Rasa Italian Kitchen and Bar

Rasa Italian Kitchen and Bar sits on the boulevard in the heart of the Gold Coast's tourist strip, a short stroll from Cavill Avenue, serving pizza, pasta and seafood from 6am to 9pm every day. It is one of the few sit-down restaurants on the central strip where dogs can pull up a chair with you, at the outdoor tables out front.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcome at the outdoor seating, with full table service, so you never need to leave your dog to order or pay inside. Staff have a name for being easy-going with dogs and will often bring water out unprompted, but pack your own bowl for reliability. The footpath setting is busy by nature, so a dog who can settle through crowds, strollers and buskers will do best here.

The food and the vibe

The kitchen runs all day: the breakfast and brunch line-up, including corn and zucchini fritters, eggs benedict, vanilla bean pancakes and acai bowls, is what reviewers single out most, alongside the Italian menu of pizza, pasta and seafood. There are vegan options and a full bar, and everything is cooked in-house. The room is relaxed and modern rather than formal, and it draws a mix of locals and visitors from opening to close.

Getting there and parking

The address is Shop 3, 3106 on the boulevard itself, near the Cavill Avenue end. Street parking is metered and busy; paid parking stations sit within a couple of blocks. The G:link light rail stops a short walk away, which is the easiest way in if you would rather skip the traffic entirely.

Nearby with the dogs

The beachfront esplanade is minutes on foot for a leashed walk, though the main beach itself prohibits dogs. For a proper off-leash session, The Spit via Federation Trail runs a few minutes north, where the designated dog beach sits past Sea World. The Winey Cow in Main Beach is a dog-welcoming backup for coffee the next morning.

Pepsi: Book a weekday brunch slot, tie the lead to your chair, and order the fritters.