SAINT NIC

SAINT NIC is a modern brunch cafe on Portman Street in Oakleigh, a short walk from the Eaton Mall eating strip in Melbourne's south-east. It arrived recently in a suburb better known for Greek bakeries and grills, and it has quickly built a following for specialty coffee and a fresh, health-conscious breakfast and lunch menu. Dogs are welcome in the alfresco seating out front.

The dog setup

Dogs join you at the street-front outdoor tables on Portman Street, with the interior kept for people. Staff are known to be welcoming to dogs and often bring out a water bowl, though it pays to carry your own on warmer days. The kerbside frontage is wide enough to settle a dog clear of passing prams, and this stretch of Portman Street is calmer than the mall proper, which helps dogs that find crowds a lot.

Worth knowing

The coffee is the consistent draw, with the usual line-up of alternative milks alongside hot chocolates and specialty lattes. Food runs from customisable breakfast plates to grain bowls, and the kitchen caters well to vegetarian and vegan requests. Hours are day-time only, generally 7am to 3pm on weekdays, so this is a morning and lunch stop rather than a dinner one.

Getting there and parking

Portman Street sits just off the Oakleigh shopping precinct, with street parking on Portman and the surrounding streets, plus public car parks behind the main strip. Oakleigh station on the Pakenham and Cranbourne lines is a short walk away if you are arriving by train with a well-mannered dog.

Close by with the dogs

For an off-lead stretch afterwards, Scotchmans Run Reserve Dog Off Leash Area and Jack Edwards Reserve Dog Off Leash Area are both close by with open space for a run. If you are grazing the precinct instead, Dalgety's Cafe is another dog-friendly option in the same block.

More options around the suburb are on the Oakleigh destination page, and the full run is in the Victoria restaurants guide.

Max: Order the coffee and claim a front table before the brunch rush. Mine copped a water bowl and a scratch behind the ears within a minute of sitting down.