Edinburgh Castle Hotel

The Edinburgh Castle Hotel, known locally as the Edi Castle, is Brunswick's long-standing pub at 681 Sydney Road, with a big leafy beer garden out the back and live music through the week. Dogs are welcome in that garden, which is exactly why dog owners keep it on the regular list.

The dog setup

Dogs settle in the large outdoor beer garden, which carries plenty of covered seating so weather rarely ruins a booking. You generally walk the dog through the front bar to reach the garden, and water bowls are around with staff happy to refill. Keep the leash on and the dog close to the table, since the garden fills up on gig days.

The vibe

This is a genuine community pub rather than a themed one: classic parmas, burgers and share plates, a solid run of independent craft beers on tap, pool and ping pong rooms, and live music from Thursday through Sunday, with Sunday afternoon sessions a Brunswick institution. The pub even runs an informal Dog of the Month feature for its canine regulars. The pub opens from midday daily, with the kitchen running into the evening.

Max: pick an afternoon slot before the music starts. Once the front bar fills on a Sunday, the garden gets loud and busy, which is great for some dogs and too much for others.

Getting there and parking

The pub sits on Sydney Road, with the 19 tram stopping nearby at Dawson Street. Street parking on surrounding streets like Hope and Davies is free but limited and harder to find at busy times, so the tram is the low-stress option.

Pair it with

Burn some energy first at Gilpin Park Fenced Dog Park, or grab coffee with the dog at Lobbs up the road. If the garden is packed, The Cornish Arms Hotel is another dog-friendly room nearby.

The wider list is in the Victoria dog friendly pubs guide, and the suburb's other entries sit on the Brunswick destination page.