Stanley's Barn Restaurant & Bar

Stanley's Barn Restaurant & Bar is a rustic barn-style dining room built from reclaimed century-old Queensland timber on Michigan Drive, Upper Coomera, sitting alongside the Gold Coast Motor Museum. The kitchen runs steak sandwiches, pork belly, seafood chowder and a much-photographed sticky date pudding, with live music on weekends. Dogs are welcome across the big outdoor area, which makes this one of the roomier pet-friendly feeds on the northern Gold Coast.

The dog setup

Dogs join you in the treed outdoor seating, on the lawn and under the covered astro sections, all on leash; the indoor barn stays dog-free. Water bowls are usually put out for canine visitors, and the venue lists itself as pet-friendly on enquiry, so flag the dog when you book and staff will seat you in the outdoor zones. Give the grounds a scan first: chickens sometimes roam the property, so this suits a dog that is settled around other animals rather than one with a keen chase instinct.

Max: keep a high-prey-drive dog short on the leash near the lawn edges, and pick a table away from the chook territory if yours fancies himself a duck hunter.

Worth knowing

Hours vary across the week: closed Monday and Tuesday, a morning-to-afternoon service Wednesday and Thursday, and long days Friday through Sunday from breakfast into the evening. Reviewers lean on the family-friendly setting and the open-air layout, which gives dogs plenty of room without crowding tables. Weekends bring live music and a busier lawn.

Getting there and parking

The venue is on Michigan Drive with ample on-site parking, an easy turn off the M1 Pacific Motorway. Being attached to the motor museum makes it simple to pair a feed with a wander for the car-mad members of the family while the dog rests in the shade.

Close by with the dogs

For a proper run before lunch, the fenced Baker Creek Fenced Dog Park and Upper Coomera #2 Fenced Dog Park are both in the suburb, and the Oxenford Lake loop is nearby for an on-lead walk. More options sit on the Queensland dog friendly restaurants guide and the Upper Coomera destination page.

Book outdoor, mention the dog, and settle in under the trees for an easy long lunch in the barn's shadow.