BABA ATE

BABA ATE is a casual, open-air burger and roll stall trading inside the Fairfield Showground precinct at 443 Smithfield Road, Prairiewood, on Sydney's south western fringe. The showground setting is the whole pitch: you eat outdoors at picnic-style communal tables, which makes it a straightforward dinner stop with the dog on a lead.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcome in the outdoor, communal seating areas around the stall. This is showground property, so keep your dog on a leash at all times and settled away from through-traffic between tables. Bring your own water bowl; spare amenities are not guaranteed, especially on quieter weeknights.

Worth knowing

The menu is Assyrian and Western fusion: burgers and rolls such as the Classic Baba Burger and the Abu Younan Inspired Burger, plus loaded fries like Baba's Smash Fries and Big Baba Fries. Everything is halal. It trades evenings only, opening at 5:30pm or 6pm depending on the night, and the stall is busiest when a showground event is on. Early in the week is the calm window for a relaxed meal with the dog.

Getting there and parking

Extensive free parking sits within the Fairfield Showground grounds, with straightforward access off Smithfield Road. It is a drive-in venue rather than a walk-in one.

Close by with the dogs

The Fairfield Showground Fenced Dog Park is inside the same precinct, so a proper off-leash run before or after dinner is a two-minute walk, and Wakeley Dog Park is a short drive east. For a sit-down cafe the next morning, Bricks & Brunch in Fairfield Heights keeps water bowls and pup cups on hand.

More options are on the New South Wales dog friendly restaurants guide and the Greenfield Park destination page.

Pepsi: dinner at a burger truck with a fenced dog park next door is my idea of a perfect evening. Arrive before the showground crowds do.