Caves Coastal Bar & Restaurant

Caves Coastal Bar & Restaurant sits on Mawson Close at Caves Beach, a modern coastal bar and restaurant with ocean views, a shaded outdoor beer garden and weekend live music. Dogs are welcome across the outdoor areas, which makes it the obvious long-lunch or early-dinner table when you are walking the beach at Caves with your dog.

The dog setup

Dogs are allowed in the outdoor beer garden and covered patio, where umbrellas keep the worst of the coastal sun off; the main dining room indoors is for service animals only. Keep your dog leashed and settled beside the table, because the garden fills up on weekends and on live music nights. Staff often put water bowls out, though carrying your own is the safe option on a busy Sunday. One caution: the attached Caves Coastal bungalow accommodation runs its own pet policy, so do not assume you can book a room with the dog without checking directly first.

Pepsi: Squid, a schooner and live music drifting across the beer garden while the dog watches the ocean. Sunday afternoon is the sweet spot.

The food and drink

The menu runs to coastal pub favourites done properly: salt and pepper squid, fish and chips, beef nachos, crab and prawn pasta, woodfired pizzas, steaks and share plates, with cocktails, a solid wine list and beers on tap. Live music leans on weekend afternoons, Sunday sessions especially. Hours are midday to 9pm Monday to Saturday and midday to 8:30pm Sunday, and bookings are recommended for weekend slots and outdoor tables.

Getting there and parking

The venue sits at the end of Mawson Close, with a free on-site car park plus free street parking nearby, and it is about 250 metres from Caves Beach itself, so parking once and walking covers both the meal and the swim.

Close by with the dogs

Caves Beach itself is the post-lunch walk, with dog access rules set by Lake Macquarie City Council, and the caves at the south end are worth the low-tide look. For coffee the next morning, Boffee Cafe is the local stop, and Salty Paws is the pet-friendly stay option in the suburb if the bungalows do not work out.

More of the area is on the Caves Beach destination page and in the NSW restaurants index.