Central Lounge Bar and Dining

Central Lounge Bar and Dining is a lively bar and restaurant on Orchid Avenue, in the tourist heart of the Gold Coast, serving share plates, grills and cocktails seven days a week. The covered courtyard and footpath tables facing the street take dogs, which makes it a rare find on this strip where most dining rooms are strictly indoors.

The dog setup

Dogs join you in the covered outdoor courtyard and the footpath seating along Orchid Avenue; the main indoor dining room is off limits. Water bowls are usually provided on request, but bringing your own travel bowl gets your dog settled straight away. This is a high-traffic patch of the Gold Coast, with constant foot traffic, street noise and live music, so it suits well socialised dogs that take crowds in their stride. Happy hour, from 3pm to 6pm daily, is the calmer window; later in the evening the courtyard fills and the music lifts.

The vibe

The kitchen leans Italian, French and Mediterranean with chargrilled steaks, pork belly, schnitzels, garlic prawns and wood-fired style share plates. Happy hour deals run daily from 3pm to 6pm, there is free live music and DJ sessions through the week, and weekends add a bottomless brunch. Doors open around 11:30am and the venue runs late, with the bar going well past the kitchen on music nights.

Getting there and parking

The venue is at Shop 8, 27 Orchid Avenue. Street parking nearby is metered and short, so the Bruce Bishop car park on Beach Road and the Chevron Renaissance parking on the main boulevard are the easiest options, and the G:link tram stop at Cavill Avenue is a short walk. The beach and its esplanade are a couple of hundred metres east for a leashed pre or post meal walk, keeping to the signage on restricted times.

Close by with the dogs

For an off leash run, Hedges Avenue Off Leash Dog Park at Broadbeach is the closest dedicated space, and The Spit via Federation Trail is the longer coastal walk. For other dog-friendly tables, Banksy Bar & Kitchen at Broadbeach and Thyme Cafe Bar at Main Beach are both a short drive.

Max: chargrilled steak smells, buskers, and a bowl of water in a covered courtyard. Big city dog energy.

More dog-friendly dining is on the QLD restaurants list.