Mr Paul's Beer and Wine

Mr Paul's Beer and Wine is a small, laneway-style craft beer and wine bar off the top end of Main Street in Mornington, and it is about as dog-keen as bars get: the owner keeps meaty treats behind the bar for regular canine visitors. Fourteen rotating taps of independent craft beer, a tight list of local wines, gins and whisky, and a hawker-style share menu make it a proper destination rather than a convenience.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcome in the front courtyard, a covered outdoor space with umbrellas that you reach straight off the pedestrian laneway. Dogs stay leashed and well behaved in the outdoor section; the snug indoor bar is humans only. Staff are warm about canine guests, and visiting dogs often get a complimentary snack from the owner. The courtyard is on the small side, so a quieter early-evening slot gives your dog more room than a packed Friday night.

Pepsi: Got a treat from the bar before our drinks even landed. Ten out of ten laneway.

Worth knowing

Opening hours lean late and start Thursday: from 5pm Thursdays and from 3pm Fridays through Sundays, closed Monday to Wednesday. Food runs to popcorn chicken, bao buns and tasting platters, so it works as an early dinner with the dog as well as a drink stop.

Getting there and parking

Look for the laneway at 234 Main Street. Free street parking runs along Main Street and the surrounding side streets, and the bar sits central to the rest of the strip.

Close by with the dogs

The foreshore is a short walk for a leg stretch, and the Royal Beach Dog Off Leash Area nearby is the spot for a proper run first. HomeGround Coffee covers the morning side of Main Street, and if you are making a day of the peninsula, Hawker Beach up the coast is dog friendly too. More options sit under Mornington and Victoria dog friendly pubs.