St Andrews Hotel

The St Andrews Hotel is a rustic 1860s country pub on Burns Street in the hills north-east of Melbourne, and it handles dogs the way a proper country pub should: they are welcome wherever you would actually want to sit, which is outside under the gums. Live music, an open fire and a chicken parma finish the picture.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcome in the outdoor courtyard and beer garden, where most of the good seats are anyway, shaded by the gums out back. The main bar and dining room are indoors and off limits to dogs, so pick your table accordingly. Keep them leashed and close while you eat. Water bowls usually appear in the outdoor area, but on busy days bring your own collapsible bowl so you are not waiting on one. The crowd, weekend musicians, motorcyclists passing through the hills and other dogs, makes this a poor match for a nervous dog; easygoing dogs that can settle under a table will fit right in.

Worth knowing

The pub trades Tuesday to Sunday and closes Mondays; on weekends it runs from late morning well into the evening. The kitchen is known for its parma and pork belly, and live music on weekends fills the garden. The St Andrews Community Market runs Saturdays nearby, which packs the whole village, so either arrive early or book ahead if you want a dog-friendly table.

Getting there

The pub sits on Burns Street in St Andrews, roughly 50 to 60 minutes from Melbourne via Warrandyte or Eltham. There is free parking on site plus space on the surrounding dirt streets, though it fills on market Saturdays and music nights. The country roads around the village make a decent pre-lunch leg stretch for the dog.

Close by with the dogs

For a morning coffee before the pub opens, Cafelicious and Co is in the village, and Hurstbridge Dog Park is a short drive down the hill for a proper run first. More options are listed at dog friendly pubs across VIC and in our St Andrews guide.

Pepsi: Beer garden under the gum trees with my own water bowl and a band in the background. This is what weekends are for.