Florentina's Trattoria Restaurant & Bar

Florentina's Trattoria is a casual Italian restaurant and bar at Shop 4, 13-17 Mudjimba Esplanade, under the Santorini building and steps from the beach on the Sunshine Coast. Homemade pasta, wood-fired pizza and a proper bar make it the easy post-beach dinner in a small esplanade village, and dogs are welcome at the outdoor tables.

The dog setup

Dogs settle at the front patio tables on the walkway, with the beachside outlook in front of them, and staff are known for being accommodating with visiting dogs and will bring water on request. This is a shared, busy footpath, so keep the lead short and your dog settled to leave room for people passing. Indoor seating is people only.

Worth knowing

The kitchen makes its pasta in house daily and runs risotto, fresh pizza and tapas-style antipasto plates, with a licensed bar of Italian wines, beers and cocktails behind it. Watch for the blackboard specials and set-menu deals, and the live-music evenings that roll through. Doors open from midday Wednesday to Sunday (to 9pm, 8pm on Sundays); the venue is closed Monday and Tuesday.

Getting there and parking

Free street parking runs along Mudjimba Esplanade and fills on weekends, so arrive early or plan a short walk. A bus stop at the corner of Mudjimba Beach Road and the Esplanade is about a minute away on foot.

Close by with the dogs

The obvious pairing is Mudjimba off-leash beach, with council-designated off-leash stretches on the southern sand, so the dog can swim first and nap under the patio table after. The Esplanade coastal path suits an on-lead stroll either side of the meal, and The Island Surf and Espresso covers the coffee-and-breakfast shift in the same strip.

More options are on the Queensland dog friendly restaurants guide and the Mudjimba destination page.

Pepsi: swim at the off-leash stretch first, pasta after. A sandy dog is expected here, just give the footpath its walking room.