Wards Central Dining

Wards Central Dining is an all-day dining room and provedore from the crew behind North Street Store, set inside the heritage Victoria House building at 4 Thorburn Way, Shenton Park. It pairs an a la carte breakfast and lunch menu with the bakery side the crew is known for, and the outdoor courtyard is where dogs join the party. Locals with pets treat it as a regular weekend stop.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcome in the alfresco courtyard, which is a spacious and casual patch of the heritage building rather than a cramped footpath row. The indoor dining room stays dog free, so this is a courtyard stop. Staff are welcoming and the venue has a reputation for looking after canine guests, but a bowl at the table is not guaranteed, so bring your own water bowl to be safe. The courtyard can close in poor weather, so confirm it is open before making a special trip with your dog.

The vibe

Coffee is serious and the cabinet is packed daily with croissants, pastries, cinnamon scrolls, toasties, sausage rolls and salads, echoing the North Street Store bakery lineage. The sit-down menu covers generous breakfast and brunch plates through to lunch, and the bar pours wine, beer and cocktails. Trading is 7am to 3pm every day, with cocktails and dinner service added Thursday to Saturday, and the fit-out mixes restored heritage detail with a modern room.

Getting there and parking

The venue sits within the Victoria House development on Thorburn Way, Shenton Park, with free on-site and street parking available and wheelchair access throughout. Shenton Park Oval and Rosalie Park are both a short walk away for a pre or post coffee leg-stretch. Weekday mornings are the easiest window for a courtyard table with a dog in tow; weekends queue up.

While you're out there

For an off leash run, Montario Quarter Hillside Park Fenced Dog Park at Daglish and Carrington Park Fenced Dog Park in Nedlands are both close, and Lake Claremont Dog Agility Area adds a swim-adjacent option. For another dog-friendly table nearby, La Bastide is in the same suburb or Bishop Street Cafe is a short hop in Jolimont.

Max: a cinnamon scroll and a courtyard patch of morning sun at a heritage bakery. Saturday done properly.

More dog-friendly dining is on the WA restaurants list, or browse Shenton Park for the neighbourhood.