Mona Castle Hotel

The Mona Castle Hotel has held the corner of Austin St in Seddon for a long stretch of Melbourne's inner west, and it wears its age the way locals want a corner pub to: old school room, footy on the screens, a parma on the menu and a beer garden out the back. It trades daily from midday to late, and the venue's own site states the beer garden posture plainly, dogs welcome and encouraged.

The dog setup

The venue's own site carries the details: dogs are welcome and encouraged in the beer garden and outdoor areas, which is about as unambiguous as pub dog policy gets. The beer garden is walk ins only, so there is no booking the dog friendly space ahead, and on big footy nights or summer weekends the garden fills early, which is the one caveat to plan around. The outdoor area is where the dog belongs, the indoors stays people only, and the midday opening means a weekday lunch with the dog is the relaxed version of this pub.

The menu is unapologetically pub classic: chicken parma and seafood pasta lead, dim sims and apple pie cover the old school end, and steak night gives the regulars their anchor. Watching footy in the public bar with the dog parked at your feet in the garden is the standard Seddon Sunday here. Hours run from 12pm daily, closing at 11pm Monday to Wednesday and Sunday, and midnight Thursday to Saturday, so dinner with the dog works any night.

Make a day of it

The inner west stacks up well for dogs. McIvor Reserve Fenced Dog Park in Yarraville is a short drive for a proper off leash run, Moon Dog Wild West in Footscray covers the other end of the beer spectrum, and Charles and Gamon is the suburb's own dog friendly dining alternative.

The Seddon destination page lists the suburb's dog friendly stops, and the Victorian pubs guide is the starting point for a wider inner west pub circuit.