Ricks Garage

Ricks Garage is a 1950s American-style diner built into a converted petrol station at 14-16 Margaret Street, Palmwoods, and it has been a Sunshine Coast drawcard for years. Vintage cars and memorabilia set the scene, the kitchen turns out oversized burgers and thick shakes, and the outdoor beer garden takes dogs, which makes it an easy stop on a Hinterland drive with the dog on board.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcome in the outdoor beer garden only, on a leash and settled beside your table; the indoor dining rooms and the Whiskey Bar are people-only. The FAQ page asks that dogs are well behaved and that you bring your own waste bags, and staff keep the garden communal-table casual, so a dog that copes with other diners will do well here. Water bowls are commonly put out in the outdoor sections, but carry your own travel bowl as backup on busy weekends.

Worth knowing

The menu leans hard into Americana: award-winning gourmet burgers such as the Lil Piggy, loaded fries, onion rings, chicken and waffles, calamari and thick milkshakes, with mid-week specials like the Wednesday Guinness and wings deal. Live music runs in the beer garden on Saturday and Sunday afternoons from 12pm to 3pm, and the diner kitchen opens 11am to 9pm most days (10pm Fridays and Saturdays), with the attached Bakehouse pouring coffee from 5am on weekdays. Weekend middays are the busiest stretch for tables and noise, so a dog still learning to settle does better on a weekday afternoon.

Getting there and parking

Palmwoods sits inland from Mooloolaba on the Sunshine Coast, and the diner fronts Margaret Street in the town's small main strip. Free street parking runs along Margaret Street and the surrounding residential blocks, and it fills quickly on live music weekends, so expect a short walk from wherever you park.

Close by with the dogs

The Palmwoods town parklands are a short stroll away for a leg-stretch before or after a burger. On the same patch of the Hinterland, Piggyback is another Palmwoods option, The Woombye Pub pours a few minutes down the road, and Elizabeth Daniels Park Fenced Dog Park at Buderim gives you a secure off-leash run nearby.

More options are in the dog-friendly restaurants across QLD list and the Palmwoods dog-friendly guide.

Max: parked himself under the burger table within seconds of the shakes arriving and has since declared the beer garden his permanent second home.