Boatyard Launceston

Boatyard is a waterside restaurant at 13 Park Street in Launceston's Seaport, looking over the Tamar River and one of Australia's oldest operating slip yards. Its covered deck is the dog-friendly part of the venue, with shade for warmer days, and on a clear afternoon the view stretches up towards Cataract Gorge.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcome in the outdoor dining areas, including the covered deck; the main indoor dining room stays people-only. Staff are used to dogs at the tables, but bring a portable water bowl to be safe. On sunny weekends the deck fills quickly, so book an outdoor table or arrive before the dinner rush if you want room for a settled dog.

Max: the Seaport boardwalk right alongside makes the pre-dinner leg-stretch easy; leave the deck only after your dog has settled.

The vibe

The kitchen works Tasmanian seafood and modern coastal cooking with Peruvian influences; fresh local oysters, spiced calamari, ceviche and paella have all featured, with wine by the glass to match. It trades Tuesday to Saturday from 11.30am, with lunch service from midday and dinner from 5.30pm, and closes Sunday and Monday.

Getting there and parking

Street parking is available around Park and Tamar Streets, and from the city centre you can walk in along the Seaport walkway, which keeps the outing car-free if you are staying close to town.

Close by with the dogs

Waterfront Dog Park at Newstead is a short drive for an off-lead run, and Rupert & Hound and Grain of the Silos are other dog-friendly waterfront eats around the Tamar if Boatyard's deck is full. Cataract Gorge is on-lead for dogs and worth the extra drive for a longer outing.

More options are on the Tasmania dog friendly restaurants guide and the Launceston destination page.

Early evening on a fine day is when the deck is at its best; midweek sittings are the calmest for a dog that would rather not compete with the crowd.