Cafe de Orient

Cafe de Orient is a small, well-regarded Thai restaurant in a charming old Queenslander shop at Shop 2/10 Little Main Street, Palmwoods, a Sunshine Coast hinterland village. It trades lunch Wednesday to Friday and dinner Wednesday to Sunday, closed Mondays and Tuesdays, and draws locals with fresh Thai cooking, generous portions and friendly service at good value.

The dog setup

Dogs are accommodated at the street-side outdoor dining area on Little Main Street, on a lead and kept settled; the indoor room stays dog-free. It is a smaller operation without formal dog amenities, so bring your own collapsible water bowl, and confirm the pet policy when you book since the outdoor area is compact and fills quickly on dinner nights.

Worth knowing

The menu covers the Thai classics with an Asian-fusion spread around them: pad thai, laksa and tom yum, massaman lamb shank, cashew chicken and Mongolian beef, with vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options handled well. Lunch runs 12pm to 2:30pm midweek, with dinner sessions from 4pm or 5pm onwards, so book ahead for a weekend evening.

Getting there and parking

Free street parking runs along Little Main Street and nearby, and the village strip is an easy, scenic walk from Palmwoods Railway Station if you are coming up on the Nambour line.

Close by with the dogs

Two more Palmwoods eateries welcome dogs outdoors: Ricks Garage, the retro diner on Margaret Street with a back beer garden, and Piggyback on Koorawatha Lane, which keeps pets to its designated outdoor seating. Federation Park's fenced off-leash dog area nearby covers the exercise side of the day.

More options are on the Queensland dog friendly restaurants guide and the Palmwoods destination page.