The 50 best restaurants in Perth to drink and dine your way through in 2023
Whether you’re popping down the road for an impromptu visit to your neighbourhood fave, or heading somewhere schmick for a special occasion, Perth is filled with great restaurants for any occasion.
We’ve pored through the archives, recommendations and long-time favourites to bring you a comprehensive guide to the very best restaurants in Perth.
CENTRAL
Authentic Bites Dumpling House
Starting a best restaurants in Perth list with a dumpling house may seem surprising, but if you know you know! Authentic Bites hit on a winning formula from the get-go, with great value, high-quality, house-made dumplings. Cooked to order, you can rest assured your xiao long bao will be juicy and hot, your potstickers crispy, and your shumai bouncy. Thankfully, there’s also sister store Juicy Bao Bao just up the road so there’s double the dumplings for us to enjoy, and their second location in Karrinyup Shopping Centre – more for everybody!
Price: $
Address: Shop 3, 145 Newcastle Street, Northbridge
West Deck, Karrinyup Shopping Centre, Karrinyup
Baan Baan
2019 saw market regular Bangkok Jump Street make the leap to a brick-and-mortar location in Northbridge, and while Baan Baan means “comfort and simple”, that’s honestly a bit of an undersell. The menu is full of dynamic, exciting Thai street food, as well as home-style meals – but it’s all perfect for sharing. Let’s hope your date is as hot as some fresh Thai chilies.
Price: $$
Address: 172 Newcastle Street, Northbridge
Balthazar
Polished, yet accessible. Business appropriate yet gives you a wink. This timeless dining room gives you all the confident, New York-y, money-never-sleeps vibes you’d hope for, but with an approachability that’s all West Australian. Tartare, terrine, kangaroo loin and duck fat potatoes tick all the hedonistic boxes, not to mention that impressive wall of wines.
Price: $$$
Address: 6 The Esplanade, Perth
Double Rainbow
Part of multi-level behemoth the Rechabite, ground level restaurant Double Rainbow has quietly become one of our go-to spots to start a lively night out. Serving up a mixture of fast and furious Asian fusion with a big Korean tilt, you can expect big flavours and some party vibes.
Price: $$
Address: 224 William Street, Northbridge
Heritage Wine Bar
With its crisp white linens, bentwood chairs and monochrome palette, Heritage Wine Bar has the classic good looks its name would suggest. Devoid of any trendy gimmicks, the menu has a distinctively European flair, with an unmistakably WA flavour: think chicken and rabbit terrine with wattle seed and Geraldton wax, or local fish with almond, sourdough and Warragal greens.
Price: $$$
Address: 131 St Georges Terrace, Perth
Fleur
Having relaunched at the start of 2022 with a new, French-leaning menu – we have a reinvigorated appreciation for The Royal’s decadent dining room. Decked out in sumptuous velvet, Fleur boasts a polished dining experience that features classics like honey roasted Wagin duck à l’orange, an inventive take on lobster mornay, or a steak tartare served alongside a grilled onion emulsion. For an extra special treat, enjoy the grandeur of tableside crêpes Suzette.
Price: $$$
Address: 531 Wellington Street, Perth
Long Chim
A visit to Long Chim will always turn up the heat. The Thai street food mecca has become an institution of sorts since opening its doors in 2015 – and for good reason. Bringing a slice of Bangkok to the State Buildings’ basement, the menu practically slaps you in the face with flavour.
Price: $$$
Address: State Buildings, 1 Cathedral Avenue, Perth
Nao
Perth ramen fiends will need no introduction to Nao Ramen. Since relocating from their original Murray Street digs, they’ve continued to set the standard. Choosing from four broth flavours (shoyu, miso, shio and spicy miso), four styles of noodles (original egg, green spinach, red chilli or black squid ink), as well as an array of extra toppings you can customise your order to make your perfect bowl of ramen. If it’s a hot day, check out their specialty cold ramen and tsukemen.
