Girdlers Café - Narrabeen

Girdlers Cafe sits at the north end of Narrabeen Beach at 1 Narrabeen Park Parade, right beside the surf club. It is a wholefood cafe with a name for buckwheat crepes, smoothies and proper specialty coffee, and while it is not a dedicated dog venue, the footpath tables outside are open to dogs. It works best as a coffee and brunch stop folded into a beach or headland walk.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcome at the small footpath tables out front, which look over the beach approach. The indoor room stays people only. Seating outside is limited, so on busy weekend mornings you may be waiting for a table, and a dog on a short lead is the way to go because the pavement gets a steady stream of beach traffic. Water bowls are not guaranteed at the footpath tables, so carry your own.

The vibe

The menu leans healthy: savoury crepes, buckwheat pancakes, smoothies and vegan and gluten-free options alongside the coffee. The crowd is a mix of locals off the sand and walkers off the headland track, so it hums from early morning. Open from 7am daily, winding up mid afternoon, with slightly longer hours on weekends.

Getting there and parking

Free street parking sits on Ocean Street and Narrabeen Park Parade, though it fills quickly on weekends, and there is a paid car park nearby as a backup. Coming by foot from the beach or the lagoon side is easy, and the cafe is directly on the walking routes.

Make a day of it

The North Narrabeen headland walk starts right next door, and the Narrabeen Lagoon Loop is a short hop away for a flat, proper leg stretch. Progress Park covers the grass and off leash needs closer to town, and if the coffee queue is too long, Fuel Espresso a few streets back also takes dogs at its outdoor tables.

More dog friendly restaurants across New South Wales, or plan the rest of the trip via North Narrabeen.