A Boy Named Sue

A Boy Named Sue is a rustic wood-fired sourdough pizzeria in St Andrews, at the edge of Heidelberg-Kinglake Road opposite the town's well-known Saturday market. The seating is almost entirely outdoors: a courtyard and garden with shared tables under the gums, which is exactly why it works for dogs.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcome across the outdoor courtyard and garden areas, leashed. The venue is effectively a garden dining room, so a settled dog on the ground beside your table is the norm rather than the exception, and there is plenty of shade to pick from. Water bowls are not always out, so carry your own. The indoor space is small and is not a dog zone.

Pepsi: Wood smoke, falling gum leaves and someone's pizza crust if I sit politely enough. St Andrews understands me.

Worth knowing

The oven does the talking: wood-fired pizzas from classic margherita to lamb pizza, plus arancini, apple crumble and gluten-free dough options. The venue trades Thursday through Sunday and closes early in the week, with pasta nights and occasional live music or DJs on the calendar; hours shift seasonally, so check before a long drive. Saturday mornings pull a crowd from the market, and winter evenings get cold in the garden, so rug up.

Getting there and parking

The venue's own site lists it at 87 Burns Street, St Andrews, just off Heidelberg-Kinglake Road in the Nillumbik hills about 45 minutes from Melbourne CBD. Parking is informal roadside and around the market grounds, and it tightens fast once the Saturday market opens at 9am, so early is better.

Close by with the dogs

The St Andrews Hotel is a short walk up the road and welcomes dogs in its beer garden, and Cafelicious and Co is the local coffee alternative. The Saturday market itself allows leashed dogs on leads up to 2 metres, though it skips Total Fire Ban days. For a proper off-leash run, the Hurstbridge Dog Park is the closest fenced option.

More of the area is on the St Andrews destination page, with the wider region under dog friendly restaurants in VIC.