Price: $
Address: Shop 191, 580 Hay Street, Perth
No Mafia
It could be said that No Mafia’s specialty is “Stuff That Goes Really Well With a Glass of Wine”. Which, for the record, is a category we’re well and truly on board for. With its initial, compact location it had all the drop-on-by, buzzy vibes and share plates of a small bar, but the move up the road to larger premises has allowed for an expanded menu that includes house-made pasta. And is more pasta ever a bad thing? We think not. An absolute standout when it comes to Perth Italian joints, but more than holds its own on this list as a must-go dining experience.
Price: $$
Address: 252 William St, Northbridge
Petition
Jack-of-all-trades is often used disparagingly, but in this case, we use it as the highest complement: what can’t Petition do? Whether you’re stopping by for a quick coffee, a long lunch, or a convivial dinner with friends, Petition is always there, with a thoughtfully executed menu that showcases the best local produce on offer.
Price: $$
Address: State Buildings, 1 Cathedral Avenue, Perth
Ramen Keisuke Tonkotsu King
A big name can be more of a burden than a blessing – after all, it’s easy to disappoint when expectations are high. What about if you call yourself the Tonkotsu King? Luckily, cult ramen chain Ramen Keisuke has no such issue. Founded by Keisuke Takeda, the rich, creamy, flavourful pork broth is the real star of the show. Spicy options and complimentary boiled eggs make this ramen worth the wait.
Price: $
Address: 33 Milligan Street, Perth
S&T Thai Gourmet Cafe
S&T nails everything that we love about Thai food: fresh, vibrant, sweet and tangy with a healthy kick of heat. Their menu strikes the balance between accessibility for those less familiar with Thai cuisine (yes, you can get a green curry, or some pad thai), and plenty that are primed to become your new favourites. We can’t go through a summer without at least one papaya salad followed by durian ice cream – served with sweet sticky rice, creamed milk and roasted peanuts, it’s a game changer.
Price: $
Address: Shop 3, 347-349 William Street, Northbridge
Shadow Wine Bar
Shadow Wine Bar is as glamorous and intriguing as an Italian film star. The decor is inviting rather than intimidating, with the dimly lit dining room lending an intimacy to your meal, particularly in spite of its grand, industrial, vaulted ceiling. The menu is a choose-your-own- adventure of formality, from the elegant bar snacks (crab, aioli and potato crisp, white anchovy toast) to the sumptuous mains – previous stars include the tortelli with prawn, vermouth and fennel, the veal cotoletta, or the beef fillet with confit leek and onion soubise.
Price: $$
Address: 214 William Street, Northbridge
Tak Chee House
Hainanese chicken rice… the dish for any day, any mood, any place. This Malaysian staple is done to its comforting best here, with moist, tender chicken and fragrant rice. If you can resist, you might find yourself exploring the other Penang-style dishes on offer, like laksa, loh bak and kway teow… just make sure you get there early, because you won’t be the only one looking for lunch.
Price: $
Address: 1/364 William Street, Northbridge
Tiny’s
Had a rough day at work? The hustle and bustle of the big smoke getting you down? We are prescribing some Tiny’s chook, stat. Served with a flavour-packed mole poblano and piles of “dirty rice” and guindillas, it’s a masterclass of comfort eating. But, then again… it’s hard to go past their short rib asado, or the wood-grilled octopus, or the golden, delicious empanadas…
Price: $$
Address: QV1, Corner Hay Street and Milligan Street, Perth
Wildflower
Wildflower might be Perth’s crowning jewel of fine dining. Fittingly perched atop the State Buildings with stunning views over the city and the Swan River, the menu journeys through the six Noongar seasons and fittingly utilises uniquely Western Australian ingredients. The luxe Treasury Buildings surrounds and refined fit out certainly don’t hurt.
Price: $$$
Address: State Buildings, 1 Cathedral Avenue, Perth
NORTH
Casa
Since it opened, we’ve barely paused in extolling the virtues of Casa – and neither has anyone else. The dynamic menu, which suits both a quick snack with wine or a longer, more sumptuous feast – is always-changing and geographically, deliciously travelling through regions.
