The Lowdown: Pawsitive Café

A café run by dogs, this really is peak 2022​
Don’t be silly. As the punning name suggests, our furry ffriends have an important part to play at the Pawsitive café, but they won’t be running the coffee machine or serving customers.

Shame. So, what’s the deal?​
The café is described as a place where dogs and humans come together to eat, drink and tackle mental health issues and is the brainchild of 25-year-old entrepreneur, Alicia Ung who suffers with mental health issues of her own. Pawsitive Café is the transformation of a final year student assignment to create a business plan for a pet café, into an actual business.

Dogs are good for mental health then?​
The café harnesses the power of informal animal assisted therapy by creating an ‘oxytocin-boosting environment filled with dogs, owners and dog lovers’. In animal assisted therapy animals such as dogs are used to help motivate, educate, or relax a person to help with their mental health. Research conducted by UCLA  found that spending time with dogs has proven therapeutic effects, and that even just petting them can release an automatic relaxation response. Pets can also act as icebreakers and encourage people to meet new friends, can provide comfort and even assist in recall of memories.

Tell me about the vibe​
Think Crufts meets chic café. The café’s colour scheme is pale blue and coral and it features a wall on which dozens of hand-painted pink tennis balls are arranged. There’s also a ‘trompe-l’oeil’ golden archway and a swing for humans on which they can gently lull their pups to sleep. Inspired by Ung’s dalmation Domino, the frontage is painted from pavement to roof in black and white dalmatian spots.

And what’s on the menu? Not hot dogs..​
Certainly not. Pawsitive Café will serve Malaysian inspired dishes (for the humans, at least) with all-day menu items including Malaysian noodles with beanshoots, peanuts and lime; crispy spiced cod fillet with spicy coleslaw; a katsu chicken club; and salt-baked celeriac with tahini and pomegranate. Brunch dishes, meanwhile, will include roti kaya – a traditional Malaysian breakfast with boiled eggs, toast and kaya jam; eggs on toast with wild mushrooms; and chia seed overnight oats with mango, passion fruit and bee pollen.

I’m not sure my dog is into bee pollen…​
That’s OK. Plates for the pups include an afternoon tea of cucumber sandwiches, banana and peanut butter cupcake, and a mini fruit tart; beef meatballs and courgetti; organic scrambled eggs; and dog ice cream. The more refined canines can even order a Pawsitive Puppoccino. Prices start from £4 to £7 depending on the size of the dog with dishes served according to a dog’s weight to ensure their nutritional requirements are met.