NearMeDog-friendly places in Paddington
Last updatedThe best dog outing in Paddington is a run at Royal Hospital for Women Park, the suburb's main off-leash area, then a coffee at Cafè Fiveways, a 3-minute walk away. Dogs can run off-leash in the park from 3:30pm to 10:30am, so do the run before 10:30am on a weekday or a Saturday.
A day with your dog in Paddington
| Time | Where dogs can go |
|---|---|
| Weekdays and Saturdays, before 10:30am | Dogs can run off-leash at Royal Hospital for Women Park, and Cafè Fiveways is open from 6am. |
| Weekdays and Saturdays, 10:30am to 3:30pm | Dogs must be on a lead at Royal Hospital for Women Park. |
| Weekdays and Saturdays, from 3:30pm | Dogs can run off-leash at Royal Hospital for Women Park until 10:30am the next morning. |
| Sundays, 10am to 8pm | Dogs are not allowed at Royal Hospital for Women Park. |
| Saturdays, 8am to 4pm | Ampersand Cafe & Bookstore is open, with outdoor tables where dogs can sit. |
Weekday mornings in Paddington: an off-leash run before 10:30am, then breakfast at Cafè Fiveways
Royal Hospital for Women Park is a half-hectare neighbourhood park on Glenmore Road, and its off-leash dog area is the reason to start here. Dogs can run off-leash from 3:30pm to 10:30am, so on a weekday the run comes first, before 10:30am. The grassy area is unfenced and has a small-dog section, agility equipment, natural water access, poo bags and night lighting, and the park has drinking water. Keep your dog close on the Glenmore Road side, where the grass opens straight onto the footpaths. Then walk 3 minutes to Cafè Fiveways on Heeley Street, which opens at 6am on weekdays. Ask for a terrace table, since dogs are welcome outside. Order the pancakes or the decaf long black, and plan on breakfast early, because the cafe closes at 3pm Monday to Thursday. The next plan is a hot Saturday in the shade.
Hot Saturday in Paddington: shade at Comber Street Reserve, then brunch at Ampersand
Comber Street Reserve is a 0.01-hectare local park on Comber Street, so it works best as a shaded stop. A pergola over brick paving is shaded by an existing climbing plant, with a picnic table set beneath it, and the reserve welcomes dogs and has water access. Keep the stop short and in the shade on a hot day. Ampersand Cafe & Bookstore is a 2-minute walk away, with outdoor seating, including laneway tables. Dogs are allowed outside only. It opens at 8am on Saturdays and closes at 4pm, so a 10am brunch leaves time to eat before the day warms up. The cafe is best known for all-day breakfast and easy browsing, with shelves spread over three floors. Next, a Saturday afternoon plan starts with coffee and ends at the park's off-leash area.
Saturday afternoon in Paddington: coffee at Lil Garden Cafe, then the off-leash run from 3:30pm
Lil Garden Cafe is a small cafe in a side alley off Oxford Street, with indoor and outdoor seating, and it stays open until 5pm on Saturdays. Take the dog to an outdoor table, since dogs are allowed outside only, and order the smashed avocado on toast. Visitors praise the coffee's strength. Leave a few minutes before 3:30pm for the 4-minute walk to Royal Hospital for Women Park, so the run starts as the off-leash window opens. The park's agility equipment and small-dog section make it a good place to run after the coffee, and its night lighting means the outing can carry on past dusk.
Dog rules in Paddington: where dogs can't go
Royal Hospital for Women Park is off-leash from 3:30pm to 10:30am. Between 10:30am and 3:30pm, dogs must be on a lead there. On Sundays, dogs are not allowed in the park from 10am to 8pm. The off-leash area is unfenced, so keep dogs close on the Glenmore Road side, where the grass opens straight onto the footpaths. Comber Street Reserve welcomes dogs, and the cafes listed here take dogs at outdoor tables only. Confirm the Sunday rules and the off-leash hours with Woollahra Municipal Council before a long visit. For more options, read the best dog-friendly cafes in Paddington.
