The Brooklyn Wine + Tapas

The Brooklyn Wine + Tapas is a stylish small-plates, wine and cocktail bar at 190 Varsity Parade, right on the water at Lake Orr in Varsity Lakes. Dogs are welcome in the alfresco area, which makes it an evening-out venue your dog can actually join rather than a quick coffee stop.

The dog setup

Dogs are permitted in the dedicated outdoor alfresco area, not the indoor dining room. The staff are used to dogs at those tables and water bowls are available. Book ahead and mention you are bringing a dog so you are seated in the right spot, because the alfresco seating is the part that fills first on weekends.

Worth knowing

The draw is the tapas menu and the wine list, with cocktails to match. Scallops with chestnut puree, ceviche and the beef cheeks get named regularly, and there is a multi-course tapas tasting menu for a longer sit. Thursday runs a steak night, and live music comes through on weekends. Trading runs from 4pm Tuesday to Thursday, from midday Friday and Saturday, and the kitchen is closed Sunday and Monday, so plan the dog-friendly lunch for Friday or Saturday.

Getting there and parking

The venue sits on Varsity Parade in the Varsity Lakes town centre beside Lake Orr. Street parking runs along the parade and the side streets, with car parks through the precinct, and buses stop along Varsity Parade.

Close by with the dogs

The paved Lake Orr loop is steps from the door for an on-leash lap before you sit down. For a proper off-leash run first, Frascott Park Fenced Dog Park is in the same suburb and Robina Common Fenced Dog Park is close by. Oscar Italia, the pet-friendly sister venue next door, covers the following night.

Come for an early evening table if your dog prefers the calmer end of the alfresco, and bring a mat if they would rather stretch out than sit at the table.