Tommy Gunns Barwon Heads

Tommy Gunns is a modern Australian bistro on Barwon Heads' main street at 60 Hitchcock Avenue, working with local seasonal produce, seafood and a serious wine list in an upscale-casual room. For dog owners the answer is the courtyard: dogs are welcome in the open-air outdoor area, not the indoor dining room.

The dog setup

Take the dog to the outdoor courtyard, a shaded corner of the venue under trees and the more relaxed end of the room. Staff are accommodating, but a water bowl is not guaranteed when the venue is slammed, so pack your own. Mention the dog when you book so a courtyard table is held; footpath dining out front is limited, so the courtyard is the dog spot. Plan for a dog that can settle, because this is a long-lunch kitchen rather than a quick feed.

Pepsi: weekday lunch is the quietest run at a courtyard table; weekends across summer, book the courtyard by name when you reserve.

Worth knowing

The kitchen is known for the scotch fillet, steak tartare, scallops and halloumi, with a chef-selection approach and a wine list to match, plus a kids menu for mixed families. Hours are dinner-led: closed Mondays, Tuesdays and Sundays, running 5pm to 11pm Wednesday and Thursday and midday to 11pm Friday and Saturday, so an evening or Friday/Saturday lunch is your window.

Getting there and parking

Street parking runs along Hitchcock Avenue but gets very busy on weekends and across summer, when the town fills with Bellarine holiday traffic. A weekday visit is the easiest parking. The venue is on the flat main strip, a short walk from the Barwon River bridge and the foreshore.

Close by with the dogs

Village Park and the Barwon Heads foreshore are both a short walk from the strip for an on-leash wander before or after your meal. For proper off-leash sand, Thirteenth Beach allows dogs off-leash at all times between markers 30W and 34W, with conditional zones further along at Blyth Street Beach; keep dogs off the dunes and coastal vegetation, which are closed year-round to protect nesting shorebirds. The grassed ovals at Barwon Heads Reserve on Geelong Road take dogs off-leash under effective control when sport is not on.

Nearby on PawScapes: Beach House Barwon Heads, Bowlz Barwon Heads and the Ocean Grove to Barwon Heads walk all work with a dog in the picture. More options are on the Victoria dog friendly restaurants guide and the Barwon Heads destination page.