The 10 Best Restaurants in Perth
From contemporary fine diners to cosy suburban pasta bars, Perth’s cosmopolitan dining scene covers plenty of ground. Here are our picks of the best restaurants in town.
Best for city views: Wildflower
The view is the first thing you’ll notice about COMO The Treasury’s elegant fine diner Wildflower, but once seated, it’s all about what’s on the plate. Chef Jed Gerrard scours Western Australia for native ingredients and casts them in winners like raw scallops with native basil and pumpkin poached in local whisky.
1 Cathedral Avenue, Perth; (08) 6168 7855
Best for impressing clients: Rockpool Bar & Grill
No Perth restaurant conjures old-school glamour quite like Rockpool. The gilded dining room forms an ideal backdrop for Neil Perry’s luxe take on steakhouse dining, complete with knockout cellar, great beef and seafood and bar snacking.
Rockpool Bar & Grill, Crown Perth, Great Eastern Highway; (08) 6252 1900
Best for exploring West Australian produce: Co-op Dining
Duck hearts and blueberry crackers. Raw prawns seasoned with fermented chilli. Sweet crabmeat contrasted with toasted buckwheat and fried saltbush. Chef Kiren Mainwaring’s black book of farmers beats at the heart of Co-op Dining's bold, locally-focussed tasting menus.
2/11 Regal Place, East Perth, (08) 9221 0404
SEE ALSO: First-timer’s Guide to Perth
Best for Middle Eastern: Propeller
Little about Propeller screams Middle Eastern, which makes the authenticity of Kurt Sampson’s cooking even more enjoyable. From making his own blood pudding and shanklish (a feta-like cheese) to winning ways with offal and harissa, the Greg Malouf protégé interprets Levantine flavours like no other Perth chef.
222 Queen Victoria Street, North Fremantle; (08) 9335 9366
Best for Thai: Long Chim
The name means “come and taste” although Thai food fanciers need little encouragement to dine at this high-volume basement restaurant. Compromise has no place in chef David Thompson’s world, whether it’s Long Chim’s incendiary betel-leaf parcels of chicken mince or benchmark-worthy green, red and orange curries.
State Buildings, Corner Barrack Street and St Georges Terrace, Perth; (08) 6168 7775
Best for modern Asian: Fuyu
After flirting with Spanish cooking, journeyman chef David Coomer is back exploring flavours of Asia with pleasing results. Whether referencing Japan (deep-fried cauliflower with furikake), Vietnam (steak tartare seasoned with fish sauce) or China (black vinegar quail), good eating is assured.
26 Stirling Highway, Nedlands; (08) 9389 5517
Best for green thumbs: Millbrook Winery
True, Millbrook is an hour’s drive from the city centre, but glorious vistas and pristine estate-grown produce are reason enough to hit the road. Chef-slash-head gardener Guy Jeffreys keeps things simple to celebrate the ingredients, from great baked beans to colourful plates of heirloom tomatoes, the summery fruit simply split and served with salt.
Old Chestnut Lane, Jarrahdale; (08) 9525 5796
Best for pasta: Lulu La Delizia
Joel Valvasori-Pereza’s squeezy pasta bar has been packing ’em in since opening in October, and understandably so. What’s not to love about Lulu La Delizia’s great handmade pasta (tagliatelle, bigoli, garganelli) teamed with gutsy, Northern Italian sauces (Venetian-style onion and anchovy salsa, say) and obliging service?
5/97 Rokeby Road, Subiaco; (08) 9381 2466
Best for beach views: Il Lido
Come for the views of Cottesloe Beach – the “il lido” in question – stay for clams with prosciutto, daily arancini and the rest of Roberto Zampogna’s deeply likeable Italian menu. Il Lido’s champion wine list focussing on boutique Italian and local producers doesn’t hurt either.
88 Marine Parade, Cottesloe; (08) 9286 1111
Best for after-work drinks: Lalla Rookh
A central CBD address and great drinks makes Lalla Rookh a popular after-work destination for suits. Recently arrived chef Alexandra Haynes keeps the mood lively with whole sardines on toast and a graceful take on vitello tonnato: just the sort of food you want to eat when making camp in the cosy wine bar.
Lower Ground Floor, 77 St Georges Terrace, Perth; (08) 9325 7077
SEE ALSO: One Perfect Day in Perth
