Sunset Pizza

Sunset Pizza is a wood-fired pizza operation set up at Mountain Ridge Wines on 11 Coolangatta Road, on the South Coast between Berry and Shoalhaven Heads. The alfresco seating looks over the vineyard, and dogs are welcome in that open outdoor area, which makes this an easy long-lunch stop with the dog while you work through a pizza and a bottle of the estate's own wine.

The dog setup

There is no indoor dining here at all, so the whole operation is outdoors: open, grassy space beside the vines with room for a settled dog. The venue is listed as pet-friendly on enquiry, so call ahead, especially on weekends, and bring your own water bowl because the tables have little shade on a warm afternoon. Live music runs some weekends and lifts both the atmosphere and the crowd, so a weekday afternoon is the easiest slot with a dog in tow.

The menu

The pizzas are hand-rolled, thin-crust and stone-baked, on dough slow-fermented for 48 to 72 hours using local ingredients. Sizes run regular 11-inch and large 13-inch, with gluten-friendly bases and dairy-free mozzarella available. The Mario is the house favourite, and the Michelangelo comes with pepperoni, feta, chilli and 14-month aged Parmesan. Alongside the pizzas you get Mountain Ridge's own wines and beers, which is the point of eating on a winery lawn.

Getting there

The address is 11 Coolangatta Road, Coolangatta NSW 2535, on the slopes below Coolangatta Mountain, about ten minutes from Berry and five from Shoalhaven Heads. Trading is Thursday to Sunday only: 11am to 3pm midweek days, Saturday 11am to 8pm, with a Friday dinner service from 4.30pm. Free on-site parking is available at the winery.

Close by with the dogs

It shares grounds with Mountain Ridge Wines Restaurant and Cellar Door, so you can split the visit between the two. In town, IV Coffee in Berry is a solid dog-friendly coffee stop, and the fenced Shoalhaven Heads off-leash dog park gives the dog a proper run before lunch. For an overnighter, the Berry Showground camping area takes dogs.

See more dog friendly restaurants in NSW or browse Coolangatta.