Still & Social

Still & Social is a small, softly lit dining room on Main Road in Monbulk that calls itself a dining sanctuary, built around slow, Asian-influenced shared plates and a fully licensed bar. It is a dinner venue rather than a lunch stop, and the outdoor seating is where dogs are welcome, which makes it a different proposition from the Ranges' usual cafe trade.

The dog setup

Dogs join you in the outdoor seating rather than the intimate indoor room, on lead and settled, since the whole point of the place is a quiet, unhurried evening. It is best suited to a calm dog that will lie down through a two-course meal. Tables are few, so book ahead and mention the dog when you do, and carry a portable water bowl rather than assuming one will be provided.

Worth knowing

The kitchen runs seasonal shared plates with Asian influences, and the tone is a long, relaxed dinner rather than a quick feed. Check hours when you book: the venue's own site currently lists service from 5pm Wednesday to Sunday, though listings differ on whether Wednesday trades, and Monday and Tuesday are dark either way. Weekends draw Dandenong Ranges day-trippers, so a midweek dinner is the easiest time to get an outdoor table.

Getting there and parking

The address is 138 Main Road, Monbulk VIC 3793. Street parking runs directly out front and along the surrounding streets, and the 663 (Belgrave to Monbulk to Lilydale) and 696 (Monbulk to Olinda) bus routes both stop nearby if you would rather not drive.

Close by with the dogs

For the walk before dinner, the Old Olinda Golf Course off-leash area is the standout in the Ranges, with more than 50 acres of former fairways a short drive up Olinda-Monbulk Road, and the Johns Hill Lookout Reserve off-leash area at Kallista is the other nearby option. The Watering Hole Tavern is the more casual Monbulk alternative, and Paperbark Cafe at Mount Evelyn covers the daytime shift.

More options in the hills are on the Monbulk destination page, with the full list in the VIC restaurants index.