Shelter Lennox Head

Shelter Lennox Head holds the beachfront on Pacific Parade, with the surf break at Lennox Point in view from most of the room. Doors open at 7am and the kitchen runs into the evening on Fridays and Saturdays, which makes it one of the few rooms on this stretch of coast that works equally as breakfast, long lunch and dinner. sourdough crumpets and XO scrambled eggs open the menu; oysters, mussels and fish cakes carry it through the day.

Dogs at the beachfront tables

The booking listing describes dogs as welcome in the covered outdoor and open-air seating that wraps the beachfront building, with staff asking only that you flag it on arrival or when booking so an outdoor table gets allocated. On a fine day that is no sacrifice at all: the deck catches the sea breeze and the ocean does the entertaining. Keep the lead on and settle your dog under the table edge when the weekend pass is running flat out, because the deck fills quickly on summer mornings.

Worth knowing

Hours shift across the week: 7am to 2pm Monday to Thursday, through to 9pm on Friday and Saturday, and 7am to 3pm on Sunday. Street parking along Pacific Parade fills early in summer, though the side streets behind the village free up within a short walk. Live music nights bring a crowd and some noise, so a sound-shy dog does best at a weekday lunch or an early dinner.

Make a day of it

Lennox Head is built for dogs. The Seven Mile Beach Dog Beach Car Park gives off-lead exercise on the sand, and the Lennox Head Boardwalk threads along the lake edge for an on-lead warm-down with water views. The The Point Cafe by the headland does a solid post-walk coffee with dogs at its outdoor tables. For more of the village, see the Lennox Head guide, or the full list of dog friendly restaurants in New South Wales.