Dagwood

Dagwood Bar + Kitchen is a small bar with a pan-Asian street-food kitchen at 19 Market Street in the Wollongong CBD, next to the Adina. It is one of the friendlier stops in town for dog owners: the outdoor tables welcome four-legged patrons, and staff have a reputation for greeting the dog before the human.

The dog setup

Dogs join you at the outdoor seating, not inside the bar. The street-front tables suit a settled dog on a lead, and the team is used to four-legged visitors. Bring your own water bowl, as a bar setting does not guarantee one, and time your visit for the quieter late afternoon if your dog is unsure around foot traffic.

Worth knowing

The kitchen does dumplings, bao buns and loaded fries alongside the drinks list: pork and prawn dumplings, Korean fried chicken bites and crispy pork belly bao are the usual orders. Happy hour runs Wednesday to Friday from 4pm to 6pm with pints at schooner prices, ten-dollar wines and a short list of cocktails at fifteen dollars. Hours are 4pm to 10pm Wednesday and Thursday, midday to 11pm Friday and Saturday, and 1pm to 9pm Sunday, closed Monday and Tuesday, so it is an evening venue rather than a lunch stop most of the week.

Getting there and parking

Market Street is central in the CBD, a short walk from Wollongong station with a bus stop across the intersection on Corrimal Street. Street parking nearby is paid and time-limited, and the Wollongong Central car parks are the practical option when the kerb is full.

While you're out there

The foreshore paths toward the harbour make an easy on-lead walk before dinner, and Coniston Dog Beach is a short drive south for an off-lead run. For a daytime coffee in the same city, Lee and Me is a Wollongong institution with outdoor seating, and Mantra Wollongong is nearby if you are staying over with a dog.

Browse the NSW dog friendly restaurants guide and the Wollongong destination page to plan the rest of the trip.