Oven Kraft Cafe/ Restaurant

Oven Kraft is an all-day cafe and restaurant at Shop 7, 106 Henry Road, Pakenham, serving breakfast through to dinner seven days a week, with late openings until 9pm most nights. It is a licensed local with a woodfired bent, and dogs are welcome at the footpath tables out the front.

The dog setup

The dog-friendly seating is the footpath area directly in front of the venue, reached straight off Henry Road so you never need to lead a dog through the indoor dining room. Dogs are not taken inside, apart from assistance animals. Staff are welcoming to four-legged visitors, and while a water bowl is not guaranteed, the staff generally oblige. A portable bowl in the car keeps it simple.

Worth knowing

The menu is broad: breakfast runs most of the day, with plates like fungi on toast, vegetarian fritters with poached eggs and the greens brekkie alongside bacon and egg rolls. Come evening it is woodfired-style pizzas, chicken parma and garlic bread, washed down with a caramel milkshake or something from the bar. It draws a loyal Pakenham regular crowd and the staff get repeated mentions for being friendly.

Getting there and parking

Henry Road sits near the Princes Highway and Main Street end of Pakenham, with free street parking along Henry Road and nearby bays, so the walk from car to footpath table is short. Pakenham Station is a reasonable stroll for a train-and-walk arrival.

Pair it with

Don Jackson Reserve Fenced Dog Park is the obvious off-lead leg before or after a meal, and Greenfield Lane covers the south of the suburb. The Cardinia Aqueduct Trail suits a longer on-lead walk. Nancy Eatery is another Pakenham cafe worth knowing.

The Victoria dog friendly restaurants guide and the Pakenham destination page round out the area.