Every dog-friendly place in Paddington
| Place | Type | Dogs |
|---|---|---|
| Royal Hospital for Women Park | Park | Off-leash area |
| Comber Street Reserve | Park | Dogs allowed |
| Ampersand Cafe & Bookstore | Cafe | Dogs outside |
| Bonython Cafe | Cafe | Dogs outside |
| Padre Coffee | Cafe | Dogs outside |
| Bad Rabbit | Cafe | Dogs outside |
| Cafè Fiveways | Cafe | Dogs outside |
| JOZO | Cafe | Dogs outside |
| The Hood | Cafe | Dogs outside |
| Apache Salute | Cafe | Dogs outside |
| Paddington Grind | Cafe | Dogs outside |
| Morris | Cafe | Dogs outside |
| Lil Garden Cafe | Cafe | Dogs outside |
FAQ
Where can I take my dog off-leash in Paddington?
Royal Hospital for Women Park on Glenmore Road has the main off-leash dog area in Paddington, open from 3:30pm to 10:30am. The area has a separate small-dog section, agility equipment, natural water access and poo bags, and it has night lighting for evening runs. The grass is unfenced, so a dog needs to be under control near the footpaths, especially on the Glenmore Road side. Dogs must be on a lead between 10:30am and 3:30pm. On Sundays dogs are not allowed in the park from 10am to 8pm. Comber Street Reserve also welcomes dogs, and it is a small shaded reserve.
Is there a fenced dog park in Paddington?
The off-leash dog area at Royal Hospital for Women Park is not fenced, and its grass opens straight onto the footpaths on the Glenmore Road side. Owners who want a space with no footpath beside it need to keep the dog close, call it back reliably and watch for foot traffic. A small-dog section sits inside the area, and agility equipment and night lighting are there as well. The area sits beside a playground, picnic tables and a broad lawn, with a public restroom and drinking water on site, so a run and a rest fit into one visit. The park is managed by Woollahra Municipal Council.
Which cafes in Paddington allow dogs?
Eleven cafes in Paddington take dogs, outside only. Cafè Fiveways on Heeley Street asks for a terrace table when you bring a dog, and Ampersand Cafe & Bookstore has laneway seating. Bonython Cafe, a quiet leafy courtyard a short walk off Oxford Street, and JOZO, with its courtyard shaded by a maple tree, are also set up for an outside table. Padre Coffee at Five Ways, Bad Rabbit, The Hood, Apache Salute, Paddington Grind, Morris and Lil Garden Cafe all have outdoor seating too. Paddington Grind has footpath tables under the bougainvillea, and Morris on Albion Avenue is best known for its salmon bowl.
Where can I walk my dog and get a coffee in Paddington?
Royal Hospital for Women Park is a 3-minute walk from Cafè Fiveways, so a run and a coffee fit into one morning in Paddington. Comber Street Reserve is a 2-minute walk from Ampersand Cafe & Bookstore, and Padre Coffee and Apache Salute are each a 4-minute walk from the park. Cafè Fiveways opens at 6am on weekdays and closes at 3pm Monday to Thursday, so the coffee needs to happen before 3pm on those days. Dogs sit at the outdoor tables at each of these cafes, since none of the cafes in Paddington take dogs inside.
What can I do with my dog in Paddington?
Paddington suits three outings with a dog: an early start at the off-leash park on a weekday, a shaded morning at a small reserve on Saturday, and a Saturday afternoon coffee followed by the evening run. Each one runs to a different part of the clock, so check the hours before you go. The off-leash window at Royal Hospital for Women Park ends at 10:30am and reopens at 3:30pm. Comber Street Reserve welcomes dogs and has shade and water access. Ampersand Cafe & Bookstore opens at 8am on Saturdays, and Lil Garden Cafe stays open until 5pm, which fits a late-afternoon coffee.