Oliva Mediterranean Restaurant

Oliva Mediterranean Restaurant at Unit 10/72-80 Allison Crescent in Menai is an Italian and Greek kitchen known for homemade pasta, moussaka and an intimate, date-night feel, and its covered outdoor dining area is where dogs fit in. It is mostly an evening venue: dinner runs from 5pm Tuesday to Saturday with lunch service on Friday and Sunday, and Mondays are closed.

The dog setup

Dogs on lead are welcome in the outdoor covered seating that opens off the restaurant's bi-fold doors onto Allison Crescent. The indoor dining room stays people-only. Book ahead and ask for an outdoor table, especially on Friday and Saturday nights when they go first, and bring your own water bowl rather than counting on one.

Pepsi: a warm evening under the covered tables here is a proper treat. Book the outdoor spot before you leave home, because turning up hoping for one on a Saturday is how you end up walking the block instead.

Worth knowing

The menu covers both sides of the Mediterranean with gnocchi, lamb souvlaki, marinara linguini and gluten-free options, and it is a popular spot for birthdays, so the room can be lively later in the evening. Free street parking is available on Allison Crescent and in the surrounding lots, and Menai's main shopping area is close by.

Close by with the dogs

The tree-lined streets around Allison Crescent are quiet for an after-dinner lead walk. For a proper off-lead run, The Ridge Dog Off-Leash Bush Park at nearby Barden Ridge has separate fenced zones for large and small dogs, and Gymea Hotel is another Shire venue with outdoor dining where dogs are welcome. XS Espresso Menai covers the morning-coffee side of the suburb, and Chunn Thai Cuisine is the local alternative for a different night.

More options are on the New South Wales dog friendly restaurants guide and the Menai destination page.