Eat, Drink and Be Merry with the Family & the Pooch this December in the Highlands!
🐶 Small dogs are welcome at our Farmstay so our guests often ask us about pooch friendly venues nearby. It’s been tough but we’ve put in hours of research (along with our furpal Dougal) so here are some of the local Southern Highland venues we love with outdoor seating, fabulous food, and room under the table for our fave four-footed pals:
CAFES
🍰 Pooches don’t have to do it tough in the Highlands, plenty of lovely cafes to choose from:
- Exeter General Store – courtyard & verandah seats in the heart of the Exeter Village
- Highlands Merchant – beside the beautiful mural in the Moss Vale shopping hub
- The Post Office Moss Vale – just by the lovely old station with courtyard umbrellas
- Jumping Rock Cafe – plenty of outdoor seats in historic Bundanoon near the station
- Delilicious – seating limited due to COVID but grab takeaway & enjoy on a Bundanoon bench
- Potters Pantry – as above, or go for a wander treats in hand & explore Bundy
- Sutton Forest Cafe – outdoor tables at the historic Sutton Forest village junction
- The Press Shop – enjoy a people watch at tables under the lovely awning in Bowral
- Le Bistro Gourmand – courtyard tables under the trees to enjoy all things French bistro
- South Hill Kitchen – lovely café tables under the awning with fab doggy treats too!
WINERIES
🍷 If you love a cool climate wine, the Highlands are spoilt for choice with beautiful wineries & dining options set amongst the vines where fur babies are made welcome at outdoor tables too:
- Artemis Wines – grab a picnic rug / bench, get the pooch to sit whilst you nom pizza & wine
- Cherry Tree Hill Wines – tastings of wine & nibbles as you & your wine dog admire the vines
- Mt Ashby Estate – generous outdoor tables for furpals to shade under set amongst beautiful old dairy buildings
- Ben Dooley Estate – outside tables in a beautiful country estate with vines as the backdrop
PUBS
⛱ Love a beer garden, and even better if our four footed friends are welcome too! Make the most of this gorgeous Highlands weather and take the family and pooch to one of the local pubs for a meal in their leafy beer gardens, where there’s plenty to keep the kids busy whilst you and your pooch wait for that yummy pub lunch to arrive:
- Bundanoon Hotel – even has a pool on site to cool off in
- Sutton Forest Inn – great playground area for the kids
- Burrawang Village Hotel – set amidst rolling green countryside
RESTAURANTS
🌒 Evening dine out options with some outdoor seating to accommodate the humans and the fur pals:
- Josh’s Café Berrima – some outdoor tables to accommodate furpals
- Bottega B Ristorante – outdoor tables to accommodate pooches at foot
- Café Rosso Bowral – outdoor tables on these lovely summer days & evenings
A SPECIAL NIGHT IN
🌳 And for our guests who prefer to chill out here at Woodland Studio and Farm whilst the pooch runs free in the orchard, there are some fine dining options we love & can recommend:
- Birch Store – drop in at Moss Vale & pick up a gourmet picnic, platter treats, or ready made meals to bring back and enjoy a lovely night in
- Birch Restaurant – pre order online mid-week to enjoy a gourmet meal here on farm on the weekend!
We hope you and the pooches enjoy your time in the Highlands!
Margot & Phil