Parkview Hotel

The Parkview Hotel sits on Summer Street in the middle of Orange, and the name is literal: the pub looks out over the parklands across the road. It runs a solid country-hotel playbook, with schnitzels and lamb cutlets leading the menu, roomy interiors and a beer garden that has become the draw card for the suburb's dog owners. If you are passing through town with the dog in the back seat, this is an easy stop to plan a lunch around.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcome in the rear beer garden and the outdoor courtyard, both of which are sheltered and heated, so the tables work through an Orange winter and not just the warm months. Visitors report the outdoor area is where the hotel's dog trade gathers, and the covered setup means a sudden change in weather does not end the outing. The guest rooms do not take pets, so this is a meal-and-a-pint stop rather than an overnight one.

Worth knowing

The park across the road gives you somewhere to stretch legs before and after the meal, and the kitchen handles the classic pub orders well: the schnitzel is the order people come back for, and the lamb cutlets do the job on a colder night. Summer Street puts most of Orange's cafes and shops within a short walk, so pairing lunch with an errand run is straightforward.

Close by with the dogs

Orange's dog park network is a short drive out: Bloomfield Reserve Dog Park and Machin Park Fenced Dog Park both give the dog a proper off-lead run before lunch. For coffee the next morning, Bensons Cafe is on the same strip, and The Union Bank covers dinner on another evening. The Orange guide and NSW dog friendly pubs fill in the rest of the trip.