Chanceux Cucina

Chanceux Cucina is an Italian restaurant at 140 Oxley Street, near the Portarlington Golf Club on the Bellarine Peninsula. The kitchen works with wood-fired pizza dough and house-made pasta: pumpkin gnocchi, spaghetti marinara, bolognaise and cannoli to finish, with a curated wine list alongside. It trades evenings only, closed Sundays and Mondays, so plan it as a dinner stop.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcome in the outdoor terrace and deck area, on a lead, settled beside the table. The indoor dining room is not open to dogs. Water bowls are not a listed feature, so bring your own. It is a popular booking, especially weekends, so reserve ahead and mention you are bringing a dog so you land a terrace table rather than being seated indoors.

Max: wood-fire smoke, gnocchi, and a terrace table where every waiter walks past at knee height. Dinner theatre, for me.

Worth knowing

Portarlington has a designated 24-hour off-leash dog beach between the Point Richards boat ramp and the Portarlington Sailing Club, so you can burn off energy on the sand before an evening booking. The Esplanade walk toward Indented Head is the on-lead alternative, with bay views the whole way.

Getting there and parking

The restaurant is at 140 Oxley Street, Portarlington, with free parking on-site and on the street. The foreshore is a five to ten minute walk away, and Portarlington Recreation Reserve offers open space nearby for a pre-dinner leg stretch.

Close by with the dogs

The Grand Hotel Portarlington keeps dogs at its open-air atrium and lawn tables if you want a second option in town. On the PawScapes map, Hounds of the Vine at Bellarine is the family-owned cellar door built around its namesake dogs, Tuckerberry Hill sits on the hill at Drysdale, and Sirens - Miss Buzz Kiosk covers the St Leonards foreshore. More options are on our Victoria listing and the Portarlington page.

Book an early terrace table, let the dog work the beach beforehand, and the whole evening runs itself.