Joan’s Kitchen

Joan's Kitchen is an old-school Aussie snack bar in the industrial pocket of Bailey Crescent, Southport, and a genuine Gold Coast institution for homemade-patty burgers and bacon and egg rolls on chunky white bread. It runs weekday daytimes from 8:30am to 2:30pm, Saturday mornings until 12:30pm, and closes Sundays, so it is a breakfast and lunch stop rather than a dinner one. Dogs are welcome in the outdoor seating attached to the shopfront, which makes it a straightforward stop when you are out with the dog and want real food, fast.

The dog setup

You order at the counter inside, then take a seat in the outdoor area out front with your dog beside you. There is no table service and no fuss, which suits a settled dog on a lead. Water bowls are not a guaranteed fixture, so pack your own portable bowl and the dog is covered. Mornings are the quietest window midweek; the lunch rush on weekdays and Saturday mornings brings the takeaway crowd.

What comes off the grill

The menu is classic takeaway done properly: steak burgers and loaded beef burgers with homemade patties, a garden burger for the vegetarians, bacon and egg sandwiches, fresh salad rolls and a seafood basket with hot chips and potato scallops. The homemade sausage rolls and spinach and ricotta rolls are what regulars queue for, and the thickshakes finish the order. Fridays bring the Joanmade lunch specials, and there is free local delivery if you would rather eat at home.

Getting there

The shop is at Unit 1/11 Bailey Crescent, Southport, in the light-industrial streets east of the CBD. There is street parking along Bailey Crescent and the surrounding lanes, and it rarely gets tight outside the midday peak. It is a short drive from Southport Broadwater parklands if you want a waterside walk in first.

Close by with the dogs

For an off-lead run before or after, Musgrave Park Dog Off Leash Area is the local fenced option, and Broadwater Cafe and Caffe Republic both welcome dogs at outdoor tables if you are making a morning of it in Southport.

More options are on the Queensland dog friendly restaurants guide and the Southport destination page.