Tasty Bamboo Garden

Tasty Bamboo Garden is a family-run Cantonese restaurant at 2 Nerang Street in central Southport, and one of the few in the area where the outdoor tables come with a working dog policy. Staff are described as welcoming to pets at those outdoor tables, which makes it a genuine option for a long Cantonese lunch with the dog lying at your feet rather than waiting in the car.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcome in the outdoor dining area only; the indoor room stays people-only. It is a casual footpath-style setting, so it suits a dog that settles quietly beside the table rather than one that patrols. The staff are reported to be friendly and attentive to pets, and water is usually easy to sort, but bring your own bowl to be safe. Given it is a lunch-focused operation, confirm an outdoor table when you book, and note that weekdays other than Monday run a three-hour service from 11am to 2:30pm.

The menu

The kitchen does proper Cantonese rather than a token suburban list: roast duck, honey chicken, black bean beef with rice, peking duck, entree dim sum and wonton soup, with fried ice cream for the finish. Portions are known for being generous, so order for the table and pace it. It is the kind of unhurried meal that works well with a settled dog.

Getting there and parking

The restaurant sits on Nerang Street near the Marine Parade corner, close to Australia Fair. Street parking runs along Nerang Street and there is free parking in the surrounding public carparks. It is also walkable from the Broadwater side if you are staying nearby.

Close by with the dogs

Broadwater Parklands is a short walk away with shaded, paved paths and water views for an on-leash stroll before or after lunch, and the off-leash area at Musgrave Park is nearby for a proper run first. If you want to stretch the day, The Spit Dog Beach is a few minutes north for a swim. Broadwater Cafe and Caffe Republic cover the coffee side of Southport.

More eating options are on the Southport destination page and in the QLD restaurants index.