El Toro Margaret River

El Toro is a small, family-run South American restaurant on Town View Terrace in the middle of Margaret River, cooking steaks and shared plates over open coals. Dogs are welcome at the outdoor tables, which makes it one of the few spots in town where you can do a proper steak dinner with the dog settled beside you.

The dog setup

Dogs on leads are welcome in the outdoor alfresco seating; the indoor dining room stays people only. There is no formal dog menu or guaranteed water bowls, so bring your own bowl to be safe, though the accommodating staff usually help out where they can. The alfresco area is small and fills fast, so mention you are bringing a dog when you book and ask for an outdoor table specifically.

Worth knowing

The kitchen is built around Argentinian-style barbecue: picanha, scotch fillet, slow-cooked short ribs with chimichurri and grilled octopus, plus tapas-style small plates, churros for dessert and a serious list of tequila, mezcal and margaritas. It is a dinner venue rather than an all-day cafe, opening from 5pm with the kitchen closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and the room is intimate, so book ahead, especially on weekends.

Getting there and parking

The address is Shop 15/16, 49 Town View Terrace. Street parking runs along Town View Terrace and the surrounding streets, and there is free public parking near the Bussell Highway shops a short walk away. The whole town centre is compact enough to arrive on foot with the dog.

Close by with the dogs

Give the dog a leg-stretch before dinner along the town's walking tracks, or pair El Toro with another dog-friendly night out: Settlers Tavern on Bussell Highway keeps a dog-friendly back garden, and Brookfield Dog Park is a short drive out of town for off-lead time before you settle in.

More dinner options are on the Western Australia dog friendly restaurants guide and the Margaret River destination page.

Max: book the outdoor table by name when you reserve. There are only a handful of alfresco seats and they go first on fine evenings.