Club Officer

Club Officer sits at 3 Niki Place in Officer, one of the fastest-growing suburbs on Melbourne's south-eastern corridor, opening from 10am daily with the bistro trading well into the evening. The dining side is classic club fare done at volume: chicken parma, roast lamb, lamb shank, porterhouse steak and a pumpkin risotto, with a pokies floor and the club facilities that come with the format. The Lakeview Bistro is the dining brand within it, set to look over the water feature the club is built around.

The venue is listed as dog friendly with patio and outdoor dining on its OpenTable profile, and the Lakeview Bistro's outdoor terrace looking over the water is the alfresco area where dogs can sit with their owners. It is a more formal outdoor setting than a footpath: the terrace is part of the club's dining layout, so keep your dog settled at the table and let the staff work around you. Lunch and early dinner are the natural dog-friendly windows before the evening entertainment side of the club takes over.

Worth knowing

A club is a different proposition from a cafe with the dog: the table service is set up for longer sittings, the parma-and-lamb menu handles actual appetites, and the terrace view gives the dog something to watch while you take your time. It also means quieter tables away from the gaming room are worth asking for. For a growth-corridor suburb short on sit-down dog-friendly options, the terrace does the job of a proper dinner venue rather than a coffee stop.

Close by with the dogs

Officer's daytime dog options sit nearby: The High Horse and Desi Kothi Ice Cream cover the casual stops, and Onyx Crescent's fenced dog park handles the off-lead run. The Officer destination guide lists the suburb's dog-friendly venues.