Good Times Pizza & Bar

Good Times Pizza & Bar is a wood-fired pizza bar at 626 Pacific Highway in central Belmont, an easy dinner stop if you are making an evening of it around Lake Macquarie with the dog. It leans relaxed and local: fresh dough made in-house, a proper drinks list and a leafy outdoor courtyard where dogs are welcome at the tables.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcome in the outdoor courtyard seating, which is undercover, and staff are used to hosting dogs at the tables. Water bowls are generally on hand, though it never hurts to carry your own. Inside is for people only, so an outdoor table is the whole deal here. The courtyard is not huge and it fills on Friday and Saturday nights, so give them a call on 02 4945 3005 to confirm a table with room for your dog to lie down.

The vibe and the food

The kitchen is known for its fresh, in-house pizza dough, with traditional and modern toppings, garlic bread, pastas and small plates alongside. Vegetarian and vegan options are well covered, which helps if one half of the table eats differently to the other. The bar is fully licensed, pouring local and Italian beers, including some by mini keg, plus cocktails and a curated wine list. Hours run evenings from around 4pm to 9pm, six days a week, so this is a dinner spot rather than a daytime cafe.

Getting there and parking

The venue sits directly on the Pacific Highway in Belmont, close to the local shops. Street parking runs along the highway and the neighbouring side streets, and it is an easy walk from the Belmont town centre if you are staying nearby.

Nearby with the dogs

Before dinner, run the energy off at Belmont Dog Park, or take a leashed leg-stretch along part of the Fernleigh Track. For another dog-friendly dinner in town, TINTA Belmont keeps its downstairs outdoor areas open to dogs with the lake as a backdrop, and a beach run at Marks Point Dog Exercise Area is a short drive south.

Worth knowing: the outdoor tables are the only dog option, so on a wet weeknight this is a takeaway-not-a-sit-down call. Policies can shift with the season, so confirm when you book.