Tel Aviv Yafo Ballina

Tel Aviv Yafo is an Israeli and Levantine cafe-restaurant on Piper Drive in Ballina, running breakfast and lunch daily from 7am to 2:30pm. The footpath and alfresco tables out front are the dog-friendly seating, which makes it an easy, relaxed stop with the dog rather than a formal sit-down.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcome at the outdoor and footpath seating, leashed, beside your table; the indoor dining room is for humans only. Staff are accommodating and water is usually sorted on request in the alfresco area, but bringing a collapsible bowl is still the reliable option for a warm Northern Rivers morning.

Pepsi: go early, the footpath tables go first on weekend mornings and the shakshuka is worth the early alarm.

Worth knowing

The kitchen works through the Levantine classics: shakshuka, slow-cooked lamb with hummus and flatbread, Turkish eggs, a mezze plate and falafel, with a solid run of vegetarian and vegan options. Reviews consistently rate it among the best breakfasts in Ballina, and the coffee holds its own. Everything wraps up by mid-afternoon, so this is a breakfast and lunch plan, not dinner.

Getting there and parking

Piper Drive sits on the western side of town near the Ballina central shopping area, with street and centre parking close by. It is a short drive from the Richmond River waterfront and an easy stop if you are heading north toward Lennox Head or the M1.

Pair it with

For an off-lead run first, Compton Dog Park in East Ballina has dedicated space with agility equipment, and Missingham Park runs along the river closer to town. On a warm day, Seven Mile Beach Dog Beach at Lennox Head is a 15-minute drive north. Another dog-friendly coffee option in town is Bertie's food and drink.

More options are on the New South Wales dog friendly restaurants guide and the Ballina destination page.