Mountain Ridge Wines Restaurant & Cellar Door

Mountain Ridge Wines Restaurant & Cellar Door is a family-run winery at 11 Coolangatta Road, Coolangatta, on the Shoalhaven side near Berry, with a covered verandah and open lawns looking over the Shoalhaven countryside to the ocean. It works as a restaurant and a working cellar door at once, and the dog setup lives in that double life: well-behaved leashed dogs are welcome across the outdoor lawns and verandahs and at the outdoor tasting bar, so you can pair lunch with tastings without leaving the dog in the car.

The dog setup

Dogs stay outside: the lawns, open verandahs and outdoor cellar door tasting bar are the dog-welcoming zones, and the indoor dining rooms are for two-legged guests. A couple of practical rules apply. Mention your dog when booking so staff seat you in a dog-friendly outdoor zone; keep the lead on and settle the dog under the table when it is busy; and carry your own water bowl, because the venue is not set up to provide one. When wet weather closes in and the verandah screens off, outdoor dog seating shrinks, so a weekend lunch in the rain is the one scenario where plans may need adjusting.

The vibe and the food

The kitchen leans contemporary Australian and seasonal: wood-fired pizzas, share plates and cheese platters, with reviewers regularly naming the pork belly. Drinks are estate-grown wines from the property plus local beers, and the venue has a Snail of Approval from the Slow Food movement (Berry to Jervis Bay) for championing local produce. Live music runs some weekends, which turns the outdoor area lively, and reservations are strongly recommended for lunch, dinner and tastings. Hours are Thursday 11am to 4pm, Friday and Saturday 11am to 8pm, Sunday 11am to 5pm, closed Monday to Wednesday.

Close by with the dogs

Berry village is the stop before or after: IV Coffee and Albert Street Caffe and Bar welcome dogs in outdoor seating, and Il Locale is the town's other dog-friendly restaurant. For a proper run, Shoalhaven Heads Off Leash Dog Park is the council-designated option a short drive north. More on the area is on the Berry destination page, and other eats are in the NSW restaurants index.