Jojoes Pizza Pasta Bar

Jojoes Pizza Pasta Bar has been serving the City Road end of High Street for more than forty years, and the shaded outdoor patio out the front is where dogs are welcome. It is a family-run pizza and pasta house rather than a polished restaurant: fresh-baked dough, broad Italian menu, kids' meals, and prices that have kept locals coming since the eighties. If you want a relaxed dinner in central Bendigo with the dog under the table, this is the easy version.

The dog setup

Dogs are allowed in the outdoor patio seating, on lead, with the indoor room for diners only. The shade over the patio makes it a workable warm-evening option when footpath tables elsewhere are baking. Water is usually provided, but carry a portable bowl in case the patio is full and service is stretched. Hours run dinner from 5pm Monday, Wednesday to Friday, with lunch and dinner sittings on weekends and Tuesdays closed.

The menu covers the classics and a few curveballs: the Jojoes Special, a tandoori chicken pizza, lasagne, gnocchi and a beetroot risotto, plus vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options across the board.

Max: this is an early-dinner venue. The patio empties after the 5pm rush and your dog gets the quiet shift with the evening shade.

Getting there and parking

Find it at 4 High Street, an easy walk from the Bendigo CBD's walking paths, with street parking along the City Road end of High Street and the side streets. The walk in from the centre of town doubles as the pre-dinner leg-stretch.

Close by with the dogs

Rosalind Park is the closest green space and dogs are welcome on leash at all times under City of Greater Bendigo rules, so it suits the walk over rather than an off-leash run. For that, Harcourt Dog Park in Strathdale is the city's dedicated fenced off-leash park, with Truscott Reserve Dog Park open around the clock on the north side. On other nights, Old Boundary Hotel and The Golden Bean cover dog-friendly tables nearby.

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