The Fitzroy & Collingwood Dog Friendly Pub Trail
Melbourne's inner north treats dogs the way it treats good coffee: as a baseline, not a feature. This is the walk that proves it, west to east from the Brunswick Street backstreets through Smith Street and down into Abbotsford's brewery corner. Seven stops, four of them happy to have your dog inside, and one that exists entirely because of your dog. Melbourne weather being what it is, we have also noted which of the outdoor-only gardens are covered and heated, because a beer garden in July is only as good as its roof.
Open the trail in Google Maps- 01
Start in the quiet backstreets. The Standard is the classic hidden Fitzroy local, and its beer garden is one of the best-loved in the suburb.
Beer garden only, on a lead. Water bowls provided.
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Two blocks south, a backstreet pub that has been at it since the 1860s and books its dog-friendly areas like any other table. Civilised.
Covered beer garden and deck, maximum two dogs per booking. You can select the dog friendly area when booking online.
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The first inside stop, and a proper corner pub. There is no beer garden to speak of, which turns out to be the point: the welcome here is indoors, by the bar, where a Melbourne pub dog belongs.
Dogs welcome inside on the ground floor, actively encouraged rather than tolerated.
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Cross into Collingwood for the best-equipped outdoor setup on the walk. The Fox runs a courtyard and a rooftop deck, both covered, both heated, both fine with your dog.
Courtyard and rooftop deck only, but both are covered and heated with water bowls on hand.
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The stop this trail was built around. Doghouse is Australia's first dedicated dog cafe, a venue designed for the dogs with humans admitted as their guests. If the walk has a summit, this is it.
Dogs welcome inside, obviously. There is a full dog menu, dogachinos included.
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Into Abbotsford for the home stretch. Lulie Tavern has been dog friendly since the day it opened and says so on its homepage, which saves everyone the awkward question at the door.
Inside and out in the courtyard, with water available throughout.
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Finish at the brewery. Bodriggy is a big, loud warehouse brewpub a minute from Lulie, and the last chance on the trail to sit down with a paddle of beers and a dog at your feet.
Outdoor tables and the inside foyer area, on a lead. Water bowls provided.
Dog owner FAQs
Which Fitzroy and Collingwood pubs let dogs inside?
Four of the seven stops here. The Marquis of Lorne takes dogs on the ground floor, Doghouse is a dog cafe so indoors is the whole idea, Lulie Tavern welcomes them inside and out, and Bodriggy allows them in the foyer area as well as the outdoor tables. The Standard, The Rainbow and The Fox are outdoor areas only.
Can I walk the whole trail with my dog?
Yes. The seven stops run west to east from the Brunswick Street backstreets through Smith Street and into Abbotsford, about two and a half kilometres end to end. Use the "Open the trail in Google Maps" button above to load the walking route with every stop as a waypoint.
Which stops work in winter?
More than you would expect for a trail with three outdoor-only stops. The Fox heats and covers both its courtyard and rooftop deck, and The Rainbow lets you book its covered beer garden and deck ahead. The four inside stops, the Marquis, Doghouse, Lulie and Bodriggy, need no weather plan at all.
What is a dedicated dog cafe?
Doghouse in Collingwood was built as one: a cafe designed around dogs coming inside with their humans, rather than a cafe that happens to allow it. It runs a full dog menu with dogachinos and raw treats, and it is the one stop on this trail where your dog is the customer.