The Deli on Kinghorne

The Deli on Kinghorne is a busy deli-style cafe on Kinghorne Street in the middle of Nowra, doing breakfast and lunch seven days a week, and it has built a name as one of the town's reliable dog-friendly stops. Leashed dogs are welcome at the undercover footpath seating out front, so a coffee run with the dog is an ordinary part of the week here rather than a special occasion.

The dog setup

The outdoor tables sit on the footpath under a large awning with big cafe umbrellas, which keeps you shaded in summer and mostly covered if a shower rolls through. Dogs stay on lead and settled beside your table. Staff have a reputation for being good with dogs, and water bowls are regularly brought out, with treats and pats on offer when the kitchen is not flat out. Indoors stays dog free, as you would expect of a working deli counter.

It runs at a genuine hustle at peak times, so a dog comfortable with foot traffic and other dogs nearby will settle best. Early morning or mid afternoon is the relaxed window.

What is on the plate

The menu leans proper breakfast and lunch: eggs benedict, smashed avo, burgers with curly fries, sausage rolls and a cake cabinet that regularly draws praise for the carrot cake. Coffee is considered some of the better brewing in Nowra, and the deli counter does homemade goods to take away. It opens from 6am on weekdays and 6:30am on weekends, running to 4pm weekdays and 2pm on Saturdays and Sundays.

Getting there and parking

The cafe sits on Kinghorne Street in central Nowra. Street parking runs along Kinghorne but fills quickly at peak times, so the side streets and central Nowra car parks are the usual fallback. It is a level walk from most of the town centre.

Close by with the dogs

Harry Sawkins Park is close by for a short on-lead stretch, and the Shoalhaven riverfront paths are a short drive for something longer. If your dog needs an off-lead run first, Nowra Fenced Dog Park is the obvious stop before you claim a footpath table. For a quieter coffee another day, The Tea Club Cafe on Berry Street has a garden courtyard that also welcomes dogs.

More dog-friendly eats are on the Nowra destination page and in the NSW restaurants index.