Best of WA

The Best Things To Do In Guildford

Editor

Quaint little Guildford is a hub of history, wholesome dining and vintage shopping. The best thing about a suburb is when you can feel the strong sense of community, and after just 5 minutes of walking down the James Street strip you experience just that.

Whether you’re a history buff, foodie, fitness fanatic or a family looking for fun, Guildford really does have something for everyone:

EAT & DRINK

Alfred’s Kitchen

Alfred’s Kitchen has been providing the best road-side burgers in Perth since 1946! Situated on James Street in front of the Midland train line, order at the kiosk and cosy yourself outside around the fire pit. This late-night joint provides simple, delicious, hearty meals without the fuss. It’s a must-go for those who want to see the best of Guildford.

Padbury’s Cafe

Padbury’s Cafe has you covered for every meal of the day, and you won’t be disappointed with any of them. From their legitimately famous Meringue Munro pancakes, to battered soft shell crabs sliders or tiger prawn linguines, there’s a delicious reason this place is a fave dining spot for locals and visitors alike. For an extra special treat, try one of their much-loved High Teas.

King & I Thai Restaurant

Any time I talk about this place I start salivating over their beef massaman curry. This award-winning establishment has been impressing customers for over 10 years. The space, quick service, and sharable portions makes it perfect for large-scale group bookings. For all the veggos out there, you’ll be satiated with over 15 inventive dishes to choose from. Best of all, it’s BYO!

Guildford Town Bakery

Sometimes all of that antique store exploring requires a freshly-baked roll or pie to keep you going, and luckily for you the fantastic Guild Town Bakery is smack bang in the middle of ’em all. Enjoy a little treat on the alfresco area as you watch the world go by.

Guildford Milk Bar

The best coffee on the strip comes from this busy little gem. Honestly, once you try a Guildford Milk Bar creamy cappuccino, you’ll be raving about it to everyone. Pick up a takeaway in-between antique perusing, or if you’re a bit peckish the all-day breakfast menu is outstanding.

Little A’s Cafe

A relatively new player to the Guildford cafe scene, Little A’s have been making plenty of fans pretty quickly with a fresh breakfast and lunch menu that adds a hint of asian flavours to the mix. Open a little later than some others in the area, give their chicken charcoal bao buns a go – you won’t be disappointed.

Kappy’s Italian Restaurant

Kappy’s is the quintessential Italian restaurant; family owned and run, wholesome food and a carefully selected wine list. After devouring the blue cheese potato gnocchi and scaloppine parmigiana, you’ll be rolling yourself out the door like your weekly drop in to nonna’s house.

Locale Mio

Another equally impressive authentic Italian restaurant, Locale Mio are all about paddock to plate dining, warm family values and hearty Italian meals. They’ve got a HUGE range of pizzas and pastas, along with an impressive array of tapas options if you feel like lounging around for a while over a few drinks.

The Guildford Hotel

After successfully re-opening in 2016 the Guildford Hotel has become a hotspot for anything from a quick weekday bevvie to all-out Sunday sessions, and their cheeseburger spring rolls are basically world famous at this point.

Source: @theguildfordhotel

Stirling Arms Hotel

For the best-priced pub meals in Guildford we recommend heading straight to the retro vibes and leafy beer gardens of the Stirling Arms Hotel. It’s not at the behest of quality though – far from it, with awesome meal deals all throughout the week and a doggo-friendly courtyard to hang with the pooch.

Rose & Crown Hotel

Don’t leave Guildford until you have a pint at one of Western Australia’s oldest hotels. Okay, maybe there’s a few ghosts but the Rose & Crown‘s general vibe is warm, fresh and modern with a little rustic charm on the side. Sit yourself in the classic bistro area or in the warmly lit courtyard with a glass of wine and some local live music.

SEE & DO

Museum of Natural History

If your outings have started to feel a little repetitive lately and you’re looking for something unique, shake it up a little and head to the taxidermy museum AKA The Academy Of Taxidermy. This place is every bit bizarre as it is wonderful with over 2,000 stuffed creatures to peruse. You’ll find anything from a Western Quoll to a friendly house-dog, and the best thing is they’re ready and posing for your next selfie!

Source: @tegan.ashley

Dr. Russell’s Imaginarium

Your spoilt for choice when it comes to incredible antiques shops out in Guildford, but one you have to seek out off the main drag is Dr Russell’s. The man takes his antiques seriously – so seriously in fact sometimes it can be difficult to pry them out of his hands once you find that special little treasure.

Guildford Twilight Markets

The 2020/21 season of the Guildford Twilight Markets have commenced, taking over Stirling Square, Meadow and Swan Street on the first Saturday evening of each month. The streets of Guildford are lined with delectable food vendors and quirky, cool artisan stalls along with plenty of free, family activities and live entertainment.

Guildford Heritage Walk Trail

Given it was established way back in 1829, Guildford is an area steeped in history and given its relatively small size, is easy – and fun – to explore by foot. There are four wonderful self-guided heritage walk trails around the town, with 50 interpretive panels all over to give you an insight into the historical buildings and quirky characters of Guildford. Your best bet is to head straight to the Swan Valley Visitor Centre to pickup a brochure, and embark from there.

Retrofind

Imagine furniture store meets 70’s fondue party. Xavier’s store of handpicked mid-century European furniture, antiques and bric-a-brac is a highlight for anyone perusing the Guildford vintage strip. Get transported back to a time where the music was funky, bras were burned and keys were in the bowl.

Source: @retrofind.com.au

Stories On The Wall

As we said there are plenty of fantastic antique stores along the main Guildford strip, but if you’re chasing something a little more contemporary-feeling while maintaining the vintage vibes, Stories On The Wall is a great stop-in.

Trading Treasures Toy Museum

If you can think of your favourite toy from your childhood, you can bet you’ll find it here. This toy museum features everything from action figures, lunch boxes, stuffed animals, fair games, movie collectables, and everything in between. Open on weekends from 10am-4pm and entry is only $5, it’s an absolute steal for a step back in time.

Sunday Common

The newest addition to the Guildford’s great list of things to do is Sunday Common, a Sunday picnic in the iconic Kings Meadow polo grounds. There’s food, drinks, lawn games, artisan stalls and more to make the perfect Sunday arvo picnic on the green – learn more here.