventive plates. Weekends are the busy stretch for a sit-down brunch; weekday brunch is the calmer window to bring a dog.

Pepsi: the footpath tables sit close enough to the street that a dog who lunges at prams needs the seat against the wall, not the kerb.

Getting there and parking

The address is 2/63 Penshurst Street, Willoughby NSW 2068. Street parking is available on Penshurst Street and the side streets, though the breakfast hours fill it. Local buses run along Penshurst Street if you are arriving without a car.

Worth knowing

Hours shift through the week: 6:30am to 3:30pm on weekdays, 7am to 2:30pm Saturdays and 7:30am to 2pm on Sundays, so late-lunch plans do not work here. Willoughby Park is close by for a warm-down walk afterwards.

Close by with the dogs

The Incinerator Cafe offers garden seating near Bicentennial Reserve if you want a second option, and Cafe Vita is another neighbourhood table in the same pocket.

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