Wellington Point Farmhouse Restaurant and Cafe

Wellington Point Farmhouse Restaurant and Cafe is a paddock-to-plate institution on Main Road at Wellington Point in the Redlands, known for big breakfasts, house-baked cakes and its own farm produce shop. It takes dogs seriously enough to have a paw tag in its booking system, though the rules are stricter here than at most dog-friendly decks.

The dog setup

Dogs are allowed only on the outdoor deck and in the takeaway breezeway. They are not permitted inside the restaurant or on the surrounding lawns, so this is not a spot for a dog that likes to wander. When you book online, use the paw tag so staff can seat you in the right part of the deck; the venue's own posts make a point of the breeze off the paddocks and a dog settled beside your table. Water bowls are often brought out for canine visitors, but bring your own to be safe.

Worth knowing

The kitchen works from its own and local growers' produce: big breakfast plates, eggs benedict, pork belly and local seafood through the day, a Sunday roast on weekends, and house-baked pastries and cakes in the cabinet. The produce shop beside the cafe is part of the visit, and there are monthly Friday degustation dinners and pre-order high teas for something longer. Doors open from 7am, running to 2:30pm Monday and Tuesday and 3:30pm Wednesday to Sunday. Weekend tables book out, so reserve ahead.

Getting there and parking

The farmhouse sits on Main Road on the edge of the Wellington Point paddocks, with free on-site parking plus street parking along Main Road, and a flat run from the car park to the deck.

Close by with the dogs

Wellington Point Recreation Reserve is a few minutes away for a walk before or after breakfast, but mind the Redland City Council rules: on weekends and public holidays dogs are on-leash only outside the 9am to 4pm window, the sandbar across to King Island is on-leash at permitted times, and King Island itself is off-limits to dogs. For a guaranteed off-leash run, Wellington Point Dog Park is the local fenced option. Oxley's On The Bay and Cedar & Stone Wood-Fired Pizza Bar cover the rest of the suburb's tables.

Max: Stick to the deck here. The lawns look inviting but they are off limits, and staff will ask you to move a dog that strays off the designated area.

Weekday mornings are calmer and easier for a deck table with a dog in tow, and they line up neatly with the reserve's weekend rules if you time it for after 4pm. Good for owners happy to keep their dog settled in one spot.