Vat 2 Restaurant Bunbury

Vat 2 is a waterfront restaurant on Jetty Road, right on the Koombana Bay foreshore in Bunbury, running an upscale-casual all-day menu with an alfresco terrace that looks straight out over the bay. For dog owners, that terrace is the whole point: few tables in Bunbury come with a better view of the water and a dog at your feet.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcome in the outdoor alfresco dining area only, not inside. Seat your dog under the table or close against your chair to keep the walkways clear for staff, since the terrace is a working service space. Water bowls are often offered on request, but a portable travel bowl is worth packing. The foreshore path runs right past the terrace, so dogs arriving after a walk tend to settle well.

Worth knowing

The kitchen runs breakfast through dinner plus tapas, with fresh seafood platters, oysters, pork belly bites, tempura whiting and bao buns, alongside a broad wine and cocktail list. It opens from mid-morning Tuesday through Sunday, stretching late on Friday and Saturday nights, with Mondays closed. Sunset service is the signature hour but also the busiest, so an earlier table is calmer for a dog.

Getting there and parking

Vat 2 sits at 2/4 Jetty Road on the Koombana Bay foreshore, near the Dolphin Discovery Centre and the marina. There is a free car park close to the jetty plus street parking around the foreshore precinct, and it is an easy walk from the Bunbury CBD along the coastal path.

Pepsi: oysters for them, a pot of water for me, and the whole bay to watch while we wait.

Close by with the dogs

Jetty Baths on Casuarina Drive are a short walk for a calm-water dip, and the Koombana Bay foreshore path continues for kilometres either direction. Other dog-friendly tables close by include Mojo's Kitchen, Bar & Bottleshop on the Victoria Street strip and Waters Edge Bistro on the waterfront.