Price: $$
Address: 399 Oxford Street, Mount Hawthorn
Dandelion
Sometimes, when extolling the virtues of Dandelion, we see an eyebrow raise in skepticism. “Where is it? Karrinyup? At the shopping centre?” Karrinyup’s West Deck is a triumphant exercise in transforming shopping centre dining into something entirely more palatable – and its shining jewel has got to be Dandelion. The menu can only really be categorised into “tasty” – kind of casual, kind of schmick, the focus is on big flavour, in no small part because of the rotisserie grill and wood-fired oven.
(We are kept awake at night by memories of the beef short rib accompanied by flakey roti and a brain-alteringly good curried butter.)
Price: $$
Address: West Deck, Karrinyup Shopping Centre, 200 Karrinyup Road, Karrinyup
El Público
Beaufort Street stalwart el Público has been dishing up some of the most legit tacos in Perth for yonks. And boy oh boy, are they worth writing home about. Diablo chicken with peanut brittle, beef with pickled cucumber and jalapeño… just make sure you leave enough room for a side of mogo mogo. Muy bien!
Price: $$
Address: 511 Beaufort Street, Highgate
KCH
We’d practically take a bath in laksa, we love it so much – so it’s no wonder KCH got on our radar shortly after they opened in 2019. KCH takes its name from Sarawak’s capital Kuching, home to a distinctive laksa that is both creamy and tangy. But that’s not where it ends – with plenty of modern takes on Malaysian classics, plus weekly specials that will have you frantically spamming the group chat, “Who’s keen for dinner?!”
Price: $
Address: Unit 41, 10 Angove Street, North Perth
La Madonna Nera
Offering a delightfully intimate dining experience, La Madonna Nera is pairing some truly delectable libations with a snack game that’s hard to beat. Nuovo-Italian vibes abound, both on the plate and in the glass – and if you hit them up between 4 and 6pm on Friday and Saturday arvos, and you’ll be able to get your hands on some seriously good bites for their aperitivo hour.
Price: $$
Address: 1/155 Scarborough Beach Road, Mount Hawthorn
Le Rebelle
If we were to write a list of “Things We Want To Eat At Any Given Moment”, it would look almost remarkably similar to the menu at Le Rebelle. The bistro strikes a balance between old-world European style whilst staying assuredly modern, giving new life to reliable bistro classics like crab toast, steak tartare, escargot with garlic butter, or crispy veal sweetbreads. While its influences span across decades and continents, there is a certain je-ne-sais-quois to Le Rebelle’s irreverence and warmth that makes it distinctly Perth’s.
Price: $$
Address: 676 Beaufort Street, Mount Lawley
Lotus
Part of the multi-level behemoth The Beaufort, Lotus is the pub’s slightly more refined dining room. Celebrating flavours spanning across Southeast Asia, the modern menu is packed with all-star dishes – like the butter chicken curry puff, which has become an oft-discussed topic in the Perth Is OK! offices ever since we tried it.
Price: $$
Address: 521-525 Beaufort Street, Highgate
Pappagallo
Nestled in between Leederville and Mount Hawthorn, Pappagallo has become one of our favourite go-tos over the years. And while we love to dive into a bowl of pasta pretty much any night of the week, we really can’t go past Pappagallo’s pizzas. Crisp, light and toppings that are juuuuuust right – but with plenty of options to keep everyone happy. Plus, the option to add a burrata is something we can always, always get around.
Price: $$
Address: 250 Oxford Street, Leederville
Si Paradiso
Si Paradiso, under the guidance of chef Paul Bentley, just continues to go from strength-to-strength. Of course there’s the winning fluffy-edged, ferment-y pizzas ever present – but they’re accompanied by an array of share plates that have taken things up a notch (or ten). Monk fish “porchetta”, tuna tartare cannoli, kingfish crudo? When you read a menu with the option to “add caviar if you’re a baller”, we reckon the dance floor has some strong competition.
