Mermaids By The Bay

Mermaids By The Bay is a casual waterfront eatery at 2 Bayview Terrace, set right on the Deception Bay foreshore with the water a few steps from the door. It runs breakfast through to afternoon service with an outlook straight across the bay, and dogs are welcome at the outdoor seating on the water side.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcome in the outdoor seating area that overlooks the bay, not inside the dining room. Water bowls usually appear without asking, but on a warm day it is worth carrying your own. The tables sit beside the shared foreshore path, so expect joggers, prams and other dogs passing close by; a dog that settles amid foot traffic will be more comfortable than one that needs space.

Max: grab a table on the rail side if you can, the view does the waiting for you while the fish and chips arrive.

Worth knowing

The kitchen leans coastal cafe rather than fine dining: freshly battered fish and chips with snapper and barramundi, seafood baskets, big breakfast plates, pancakes and burgers, plus barista coffee and chai. Mondays are closed and service is daytime only, so it is a lunch-and-breakfast plan rather than a dinner one. Weekend mornings are the busiest window; midweek or mid-afternoon is the calmer bet for a table with a dog in tow.

Getting there and parking

Bayview Terrace runs along the foreshore, with street parking in the surrounding area and the reserve walkway out front. The entrance is wheelchair accessible, and the whole strip is flat enough for an easy walk from the car to the table.

Along the foreshore

The pairing here is the walk that starts at the door. Under City of Moreton Bay rules, dogs may be exercised off leash on the beach between Wallin Avenue and Joseph Crescent, and there is a current trial allowing off-leash time on the foreshore footpath before 8am and after 4pm daily; leashes apply at all other times, including entering and leaving that area. Deception Bay Dog Beach covers the details, and for a fenced run instead, Claverton Drive Park Fenced Dog Park is a short drive inland. Zesty Lemon Cafe is another dog-friendly coffee stop on the same strip.

More eateries like this are listed in the QLD dog friendly restaurants guide, or browse what else is around in Deception Bay.