The best places to eat in Perth

In the past decade, Perth’s dining scene has really come of age. While Europe – Italy, in particular – remains a recurring theme, new influences and operators are bringing new energy to the table. Whether you’re in the mood for casual or high-end, inner-city or suburban, hungry travellers have much to explore out west.

Lulu La Delizia

Critically acclaimed Lulu La Delizia in Subiaco.Credit: Thom Davidson

A delicious and personal – and very, very fun – expression of Italian dining and wining
Part wine bar, part pasta bar, all action: Ivana and Joel Valvasori-Pereza’s Subiaco hotspot is a key item on visitors’ to-do lists, and understandably so. The thundering room is tightly packed, personable waiters pour drinks from a list packed with temptation, and the kitchen is constantly turning out plate after plate of bold Northern Italian-inspired dishes. Pastas – not least the beloved tagliatelle with veal and pork ragu – rate as some of the best in the west.
5/97 Rokeby Road, Subiaco, [phone], lululadelizia.com.au

Wines Of While

You can dine as well as wine at Wines of While.

Natural wines and earthy farmhouse cooking come together at this future classic
Perth’s first natural wine bar was a hit when it opened and has only become busier and more popular since. While the drinking remains as delicious and as lo-fi as ever, a fluid menu of focused European farmhouse cookery – a textbook pissaladiere, maybe, or a perfectly grilled pork chop – reinforces Wines of While’s reputation as somewhere you’d go to dine as much as you would to wine.
458 William Street, Perth, 0447 804 133, winesofwhile.com

The Re Store

This family-run business is a WA institution and cornerstone of the Italian community
Since 1936, the Re family has been sharing its Italian heritage (and food) with homesick countrymen and curious locals. Almost 90 years on, the family has no interest in slowing down. Whether you shop at the long-standing Northbridge shop (older, more centrally located) or its sprawling West Leederville outpost (bigger and includes a bottle shop), expect a healthy range of continental European groceries plus a deli counter serving, among other things, Perth’s famous Italo-Australian sandwich, the conti(nental) roll.
72 Lake St, Northbridge; 231 Oxford Street, Leederville; the-re-store.com.au

Le Rebelle

Le Rebelle’s signature crab toast.

A modern-day French bistro that talks (and cooks) with a fun Australian accent
While Le Rebelle flies the flag for French cuisine, this is no colour-by-numbers bistro. The room – a clubby, moodily lit tri-level space – might confuse some French people, as would the menu sporting not-especially traditional dishes such as duck frites with Bernaise sauce, kingfish with oyster cream and the signature crab toast. But for locals, Le Rebelle’s freewheeling energy and spirited floor team make it Perth’s Gallic eatery to beat.
676 Beaufort Street, Mt Lawley, [phone], lerebelle.com.au

Forklore

Asian flavours and cafe culture come together at this local hotspot hiding in a surprising location
In the mood for something other than avo toast, chilli scrambled egg and other brunch classics? Go directly to Forklore, a light-filled cafe in the perhaps unexpected setting of an ’80s-era shopping centre. While the menu touches on various Asian cuisines, Japan is a recurring motif, from the towering chicken katsu sando to the mentaiko udon: the country’s famous thick wheat noodles tossed through a creamy fish roe sauce.
11-12/102 Railway Street, City West Centre, West Perth, 0422 078 028

Miller & Baker

A cosy inner-city bakery that mills its own flour and cares for its community
Perth loves Miller + Baker and Miller + Baker loves Perth. Milling flour in-house – more flavour, more nutrition – is one way that owners Rachel and Mark Taylor show they care. Other PDAs include turning this flour into terrific breads, hearty sandwiches (try the Taylors’ riff on the local classic, the conti roll) and pastries (the weekend-only ham and cheese croissant is a thing of beauty), as well as hosting fundraisers for causes close to their heart.
6b/236 Lake Street, Perth, 0403 962 297, millerandbaker.com.au

Madalena’s

Madalena’s is the place to go for perky cocktails and seafood.

Seek out this easygoing coastal bar for WA’s finest seafood plus a mighty drinks offering
Fremantle has long been synonymous with fishing, but the port city has never seen a seafood restaurant like this. The sandstone building is fresh-faced and free of cliched maritime set-dressing, as is the menu that showcases pristine WA seafood in unexpected ways: king prawns are barbecued and dressed in a Thai-style relish, raw tuna is partnered with goat’s curd, and fun wines (downstairs) and perky cocktails (upstairs) keep spirits high.
406 South Terrace, South Fremantle, 0459 250 952, madalenasbar.com.au

Monsterella

Perfectly puffy pizza at Monsterella in Bentley, WA.

A family-friendly, BYO pizzeria that any neighbourhood would gladly call its own
How many pizzerias do you know that are booked out on a Monday? Monsterella’s MO – serve great pizza and Italian food in a relaxed, kid-friendly space – might be straightforward, but owners Tania Nicolo and Ryan Bookless nail the brief like no one else. The wood-fired pizzas are puffy and sensibly topped; the pasta is handmade by Nicolo’s mother, and Monsterella’s small bar spin-off Mummucc is on-hand for a pre- or post-pizza drink or snack.
46 Grantham Street, Bentley, [phone], monsterella.com.au

Hearth

The breakfast buffet at Hearth includes at least five local honeys.Credit: Charis Perkins

A riverside fine-diner where open-fire cooking and five-star elegance come together
Around the world, the words Ritz-Carlton are synonymous with luxury and attention to detail, and so it is at Hearth, the Ritz-Carlton Perth’s elegant fine-diner where the eponymous hearth is used to extract maximum pow and wow from WA ingredients. Smoked raw scallops and melty Margaret River wagyu say special occasion dining, as does a cellar packed with local highlights. Afternoon teas and an awesome breakfast buffet also warrant consideration.
1 Barrack Street, Perth, [phone], hearthrestaurant.com.au

Spencer Village Food Court

Set course for this suburban food court and be rewarded with bold, uncut Asian cooking
While terrific south-east Asian cooking is pretty much everywhere in Perth, this bustling hawker centre in suburbia has been feeding the city’s Asian diaspora for decades. Whether you dine on punchy Indonesian cooking (hi Waroeng Jakarta!), South Indian-style curries and flaky handmade roti (hi Suzie’s Prata House!), or Singaporean favourites (hi Ya Kwang!), everyone gets to enjoy the room’s buzzy, communal dining energy.
200 Spencer Road, Thornlie

Millbrook

An Instagram-perfect cellar door restaurant that can cater to vegans and vegetarians at the drop of a hat
An hour south of Perth by car and surrounded by national forest, Millbrook makes an ideal day trip. Preface lunch with a wine tasting at the ground floor cellar door, then head upstairs to the dining room where commanding vistas of the surrounds await. The view is equally thrilling on the plate where vegetables and ingredients from the kitchen garden are paired with WA produce from equally thoughtful farmers. And rejoice vegans and vegetarians: plant-based eaters can be catered to without prior notice!
Old Chestnut Lane, Jarrahdale, [phone], millbrook.wine

Chicho Gelato

This new-wave gelateria is reimagining Italy’s favourite ice cream for modern-day WA
At its heart, Italian cooking is about finding and celebrating great ingredients. Why should its desserts be any different? That’s the thinking of Chez and Carly de Bartolo, founders of cheery Chicho Gelato. Through exemplary versions of the classics – pistachio, hazelnut, chocolate – and regular chef collabs, the de Bartolos are keeping gelato front and centre with WA eaters, not least because they’ve recently opened a second shop in Freo.
180 William Street, Northbridge; 1 Cantonment St, Fremantle, chichogelato.com