Pizzateca

Pizzateca is the family-run wood-fired pizza house on Chalk Hill Road, a couple of minutes off the main strip in McLaren Vale. The draw for dog owners is the wide open front lawn: order at the counter, claim a patch of grass and settle in for a long lunch with your dog stretched out alongside.

Dogs on the lawn

Dogs are welcome across the outdoor dining areas, with the big grassy front lawn the pick of the spots, and the team has said plainly that dogs are happy to join you outside even though they cannot come indoors. Keep the lead on and your dog settled beside the table. Ask the staff for a water bowl, but carry your own water on hot days because the lawn has little shade in the middle of the afternoon.

Pepsi: big grass, dropped crusts, a family who kept patting me. Chalk Hill Road understands a working dog on holidays.

Worth knowing

The kitchen turns out wood-oven pizza with a proper chewy base, plus arancini, lamb skewers and tiramisu, and there is a solid gluten-free dough option. Hours run 12pm to 2pm Monday and Thursday, midday to 8:30pm Friday and Saturday and midday to 3:30pm Sunday, with Tuesday and Wednesday closed, so check the day before you drive out. Weekends fill fast and bookings are the safe play, particularly for a lawn table in summer.

Getting there and parking

The address is 319 Chalk Hill Road, McLaren Vale, just off Main Road. There is on-site parking, but it is a popular weekend lunch destination, so arriving early secures both a space and the best patch of lawn.

While you're out there

You are in the middle of wine country. Chalk Hill Wines pours up the same road if you want a tasting after lunch, and Beach Road Winery & Restaurant on Seaview Road runs a dog-welcoming deck with vineyard views. For a longer stay, McLaren Vale Cabin Caravan Park keeps you close to the whole strip.

More ideas are in the South Australia dog friendly restaurants guide and the McLaren Vale destination page.