Andaman Thai Restaurant

Andaman Thai Restaurant is a well-regarded Thai kitchen at Shop 2/13 Addison Street in Shellharbour Village, a short stroll from the harbour and North Beach. It trades from 11am across lunch and dinner seven days, and while the indoor room is where most of the tables are, the footpath seating out front is the dog-friendly side of the business.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcome at the outdoor footpath tables on Addison Street; inside is people only. The outdoor section is smaller than the main dining room, so arrive early or ring 02 4295 3008 to make sure a footpath table is free on busy nights. Staff have a friendly reputation with diners who bring a dog, and the street frontage gives a settled dog plenty to watch. Bring your own portable water bowl, especially in summer.

On the plate

The menu runs the classics alongside chef's picks: honey chicken, coconut rice, crying tiger, fish cakes and curry puffs to start, with soft shell crab a regular favourite. There is a kids menu, which rounds out the family-friendly feel. It works equally as a relaxed long lunch or a proper dinner, and the takeaway option is there if the footpath is full and the dog would rather be on the beach grass anyway.

Getting there and parking

Free street parking runs along Addison Street and the blocks around it, with public car parks close to the village shopfronts. It fills on Friday and Saturday dinners, so leave a little buffer. The village is flat and easy to cover with a dog on lead.

Pepsi: Footpath table in the village, every restaurant smell on the Illawarra coast drifting past, and I was flat out ignored in the most polite way.

Close by with the dogs

Shellharbour North Beach is a few blocks away for a pre- or post-dinner walk, and Shell Cove Dog Park is a short drive south for an off-leash run. C9 Chocolate & Gelato handles dessert a few doors along the street, and Darley Street Local covers the morning coffee round. Staying over? NRMA Shellharbour Beachside Holiday Park takes pets. More options are on the New South Wales restaurants list and the Shellharbour destination page.