The Hungry Monkey Kiama

The Hungry Monkey on Collins Street is Kiama's all day brunch institution, with the volume of reviews to prove it. Dogs are welcomed at the outdoor verandah and alfresco tables, and OpenTable reviewers report staff seating dog owners quickly rather than parking them at the worst table, which is a real difference on a busy south coast weekend. It runs 6:30am to 3pm daily, from 7:30am Sundays, and the breakfast to lunch turnover is continuous.

The menu leans hearty: burgers are the backbone, with the Bad Boy Burger as the house challenge, hotcakes and eggs benedict carrying the breakfast end, and sweet potato fries and shakes filling the gaps between. Portions are generous and the inside seating fills fast, so the verandah is both the dog zone and the strategic choice for a walk in party. The location is a short block off the main drag, which keeps it walkable from the blowhole end of town without the waterfront price tag.

Worth knowing

One practical note from visitors: a portable water bowl is worth bringing, as one is not always provided at the outdoor tables. Collins Street parking is metered nearby and Kiama's streets fill solidly on summer weekends and during the blowhole season, so arriving before 9am on a Sunday is the calm version of this venue. The dog welcome comes from the booking platforms and reviewer reports rather than a written venue policy, and the turnaround speed of the staff is the part that keeps dog owners coming back.

Close by with the dogs

Kiama works well as a dog day trip. Diggies is the other beachside coffee stop, Fillmores covers the dinner shift, and the Lovs Bay via Kiama Blowholes walk is the exercise leg. Our Kiama guide and the NSW restaurant list round out the plan.