San Marino Cafe Ristorante

San Marino Cafe Ristorante is a family-owned Italian restaurant on Commercial Road in Seaford, south of Adelaide, serving breakfast on weekends plus lunch and dinner through the week. The kitchen leans on more than 30 years of hospitality experience, and the portions are the local talking point. Dogs are welcome in the outdoor alfresco seating areas, which makes it a usable table for the many dog owners who live along the southern coastal suburbs.

The dog setup

Dogs join you in the outdoor dining spaces, with the front alfresco area the easiest spot to keep your dog settled at your side. Keep them on a leash and well behaved around other diners, and expect to take the outer side of the alfresco boundary, which is the usual arrangement for outdoor dining in South Australia. Staff are described as friendly and accommodating, though there is no set water bowl service, so bring your own. Weekends and dinner services fill up, so call ahead on (08) 8489 0887 to lock in an outdoor table.

Known for

The giant schnitzels are the signature, big enough to share and topped in parmigana and house variations, with half-schnitzel options for normal appetites. Wood-fired pizzas, pasta, ribs, lamb shanks, garlic prawns and seafood round out the menu, and weekends add breakfast and brunch from 9am. Trading runs 11am to 9pm Monday to Thursday, 9am to 10pm Friday and Saturday, and 9am to 9pm Sunday.

Getting there and parking

The venue is at Shop 20/108 Commercial Road, Seaford SA 5169, inside a shopping complex with a free car park at the door plus street parking nearby. That means traffic moving through the lot, so keep your dog leashed and close rather than letting them wander.

Pair it with

For a coffee stop first, DUKE'S Cafe at Moana and Royal Copenhagen Port Noarlunga both take dogs. When your dog needs a proper run rather than a footpath sit, Sean Power Dog Inn Park in Seaford Heights is the dedicated fenced option nearby, and Old Noarlunga Hotel is another dog-friendly table a short drive inland.

Max: half a giant schnitzel is still a schnitzel the size of your head. Pace yourself, human.

More dog-friendly dining is on the SA restaurants list, or browse Seaford for what else is nearby.