North Beach Pavilion

North Beach Pavilion stands on Cliff Road at North Wollongong, directly across from the beach with the ocean as the view from most of the room. The kitchen covers Italian leaning plates and beachside staples: pizza from a well regarded dough, gnocchi, bruschetta and fish and chips, served from an early 6:30am opening through to 2pm on most days and 9pm from Thursday to Sunday.

Patrons report that dogs are welcome in the outdoor beachside seating, with the condition that they stay on a leash close to your table within the outdoor dining footprint. That is the standard beachfront arrangement: pick an outside table, keep the lead short, and the dog sits beside you with the sand across the road.

Beachfront breakfast to dinner

The long opening window makes the pavilion unusual: it is as much a 6:30am breakfast stop for the pre-swim crowd as it is a dinner venue watching the sun go down over the water. The outdoor tables are the ones to ask for with a dog, and mornings are the calmest before the beach crowd builds. Parking runs along Cliff Road and the adjacent streets, filling quickly on summer weekends, and the North Beach precinct is walkable from Wollongong's central beach strip.

Make a day of it

The suburb is well served for dog owners: Diggies on the same stretch is a well known dog friendly cafe, and the Coniston Dog Beach is a short drive south for an off leash run. Lee and Me covers coffee in the CBD, Lux Bistro Bar is an option for a town dinner, and Mantra Wollongong is a dog friendly stay if the day becomes a weekend.

Check the venue's website for current trading hours before an evening visit, since the late service only runs Thursday through Sunday, and confirm an outdoor table if you are bringing the dog on a busy summer weekend.