Doc Hughes

Doc Hughes holds the corner at 23 The Esplanade in Torquay, looking straight across the road to the foreshore, and it runs the length of the day: 8:30am to 10pm Monday through Saturday and 8:30am to 3pm on Sunday. Oysters, barramundi and seafood linguine anchor the menu, pork ribs and cocktails stretch it, and the ocean views do a lot of the work before any food lands.

Dogs get real seating options here rather than a token spot by the bins. The front outdoor marquee, the courtyard and the beer garden are all open to dogs, and the venue's own Instagram confirms the beer garden is dog friendly, which is about as authoritative as a pub stance gets short of a written policy. Across The Esplanade is the foreshore itself, so a pre dinner walk along the sand path slots in without moving the car.

The vibe

It trades on the surf town rhythm: long lunches that drift into afternoon drinks, families claiming the marquee, and a beer garden that fills on any evening with weather. Service is set up for volume without losing the seafood house standards, and the cocktails list keeps the stay longer than lunch intended. With a dog, the beer garden is the natural home, but the marquee takes the edge off a southerly when the courtyard breeze turns cool.

Worth knowing

Weekends and school holidays fill the front seating early, so arriving before the midday surge or booking ahead keeps the dog friendly table an option. Street parking along The Esplanade moves quickly in summer; the side streets behind offer the reliable fallback, and the walk from either is short.

Make a day of it

Torquay's dog map runs long. Jan Juc Dog Beach is the morning swim run a few minutes south, Blackman's Brewery pours the local taps up the road, and Torquay Foreshore Caravan Park puts you within an easy stroll if you are staying rather than visiting. The suburb's full list lives on the Torquay page, and Victorian dog friendly restaurants widens the search.