Cafe Evviva

Cafe Evviva is a long-standing Italian-inspired cafe on the Franklin Street side of the Traralgon Centre Plaza, and it is the rare central Gippsland restaurant that openly takes dogs. The street-facing alfresco area is the section that matters: order there with your dog at the table, and the full menu runs from breakfast through to an early dinner.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcome in the street-facing alfresco area, and the practical move is arriving along Franklin Street rather than walking through the shopping centre, which keeps the visit simple. Staff are known to be accommodating and will often bring out a water bowl, though carrying your own is the safe play. Leashes stay on and dogs stay close to the table. The alfresco section is limited in size, so off-peak visits give you the best chance of a table with room to spare.

The menu

The kitchen covers Italian standards with woodfire pizza at the centre of it, alongside pasta, arancini, polenta chips and a fried chicken that regulars rate. There are pizzettas for smaller appetites, vegetarian and vegan options, and a kids' menu. The venue is fully licensed, so coffee, cocktails and wine are all on the table. Hours run from 8am weekdays and 8:30am weekends, closing late evening except a 3pm Sunday finish.

Getting there and parking

The address is 166-188 Franklin Street, Traralgon, with the cafe at the plaza's Post Office entrance. Free parking is available in the surrounding plaza lots with street parking on Franklin Street, and the block is central and walkable from anywhere in town.

Close by with the dogs

The Traralgon dog park gives your dog a proper off-lead run before or after the meal, and a wander along the Franklin Street strip covers the on-lead stretch. If you are planning an eating circuit, Food Co on Franklin is just up the street and Green Olive is another local option nearby.

More options are on the Victoria dog friendly restaurants guide and the Traralgon destination guide.

Max: Pizza out front, water bowl on request, then a lap of the dog park. A complete country-town afternoon.