Sons of Mary

Sons of Mary holds a prominent corner of Spink Street in Brighton and keeps long hours: 7am to 10pm six days a week, then 7am to 4pm on Sundays. Coffee at one end of the day, seafood linguine and chocolate fondant at the other, with couches and a fireplace in between.

Where dogs sit

The venue site is direct on the subject: "Dogs welcome!". In practice that means two spots, the covered outdoor patio with its picket fencing and the footpath dining tables along Spink Street. The patio cover keeps rain and low sun off, and the fencing gives a dog a clear boundary so nobody is threading a lead between chair legs. Indoor dining is not an option for dogs, so if the weather turns properly sour you are down to a takeaway coffee at the rail. Water bowls are not advertised, so a collapsible bowl in the bag is a sensible habit here.

Max: Picket fence around the patio, so nobody has to hold my lead. I rate any venue that lets me guard the flat breads unsupervised.

The vibe

The kitchen covers a full day. Poached eggs and flat breads in the morning, then a dinner list that runs to seafood linguine, pork belly and creme brulee, with a chocolate fondant for anyone who plans their dessert before the mains arrive. The room itself is generous, all couches and a fireplace, which makes the evening service feel less like a restaurant and more like somebody's very large lounge room.

Getting there and parking

The address is 14 Spink Street, Brighton, a short drive inland from the beach end of the suburb. Street parking on Spink and the surrounding blocks usually involves a short walk, and weekend brunch can add a couple of minutes to that. Public transport along Bay Street leaves a ten minute walk.

Make a day of it

Brighton is well set up for a dog day out. Start at the Brighton Beach Dog Off Leash Area and let the swim do the warming up, then walk the Bay Trail: Brighton to Half Moon Bay back towards the patio. If you would rather keep it simple, The Little Ox and Brighton Schoolhouse are fellow Brighton listings on the directory. The full run of dog friendly restaurants in the state sits on the Victoria restaurants page, and the Brighton destination guide pulls the suburb together.