Price: $$
Address: 1/446 Beaufort Street, Highgate
Sonny’s
It’s the vibe of the thing! Sonny’s brings a killer drinks list and Aaron Read’s fire-powered eats to a leafy corner of Mount Hawthorn. Retro details in the fit out add to the cosiness – although a passionately inclusive approach for both staff and producers certainly adds to the warmth.
Price: $$
Address: 126 Hobart Street, Mount Hawthorn
Testun
Perth’s latest culinary enfant terrible, we can’t get enough of Testun’s irreverent attitude and big flavours. Combining Italian nostalgia with a new-wave Australasian approach, the neighbourhood osteria is quickly making its (neon green) mark.
Price: $$
Address: 12/760 Beaufort Street, Mount Lawley
Tsukaya
For one of the finest Japanese dining experiences in Perth, it’s hard to go past Tsukaya. While purists may balk at menu inclusions like tacos and umami fries, we could not be more on board – it really, beautifully, deliciously works.
Price: $$
Address: 167 Scarborough Beach Road, Mount Hawthorn
Twenty Seats
After closing shop at Shenton Park’s iconic Petite Mort, chef Todd Stuart has opened a new venture in Highgate, Twenty Seats. As its name would suggest, the restaurant only hosts 20 diners each night for its meticulous 10-course tasting menu, allowing for a phenomenal level of attentiveness from the entire team.
Price: $$$
Address: 301 Lord Street, Highgate
Vincent Wine
After joining the top of William Street’s increasingly-vibrant cohort, Vincent Wine‘s wine drew in crowds a plenty, but very quickly attention has turned towards their stunning food options. You’ll have to wander in and see what’s written up on the tiles on any given week, but trust us when we say you won’t be disappointed.
Price: $$
Address: 465 William Street, Perth
SOUTH
Bread In Common
Bread In Common has become one of the most reliable dining experiences in Freo – always quality, always cosy. We’ll never go past the lamb ribs, but the seasonal menu is also host to plenty of winners. That’s without delving into the now-ubiquitous namesake bread, that seemingly revolutionised the city’s collective palate and forced countless restaurants and bakeries to up their bread game.
Price: $$
Address: 43 Pakenham Street, Fremantle
Coogee Common
We’ll wax lyrical about Bread in Common all day long – so when they expanded their offerings to include Coogee Common, we couldn’t have been more pleased. The restaurant occupies the historic Coogee Hotel site; built in 1894, it includes extensive grounds which are now put to good use as veggie gardens for both restaurants – and are home to a resident hive of bees. This connection to produce is reflected in their menu, which is tangibly seasonal – a lot of it is grown on the Common’s doorstep, after all. Scallop ceviche, raw turnip and coastal herbs is just one feature of the springtime menu, while mushroom tagliatelle with ricotta makes use of the garden’s greens.
Price: $$
Address: 371 Cockburn Road, Coogee
Ichirin
If you’d stumbled upon Leeming’s family-run Ichirin for a quick lunch on the go, it would be easy to file it away as a particularly good, neighbourhood shopping strip takeaway joint. And while the casual lunch fare is, to give credit where credit’s due, extremely well executed – you’d be doing both Ichirin, and yourself, a disservice: the omakase is where it’s at. When it comes to seafood, chef Shiro Okuchi knows his stuff, and the chef’s choice omakase menu is the perfect way to showcase the union of Japanese culinary excellence and West Australian produce.
Price: $$
Address: Shop 2, Cnr Beasley Road and Dundee Street, Leeming
La Lune
East Fremantle has gained a slice of Parisian glamour with the opening of La Lune. One part bright and eclectic, one part sultry and romantic, the all-day bistro is enticing diners with classics like steak frites, salade niçoise, or breakfast-ready tartines. We even dedicated a whole article to their all-time crab vol-au-vents.
