Royal Oak Hotel

The Royal Oak Hotel is an old fashioned corner pub on South Street, and its dog friendliness comes straight from the source: the hotel's own website describes it as a welcoming space for all, even the four legged kind, and designates the beer garden as dog friendly. That is the strongest sourcing tier you get, so you can plan a beer garden session with the dog without the usual guesswork, and the garden is the spot where the cutlet and parma crowd do their best work.

The vibe

This is a proper dining pub: rib eye and lamb cutlets from the grill, fresh bread rolls, salads and a parma that keeps the regulars loyal, served in a room that leans heritage rather than renovated within an inch of its life. Doors open midday Wednesday through Sunday with a 10pm close, and Monday and Tuesday are dark, so a weekend lunch in the garden is the reliable dog slot, and Ballarat's cold winters make the sunny afternoon tables the ones to aim for. The bar side keeps the pub regulars and the garden keeps the families, which gives a dog a calmer pocket of the venue.

While you're out there

Ballarat Central rewards a wander. Irish Murphy's is the other beer garden institution if your group splits for the evening, The Turret Cafe & Catering covers the morning coffee leg, and the Golden City Hotel is the fallback table nearby.

South Street carries parking along the front with side street bays in every direction, and the pub sits within walking distance of the Ballarat Central streetscapes for a leashed post lunch stroll. The Ballarat Central destination page pulls the suburb's dog friendly venues together, and the Victoria pubs guide covers the rest of the state.