Frankie Mae’s

Frankie Mae's is a family-run burger shop at Panorama Plaza on Scenic Drive, Tweed Heads West, doing smoky burgers, loaded fries and old-school milkshakes. The outdoor tables out the front welcome dogs, so it works well as a casual lunch or early dinner stop with the dog on the leash beside you.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcome at the outdoor seating on the paved plaza area directly outside the shopfront; the indoor space is for people only. It is a relaxed setup: pick a table out front, keep your dog on lead and settled, and you are set. The plaza paving is flat with plenty of room for a water bowl, though bringing your own portable one is the reliable option.

The food and the vibe

The drawcard is smoky smokehouse-style burgers on quality beef patties, with chicken bites, loaded fries, sweet potato sides and gluten-free options rounding out the menu. Locals talk about the slow-cooked BBQ brisket rolls and thick shakes as much as the burgers, and reviewers regularly mention the friendly, small-family-business feel. Weekend hours start at 7:30am, which makes Saturday and Sunday a solid brunch call; Tuesday through Friday it is an 11am start, closing around 8pm, and Mondays the shop is shut.

Getting there and parking

The address is Shop 9/24 Scenic Drive, Tweed Heads West. Free parking sits directly in front of the plaza shopfront, with a flat, easy walk from the car to the outdoor tables.

Close by with the dogs

For a run before the burgers, the fenced Banora Point Dog Park is a short drive south, and Dulcie and Edna at Banora Point is another dog-friendly cafe option nearby. If you are making a weekend of it, Pyramid Holiday Park is in the same suburb and takes dogs, and Bambi Deluxe in Tweed Heads is a good coffee stop on the way through.

More options around the border are on the Tweed Heads West destination page, with the full list in the NSW restaurants index.