Dancing Dog Cafe

It had so much promise but didn’t quite do it for me. The front room and the courtyard is great, but the back rooms are left to languish without much atmosphere.
The menu is very small and not particularly appetising if truth be told. They have a selection of slices and brownies, but at $ 10 with coffee they cannot possibly be worth the price tag.
Staff were friendly and accommodating, and it’s nice to have something remotely funky in Footscray. They could just do it slightly better.

The Dancing Dog takes me back to my uni days in New York’s East Village around the turn of the millenium.
It’s got a cool, grungy, stick it to the man kind of feel: Girls with tatts and extravagantly dyed hair pulling cheap pints. Arcade Fire playing over the loudspeaker. Piles of flyers advertising local punk shows in abandoned warehouses. A chalkboard promoting the café’s open mic nights.
They’ve got a little outdoor area that really pumps on a weekend night as well as a darkish back room filled with comfy broken down furniture. This is a local’s spot through and through and you’re guaranteed to meet some Footscray characters (and I mean that in a good way).
Beer selection is pretty average but you’re here for the atmosphere. And if you’re me, the nostalgia.

Nice little local spot, best suited for a quite beer or to catch some music. Perhaps when the RRL works are finished in Footscray things will liven up in this area.

Footscray is not exactly known for having funky bars but step inside this place and you could be anywhere in Melbourne. The Dog has a great atmosphere and the owners and staff are very efficient and friendly. It has something for everyone — great coffee, Wi-​Fi, snack menu, live music in the band room and very reasonably priced alcoholic beverages. There is always great music playing but not so loud that it intrudes in conversation. Highly recommend that if in the west and need a place for a beverage that you make yourself acquainted with the Dog.

The dog is really rad. Me and my friends are here quite often for the amazing hot chocolates and the two hour happy hour on Fridays.

Let me tell you now, Footscray isn’t exactly a frequent destination of mine. It consists mainly of visiting friends who live there, and filming documentaries about struggling immigrants. Sometimes I pass through it on the way to other suburbs.
Dancing dog, on the other hand, would be a frequent destination if I lived in the area. The guy who often works behind the bar — Stu (arthur) by name — is such a rockin’ dude. Even though he’s only 21, I feel like he single-​handedly crafted the stereotype that bartenders are the best people to talk to.
The general vibe of the place is very emblematic of what Footscray is trying to redefine itself as: hip but edgy. You know, hip but watch out behind you cause a guy could stab you. Hip but cheap. Hip but it’ll take you a while to get here. Hip but only in second hand clothes. Hip but edgy.
The outdoor area is perfect for smokers and those who like fresh air that’s been slightly tainted by exhalations of carbon monoxide, etc. The indoor is pretty swift too. The interior isn’t going to blow you away, it’s all about the vibe here — which is a Footscray-​esque Cheers, where everybody knows your name. Everybody.