Mix Grill Kitchen

Mix Grill Kitchen is a casual kebab and burger counter at 30 Queen Street in Lake Illawarra, inside the HomeCo Warilla Grove shopping complex, and dogs are welcome at the outdoor tables near the shopfront. It is a quick refuel stop rather than a long-sit destination, and the food is bigger than the setting suggests.

The dog setup

Dogs go at the outdoor seating by the shopfront, standard shopping-centre tables rather than a dedicated courtyard. Keep your dog on lead and close by, since it is a shared space with other shoppers and diners passing through. Water bowls are not guaranteed, so a portable bowl is worth packing.

The vibe

Locals rate the kebabs, burgers and snack packs, with cheeseburgers and generous portions coming up again and again, and service is quick enough that nobody waits long. It trades from 11am to 10pm every day of the week, which makes it a flexible dinner stop as well as a lunch one.

Getting there

The shop sits within the Warilla Grove complex at 30 Queen Street, with free and plentiful parking in the centre's car park, including accessible spaces. Everything is at car-park level, so getting from boot to table with a dog is easy.

Pepsi: this is a grab-a-table-outside-and-order stop, not a place to plan an outing around. Pair it with the lake or the dog park and it works well.

While you're out there

Warilla Fenced Dog Park is close by if your dog needs a proper off-lead run before or after, and Windang Dog Beach is a short drive across the lake for sand and water.

More options are on the New South Wales dog friendly pubs guide and the Lake Illawarra destination page.