Matilda’s Cafe Woodfired Kitchen & Bar

Matilda's Cafe Woodfired Kitchen & Bar, known locally as Tilly's, is at 121 Grices Road in Clyde North on Melbourne's south-eastern fringe. It actively promotes itself as pet-friendly with a designated outdoor area set up for dogs, which makes it one of the more reliable sit-down options in the growth corridor, whether you turn up for morning coffee or dinner.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcome in the designated outdoor seating area; indoor dining is for humans only. The venue's own pet-friendly page sets expectations clearly, and staff are used to four-legged regulars. Water bowls are often provided, but bring your own to be safe and confirm your outdoor table when you arrive, since the indoor section is where overflow crowds end up.

Worth knowing

The kitchen is built around woodfired pizzas, with brunch drawing a steady morning crowd and the bar taking over at night. Croissants, fritters and fresh juices anchor the breakfast side; gnocchi, fettuccine and loaded fries cover dinner. Hours run from 7am on weekdays (8am weekends) through to 8:30pm or 9pm most nights, with a shorter Tuesday that closes at 2:30pm.

Getting there and parking

Grices Road runs through the Clyde North estates, easy by car with on-site and street parking nearby. Check signage on the day as the estate streets around it keep changing with new development.

Close by with the dogs

The suburbs around are dense with fenced runs: Selandra Rise Fenced Dog Park is the closest, Pasadena Fenced Dog Park in Clyde adds a separate small-dog enclosure, and Cafe Delaray & Co covers the coffee lap of the same estates.

More options are on the VIC dog friendly restaurants guide and the Clyde North destination page.

Pepsi: dodge Tuesdays if you want dinner, Tilly's closes at 2:30pm that day, every other night runs late.