Price: $$
Address: 71-75 George Street, East Fremantle
Lions And Tigers
With the roaring success of Duck Duck Bruce, it made perfect sense for the crew to expand into a dinner service. Taking up residence on Bannister Street, just a short stroll from the cafe, Lions And Tigers was born in 2019. It’s got all the same good vibes and humour we’ve come to expect from the cafe, focused into Indian-inspired, flavourful fare.
Price: $$
Address: 6-8 Bannister Street, Fremantle
Madalena’s
When the husband and wife team behind super popular food truck Comida do Sul opened Madalena’s back in the tail end of 2018 , it was no surprise that it became one of the most talked about restaurants in Perth, and Australia at large. This relaxed boteco has a menu that celebrates local seafood, as well as a wine list curated in conjunction with the guys at Wise Child. You’d think you were on the beach in Barcelona if it wasn’t so classically Perth.
Price: $$
Address: 406 South Terrace, South Fremantle
Manuka Woodfire Kitchen
Maybe we just had our heads in the sand, but it took us an embarrassingly long time to get switched on to the magic of Manuka. Luckily, everyone else isn’t so slow on the uptake – the restaurant has collected plenty of accolades and rave reviews in the meantime. The restaurant champions all the good low-waste, sustainable, seasonal, farmer-direct stuff we love to hear – although that doesn’t mean much if the food doesn’t speak for itself. Rest assured, in the hands of chef Kenny McHardy, the wood fired oven alchemises local ingredients into something really quite special.
Price: $$
Address: 134 High Street, Fremantle
Nieuw Ruin
The fanfare that followed Nieuw Ruin’s 2021 opening has proven to be warranted. While the star of the show is arguably their “weird wines” and standout cocktails – their food is certainly vying for the spotlight. With a kitchen helmed by rising star Blaze Young, the menu is part bar snack, part European comfort, all delicious.
Price: $$$
Address: 12 Norfolk Street, Fremantle
Vin Populi
There are certain openings that fly under the radar, and others that become the talk of not just the Perth Is OK! office, but the whole darn town. From the same team as the also excellent No Mafia and Balthazar, Vin Populi has been one of 2023’s early standouts and catapulted itself straight onto our best restaurants in Perth list. The pumping dining room is a testament to the good word travelling like wildfire. Nestled into Freo’s historic West End, pop by for afternoon antipasti or a late night negroni or luscious bowl of pasta.
Price: $$
Address: 11 High Street, Fremantle
EAST
Cosy Del’s
We’ve long extolled the virtues of Lathlain’s Laika as one of our favourite coffee and brunch spots – so when word reached us that they were opening a neighbouring bar slash restaurant, we were intrigued, to say the least. Our anticipation was not unwarranted: Cosy Del’s has lived up to it, and then some. We actually haven’t been able to stop thinking about the steak we had, imbued with smokiness from the hibachi grill and slathered in lardo butter, and our dreams are filled with the charred broccolini with ricotta and hazelnuts.
Price: $$
Address: 13 Lathlain Place, Lathlain
King Somm
The undeniable draw of King Somm might be enough to make us move to Bayswater – that’s what fans we are of this neighbourhood pizzeria, bar and bottleshop. Wine connoisseurs will surely be into their rotating selection of lo-fi drops, while pizza snobs can get into the 72- hour, “pasta riporto” dough and judicious use of toppings. Add in a team stacked with hospo veterans? Now that’s worth moving for.
Price: $
Address: 13 King William Street, Bayswater
Nobu
If you’ve had a special occasion in the last 10 years – anniversary, birthday, folks are paying… chances are, you’ve hit up Nobu. This global, Robert De Niro-owned brand has made a name for itself in excellence, and its Perth outpost is no different. The opulent dining room and its Crown setting naturally lends itself to celebrations, while complementing its modern Japanese-South American fare. The omakase menus are always a safe bet if you want to sit back and enjoy their signature dishes, but as any seafood-lovers will know, it’s well worth scoping out any local and seasonal highlights.
