Short answer: Torre Abbey Sands bans dogs over summer and Oddicombe bans them all year round. Meadfoot and Babbacombe are the dog-friendly beaches. The Lighthouse continental café bar is set up for dogs, The Dock is dog friendly, and dogs travel on the cliff railway year-round.
Torquay's beaches have different rules and getting this wrong wastes a morning. Torre Abbey Sands, the main town beach, bans dogs over the summer months. Oddicombe, below Babbacombe, does not allow dogs on the beach at any time of year — which surprises people, because dogs are allowed on the cliff railway that takes you down to it.
Meadfoot, east of the harbour, and Babbacombe beach are the dog-friendly ones. Both are quieter than the main beach anyway, and Meadfoot has a café above the beach huts.
The Lighthouse continental café bar on Victoria Parade is the standout — Google categorises it as a dog café, and it does cream teas, afternoon tea, sharing platters and generously filled sandwiches with outside seating too. Reliable wifi, which makes it the one to know if you need to sit and work.
The Dock on Victoria Parade is relaxed, open ten till ten, has outdoor tables and a genuinely dog-friendly welcome. It is the dependable all-day choice down by the harbour.
Wighton, inland at Orchard Way, has a beer garden and a kitchen that copes with a full room. Reviewers describe staff bringing out a bowl of water for the dog without being asked and finding a table for a party arriving with one. Not scenic, but the most reliable large-group meal in Torquay with a dog.
Kents Cavern is a cave tour and Torquay's Dinosaur World is an indoor exhibition — neither takes dogs. If they are the plan, that is the day the dog stays at home.
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