Yum Cha Gallery

Yum Cha Gallery serves Cantonese yum cha and live seafood from Shop 22, 7 Classic Way in Treetops Plaza, Burleigh Waters, and it is one of the few yum cha rooms on the southern Gold Coast where a dog can join the table. Leashed dogs are welcome at the breezy alfresco tables out the front while the air-conditioned dining room inside stays humans only.

The dog setup

Dogs sit with you at the outdoor tables in the plaza, on-lead and tucked in against your table so the walkway stays clear for trolleys and staff. There is no dedicated pet amenity, so bring your own water bowl. The setting suits a settled dog that copes with passing foot traffic rather than a busybody who wants to greet every pram.

The food

The kitchen is known for all-you-can-eat yum cha at both lunch and dinner, pushed from trolleys and off the menu: steamed dim sum platters, salted egg custard buns, crispy skin pork belly and the live seafood tanks. It also runs a dedicated gluten-free menu, which is rare in this category and takes the guesswork out for coeliac table members. Service runs lunch 10:30am to 2:30pm Tuesday through Sunday and dinner 5pm to 8:30pm, with Mondays closed.

Getting there and parking

Treetops Plaza sits on Classic Way in the Burleigh Waters shopping pocket, with plenty of free shopping-centre parking and flat, easy access from the carpark straight to the outdoor tables. Burleigh Heads and the beach end of town are a few minutes away by car.

While you're out there

Pair the long lunch with a proper run first: the Tallebudgera off-leash dog beach at Palm Beach is minutes north for a swim in the calmer water, and the Tallebudgera Island off-leash area at Elanora adds agility gear and flat paths on the quiet side of the creek. If a fenced run suits your dog better, Robina Common Fenced Dog Park is a short drive inland. For coffee the next morning, Home Plate Kitchen is in the same suburb.

When to go: weekend yum cha fills the room and the trolleys queue up, so a weeknight dinner or an early lunch keeps the alfresco section calmer for a dog.