Robin Hood Hotel Strathalbyn

The Robin Hood Hotel is a family-owned, pokie-free country pub at 18 High Street, right in the middle of Strathalbyn, the heritage river town an hour or so south-east of Adelaide. It does the country pub playbook properly: chicken schnitzel, roast of the day, generous serves and Coopers on tap, with the footpath tables out front doing the dog-friendly duties. For anyone doing a Fleurieu day trip with the dog in the back of the ute, this is the easy lunch call.

The dog setup

Dogs stay outside at the footpath tables on High Street, which puts them in the middle of the town's best people-watching corner. Keep your dog on a lead and settled, as there is steady foot traffic past the tables on weekends. Water is not a given, so pack a collapsible bowl, and note that someone will need to stay with the dog outside while the other goes to the bar to order, since dogs cannot come inside.

The vibe

Being pokie-free keeps the atmosphere on the quiet, community side, with regulars rating the schnitzel, the potato skins and the roast of the day, all at honest country prices. The kitchen trades daily from 11am through to 10pm. Weekend lunch is the busy window, particularly when the roast is on, so a weekday visit or an early table is the calmer bet with a dog at your feet.

Getting there and parking

Strathalbyn sits off the South Eastern Freeway via the Strathalbyn road from Mount Barker, roughly 55 kilometres from Adelaide. High Street is the town's main strip, with street parking near the hotel door and more along the parallel terraces. Everything in town, including the river gardens, is within a few minutes' walk.

Close by with the dogs

The Soldiers Memorial Gardens and the on-leash River Angas walkway are a couple of minutes away on foot, ideal for a leg stretch before or after the schnitzel. Staying over? Strath Motel along the main street has dedicated pet rooms, and the Lake Breeze Wines cellar door at Langhorne Creek, 15 minutes further south, extends the day trip into wine country.