Price: $$$
Address: Crown Perth, Great Eastern Highway, Burswood
Rossonero
We could talk for days about Perth’s pizza offerings, but almost every time, we’ll end up back at Rossonero. Tucked away in Mayland’s Lyric Lane, the garage-turned-pizzeria balances classical simplicity with crowd-pleasing modernity. We’re a sucker for the sweet ‘n spicy Honey Boy, but traditionalists may go for the Ol’ School. With the ultimate welcoming vibes, and the newfound home base of 2021’s most talked about conti roll, Rossonero certainly has a lot to offer.
Price: $
Address: 18 Lyric Lane, Maylands
WEST
Corvo
Perhaps it’s the well-heeled surrounds of Claremont, but Corvo manages to walk a tightrope between a serious, meticulous technique and relaxed approachability. The Euro-leaning menu is defined by both seasonality and locality, whether you’re stopping in for a drink and a bite or settling in for something more substantial.
Price: $$
Address: 34 St Quentin Avenue, Claremont
La Bastide
So Frenchy, so chic should be 2022’s motto, with an impressive roster of eateries inspired by La République opening this year. Only a few weeks after opening, La Bastide has become the talk of the neighbourhood – not just for their classic bistro plates (steak tartare, frites, oysters, duck), or for the delightful continental breakfast on the leafy terrace (pastries courtesy of Miller + Baker, bien sûr), but for the warmth and passion that owners Michelle and Rob imbue into their dining room.
Price: $$
Address: 225 Onslow Road, Shenton Park
Lulu La Delizia
How long does it take to become an institution? Although it only opened in 2016, Lulu La Delizia has quickly become synonymous with quality Italian fare – and we’re not alone in noticing. Adeptly toeing the line between a high-brow, cheffy approach and simple northern Italian comfort dishes, this refined and restrained menu is hard to look past. I’d tell you to get the chef’s special, but then again, everything else is so good, too.
Price: $$
Address: Forrest Walk, 5/97 Rokeby Road, Subiaco
Marumo
Marumo’s seven course omakase menu has become the stuff of legends. A three-hour experience in the itty-bitty, minimalist dining room, which itself is tucked away in an otherwise unremarkable Nedlands shopping village. At $75 per head, Marumo is one of the best value fine dining experiences in Perth – its extreme mystique comes in part from the scarcity of its highly sought after reservations. Released only a few times a year and snapped up eagerly, this is an evening to plan well in advance for.
Price: $$
Address: 22/145 Stirling Highway, Nedlands
Monsterella
It would be easy to over-complicate things, but put quite simply: Monsterella gets a lot of things just right. Handmade, wood-fired pizzas, on bases fermented for 48 hours? Perfetto. A selection of pasta that will tempt even the most fanatic pizza fiend? Buon appetito!
Keen for a more intimate vibe? Head next door to sister wine bar Mummucc‘, favourite night-off haunt of dozens of Perth chefs. For a bar named “mother”, Mummucc’ is really rather… Sexy. We don’t mean to get Freudian, but one glance at those Skull Island prawns with bottarga butter and chilli vinegar, or the octopus arrostocini with a fiery nduja oil… Well, we’re drooling. Add in the ample wine list? We’re in love.
Price: $
Address: 46-56 Grantham Street, Wembley
Shui
Shui – as in feng shui, not like shoey – has taken over the old Funtastico site with great aplomb, adding to Subi’s growing list of hospitality offerings. Inspired by the balance of spicy, sour, sweet and salty, Shui is channelling harmonious energy forces through dishes like sesame prawn crumpets, miso-butter roast shallots or beef tartare with fried shallot icecream.
Price: $$
Address: 12 Rokeby Road, Subiaco
Vinotto
At first unassuming, a second look makes it clear why this itty-bitty Swanbourne bar has been creating such a buzz. Vinotto’s drinks are curated by Caitlin Johnston, and hit just about every corner of Europe – in vibe, if not strictly in provenance. At the pint-sized pass, chef Justin Scarvaci is serving up snacks that truly deliver – we’re yet to find a miss amongst the heavy hitters.
Price: $$
Address: 2/137 Claremont Crescent, Swanbourne
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Header Image: Madalena’s