Beach House Barwon Heads

Beach House is a bar and eatery at 48 Hitchcock Avenue in the middle of Barwon Heads, set in a converted historic fire station and running from breakfast to late across the week (closed Tuesdays). The dog proposition is street-side: the outdoor tables lining Hitchcock Avenue are where dogs are welcome, and the indoor dining room, fireplace and all, stays dog-free. On a warm day the patio is one of the better perches on the Bellarine.

The dog setup

Bring the dog to the outdoor patio tables out the front, leashed and clear of the footpath traffic. Diners consistently report staff being easy about dogs out there, but this is a busy strip, so a settled dog matters more here than at a quiet suburban cafe. Water bowls are usually available on request; a collapsible bowl of your own saves the wait. If your dog is nervous around prams, skateboards and passing labs, aim for a weekday morning rather than a summer Saturday.

The kitchen covers calamari, dim sims, Korean fried chicken and steak, with Guinness on tap, espresso martinis and good coffee, so it works for everything from a morning coffee stop to a long dinner with the dog at your feet.

Pepsi: park once, walk the river path, then land on the patio. Hitchcock Avenue parking is a scrap on weekends and your dog does not care about the circling.

Getting there and parking

Street parking runs directly out front and down the side streets, but it fills fast on weekends and through summer; the fallback is further along Hitchcock Avenue or on Bridge Road. The venue is a short walk from the Barwon River mouth and the patrolled beach end of town.

Close by with the dogs

The local beach rules matter before you go: Barwon Coast permits dogs off leash at all times on the stretch between markers 30W and 34W, with dogs prohibited year round west of 40W and between 27W and 30W, and dogs stay on leash on the shared river and coastal paths. Afterwards, Tommy Gunns Barwon Heads is the other dinner option with the dog in town, Bowlz Barwon Heads covers breakfast, and Seahaven Village takes dogs for an overnight stay.

More options are on the Victoria dog-friendly guide and the Barwon Heads destination page.