The Arborist

The Arborist is the design-forward rooftop bar and restaurant at 75 Little Malop Street in the Geelong CBD, built around a large European ash tree and leaning modern Australian with Mediterranean and Middle Eastern flavours: share plates, charred flatbreads, lamb shoulder and pork belly, with craft cocktails, wine and local beer behind the bar. It opens from midday daily, running late on Friday and Saturday.

The dog setup

One thing to set straight up front: dogs are a ground-floor proposition here, not a rooftop one. Dogs are generally welcome in the ground-floor outdoor and footpath seating, while the elevated rooftop and indoor spaces are off limits for safety and food-service reasons. Request a ground-floor outdoor table when you book so the dog is not turned away at the door. Staff often bring water, but a portable bowl and a couple of treats help over a long meal.

The vibe

This is a sit-down dining venue rather than a quick coffee stop, on the city's main dining strip, and it suits a daytime or early-evening meal with the dog before the late-night crowd builds. The tree-shaded courtyard setting is the point: it feels more leafy and relaxed than the surrounding strip suggests.

Getting there and a walk first

Street parking runs on Little Malop and Myers Streets, with the Brougham Street and Civic car parks a few minutes' walk away. The Eastern Gardens are close by for a pre or post-meal stroll, and the waterfront paths along Corio Bay and the Barwon River are good for burning energy before you sit down.

For other dog-friendly tables nearby, Sailors' Rest on the foreshore and Edge Geelong both keep dogs in their outdoor areas. More of the area is on the Geelong destination page and in the VIC restaurants index.