The Oxley 1823 Atrium

The Oxley 1823 Atrium is an open-air retail and dining precinct at 17 Lavarack Road, on the border of Mermaid Beach and Nobby Beach. A shaded central laneway links a cafe, boutique grocer, deli and butcher, and the whole setup is dog friendly outdoors. It works well as a one-stop stop: coffee for you, groceries for the week, and a spot your dog can sit beside you while both happen.

The dog setup

Leashed dogs are welcome throughout the outdoor seating and the open-air atrium spaces. It is a popular stop for locals after a beach walk, so a sociable dog will find company. Keep your dog on the ground beside your table and out of the retail shops themselves. The precinct gets busy at peak times, so it suits a dog that settles calmly around a crowd. Water bowls are not guaranteed, so pack your own.

What is in the laneway

Buoy Cafe pours coffee from 5am daily, and the precinct layers on casual eats from Giuseppe's Deli, Mr Spiros Handmade Yiros and gelato and acai options that pair nicely with a warm morning. The Village Market grocer covers the shopping run, so you can tick the cafe stop and the groceries off in one visit. Hours across the atrium run roughly 5am to 8pm, though individual vendors vary.

Max: coffee for my human, a deli sniff for me, and we were both happy campers in the shade.

Getting there and parking

The precinct sits on Lavarack Road, a short walk east of the beach side of the Gold Coast Highway. Street parking along Lavarack and the surrounding residential streets is limited and fills on weekends, so arrive early or park a block out and walk in. The beach at Nobby Beach is close enough to add a leashed stroll before or after.

Close by with the dogs

If you are building a Mermaid Beach cafe circuit, the dog-friendly outdoor seating at Flipside Cafe and Cocktail Garden and Chut and Co are both nearby, and The Glenelg Public House covers a more substantial lunch or dinner stop.

Best early, both for the quiet laneway and for parking. Good for owners who want a proper precinct stop rather than a single-counter coffee.