RUSTICHELLA Pasta Bar

Rustichella Pasta Bar is a small, focused Italian on Aspinall Street in the Nundah Village precinct, rolling its pasta on site daily and cooking the regional food of Emilia-Romagna. It is the rare special-occasion dinner you can plan around a dog: the house policy welcomes dogs at the outdoor terrace, and the kitchen's gluten-free pasta has its own following. Book ahead, because the room is intimate and tables go quickly.

The dog setup

The house policy is specific: dogs are welcome on the outdoor al fresco terrace only, with indoors reserved for people and certified assistance dogs. Dogs stay on the floor beside your table rather than on seats or cushions, so a dog that settles under a chair is the right fit. There is no dog menu; water bowls are common around the precinct but the venue asks you to bring your own supplies, so pack a collapsible bowl for a longer meal.

The vibe

This is a quality-over-quantity menu rather than a big trattoria list. The house specialty is crescentine, fried dough served with mortadella or prosciutto di parma and parmesan, alongside fresh tortellini, carbonara and pork and beef ragu made with organic free-range eggs, plus pannacotta to finish. Gluten-free pasta and gnocchi are made on site, which is unusual for a small kitchen. Hours concentrate on weekday lunch with weekends closed, and the schedule shifts with seasons, so check the website for current opening times before you set out.

Getting there

Nundah Village is walkable from Nundah train station, which beats the parking hunt. If you drive, street parking around the village fills up and the nearby shopping complexes are the usual fallback. The village strip itself is a pleasant on-lead walk before or after a meal.

For a proper leg-stretch first, Boyd Park Fenced Dog Park is the local fully enclosed run, and Downfall Creek Dog Park a short drive north adds a creek for dogs that swim. On the breakfast shift, Fuel & Co is the other reliable dog-friendly table in the village. More of the precinct is on the Nundah destination page and in the QLD restaurants index.