La Jordania Restaurant And Shisha Lounge

La Jordania is a Lebanese and Middle Eastern restaurant and shisha lounge at Shop 20/26 Orchid Avenue, in the heart of the Gold Coast's main tourist strip. It is dog friendly in the way most strip dining is: dogs are welcome at the designated alfresco tables out the front, while the indoor lounge, with its shisha and evening entertainment, stays people-only.

The dog setup

The outdoor seating fronts the busy pedestrian lane, which is good for people-watching and has room for a settled dog at your feet, but it means crowds, street noise and the occasional busker. Bring your own water bowl and keep the lead short as foot traffic squeezes past. One thing worth planning around: the shisha smoke drifts outdoors, so if your dog is sensitive to it, pick a table at the far end of the alfresco area.

The menu and the vibe

The kitchen does Lebanese sharing plates and charcoal grills: kafta, chicken skewers, shawarma, tabouli and the dips and flatbread spread that the platters are built around. It trades from 11am until late every day, with the energy ramping up at night, and the entertainment runs to belly dancing on busy evenings. For a dog-friendly visit, the earlier evening slot works best, when the strip is lively but the footpath is not packed.

Getting there

Orchid Avenue runs off Cavill Avenue, a short walk from the G:link tram stop of the same name. Street parking on Orchid Avenue is metered and tight, so use the paid multi-storey car parks nearby and walk in. The venue sits inside The Forum precinct.

Close by with the dogs

There is no off-leash option in the immediate grid, so drive west first: the Cabana Offleash Dog Area at Benowa has big grassed river flats and a dog-friendly beach on the Nerang River, and the Scenic Park Fenced Dog Park is nearby if you want a fully enclosed run. For other dinner options in the area, Double Barrel Kitchen and Bar and Den Devine both take dogs outdoors.

More options are in the QLD restaurants index.