The Oriana Gardens

The Oriana Gardens is the alfresco dining side of The Oriana, a retro hotel and resort at 178-184 Woodward Street in Orange. The gardens, poolside patio and Summer Kitchen beer garden are all officially dog friendly, which makes this a proper long-lunch option with the dog rather than a footpath afterthought.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcome across the outdoor gardens, the patio and the Summer Kitchen beer garden, on a lead and supervised. They are not allowed in the indoor dining areas, inside the Bela Vista Bar, or in the hotel rooms; the accommodation side is generally listed as not pet friendly, so this is a daytime visit. Staff are dog friendly and have been known to bring water out, but pack your own bowl to be safe. Garden tables go fast on a sunny afternoon, so ring ahead to lock in an outdoor spot rather than turning up and hoping.

Worth knowing

The Summer Kitchen covers wood-fired pizzas, burgers, barbecue and tapas, with a raw bar leaning on oysters, local wines by the glass and a martini list that gets regular mentions. Live music runs through the warmer months and fire pits take over in winter, so the garden works in both seasons. This is a leisurely sit rather than a quick stop, and it suits a settled dog happy to relax through a long outdoor meal.

Getting there and parking

The Oriana sits on Woodward Street, a couple of minutes west of Orange's main drag. Free on-site self-parking is available, and the whole site is flat and easy to walk with a dog.

Close by with the dogs

Cook Park is a short stroll away for an on-lead leg stretch among the gardens, and Lake Canobolas is a short drive for something longer before lunch. If your dog needs an off-lead run first, Anzac Park Fenced Dog Park is close to town. For another outdoor meal another day, Gracie's at 4 Pines is a dog-friendly beer garden in the centre of Orange.

More local options are on the Orange destination page and in the NSW restaurants index.