Willoughby’s Vibe Cafe

Willoughby's Vibe Cafe is a neighbourhood spot at 130 Mowbray Road, Willoughby, serving Brazilian-leaning brunch food with a dog-friendly outdoor deck out front. It opens early, 6:30am on weekdays and 7am on weekends, and runs to mid-afternoon.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcome on the outdoor deck, which has enough room to settle a dog in without crowding neighbouring tables. Water bowls are provided, and puppycinos are on the menu, which is the detail regular dog owners keep coming back for. Keep dogs leashed and clear of the walkway between tables.

Worth knowing

The kitchen leans Brazilian: crispy pastel pastries, acai bowls topped with granola and fresh fruit, brigadeiro sweets, plus cafe standards like burgers, a salmon poke bowl and homemade carrot cake. Coffee comes from The Grounds. It has a warm community feel and draws a local regular crowd, so weekends can be busy mid-morning.

Getting there and parking

Mowbray Road is a main east-west street through Willoughby, close to the Pacific Highway end. Street parking runs along Mowbray Road and the surrounding residential streets; it is tightest on weekday mornings when commuters fill the area.

Close by with the dogs

For a walk before or after brunch, the Unleashed Dog Exercise Area in Chatswood gives dogs a proper off-lead run, and Ferndale Park's bush gully is close by too. If you want a second sitting, The Incinerator Cafe in the heritage incinerator building is a short drive toward the harbour side of the suburb. See more dog friendly cafes in NSW or the Willoughby guide.

Pepsi: Pastel for the human, puppacino for me, and a spot on the deck where every passing dog gets a sniff. Five stars.