Stella's Kitchen

Stella's Kitchen sits inside The Orchard at Montague at 18 Horswood Road, Lysterfield, serving farm-to-fork breakfast, brunch and coffee with an open outlook across a working apple orchard. It is the kind of place you aim for after a morning walk in the Dandenong foothills, and dogs are part of that plan: they are welcome across the sheltered deck, the alfresco tables and the lawns around the building.

The dog setup

Dogs stay on a lead at all times, both at the table and on the orchard grounds, and the indoor restaurant is dog-free. The lawn space beside the alfresco gives a dog a little more breathing room than a straight footpath row, which is rare in the south-east suburbs. Bring your own water bowl, particularly on weekends when the brunch queue is deep and staff are flat out.

Max: pick a deck table on the lawn side and your dog gets grass underfoot and an orchard view while you work through the scone.

Worth knowing

The kitchen is known for its Jazz apple scones, house gnocchi, creamy garlic prawns and sticky date pudding, with a solid coffee and wine list behind them. Live music pops up on occasion and kangaroos are sometimes spotted near the orchard edge, which is worth a leash check. Hours run Monday 10am to 2pm, Tuesday to Friday 9am to 4pm, and weekends from 8:30am to 4pm, so plan lunch rather than dinner.

Getting there and parking

There is ample free on-site parking at The Orchard, and the venue is a short drive from Rowville via Belgrave-Hallam Road. Access from the car park to the alfresco is flat and straightforward.

Pair it with

Lysterfield Park sits immediately adjacent, though parts of it are conservation zones where dogs are restricted, so check signage before you set off. For a guaranteed run, Kalora Park Oval Fenced Dog Park is about 15 minutes away, and Emerson Place Fenced Dog Park is closer still in Rowville. For another sit-down meal with the dogs, Stamford Park Homestead is a short drive back towards Rowville.

More options are on the Victoria dog friendly restaurants guide and the Lysterfield destination page.