13 Best Restaurants in Perth, Western Australia

Few eateries have a backstory that includes a brick-by-brick relocation of its Heritage-listed Federation-style building, but The Island has just such a story and honors it with framed photos of the 1920s building throughout the restaurant. This ideally located Perth icon has character, charm, and a contemporary menu, as well as several dining options, including a 110-seat dockside alfresco bar selling wood-fired pizza. 

Located in Parmelia Hilton Perth, this elegant restaurant and bar serves top-quality seasonal fare from their State-to-Plate tapas menu. With sharing in mind, plates come in small, medium, and large portions and range from ciabatta with smoked butter and saltbush to Fremantle octopus to roasted pumpkin with fermented black garlic. Breakfast includes an à la carte menu or go for the all-you-can-eat buffet featuring a selection of hot and cold favorites like eggs made-to-order, bacon, sausages, Swiss muesli, pastries and a make-your-own pancake maker.

It started as a hole-in-the-wall toasted sandwich cave tucked away in Grand Lane with cultlike status. Although the original location belongs to another business, Toastface is still grillin' daily and has grown to include five locations (and counting) around Perth, Fremantle, and Margaret River. Pop in for a sandwich on the go and a takeaway coffee from Micrology Coffee Roasters. 

For the most refined food in town, head to Print Hall, a classy, perennially packed restaurant in a city-center heritage building. It wows with dishes like snow crab with kaffir lime, camel tartare with wattle seed and wild sorrel, and pan-roasted ocean trout with octopus and white anchovy, all served with house-baked bread. The latter comes from Small Print, a separate, casual café downstairs. The A$110 degustation is popular, or there's a bar section with a more casual and moderately priced menu. Service is polished, the wine list is smashing and satisfaction is all but guaranteed. Many come solely for the sexy bar with high ceilings, backed by a vertical fern garden.

Bustling with locals, BWG Steakhouse serves modern Australian cuisine with an emphasis on top-quality meats cooked to perfection and local seafood. Just 7 km (4 miles) from Perth CBD, in the affluent suburb of Applecross—once home to actor Heath Ledger—the heritage restaurant commands a skyline view across a marina full of palatial leisure boats.

Appealing to the glitzy, moneyed, cosmetically conscious crowd in Perth, this is the "it spot" on Friday when rollicking long lunches can extend well past sunset, making it challenging to get a table—unless you book in advance. The views are as good as the people-watching, and though the classic food is expensive, it's beautifully executed.

The large outdoor area at this Kings Park restaurant fills with people eyeing views of the city and Swan River (spectacular in the evening) while enjoying chef favorites such as slow-cooked lamb shoulder, chargrilled octopus, and hand-cut chips with aioli. The ever-changing menu of share plates or larger dishes highlight fresh Western Australian produce.

This whitewashed and yellow canteen scores with simple, seasonal food delivered with finesse plus window seats overlooking iconic Cottesloe Beach. The convivial alfresco area looks out to a coastal conga line of walkers, joggers, and cyclists, while at night, candles deliver a romantic feel. Reservations are recommended but don't expect to reserve a table on the deck—these highly sought spots are reserved for first-come-best-dressed walk-ins. 

The British celebrity chef and good food crusader Jamie Oliver has a long-established relationship with Australia, so it's no wonder he opened a restaurant in Perth. Fun, fresh, and fabulous, Jamie’s Italian serves fantastic value with every dish.

Any place that takes its name from a Kalgoorlie showgirl has got to have spunk, and Lalla Rookh has it in spades. The below-street-level venue on Perth's business strip is a real find and combines a slick restaurant with dishes inspired by Italy with a tiny wine bar that introduces quaffers to local and "untampered with grape" varieties. Although wine is king here, they also serve cocktails and craft beer. 

Since 1986, chef and owner Giuseppe Pagliaricci has taken an imaginative yet simple approach to the cuisine of his native Umbria, serving elegant, homemade Italian dishes to his loyal customers. Popular in old-school business and political circles, the restaurant has prix-fixe lunches, and a fine-dining atmosphere.

Hidden within Brookfield Place's cluster of lower ground venues, Sushia is one of the city's best Japanese restaurants. The sashimi is as fresh as it gets, artfully carved within an open kitchen, and staff helpfully explain Japanese cooking methods such as kushiyaki, robata, and teppanyaki.

Since American whiskey is the specialty at this hard-to-find basement bar, you might expect the food to play second fiddle, but it gets just as much love. This venue with an artisan grunge theme and the scent of bacon in the air could in fact be called a foodie heaven—come with a huge appetite or a group to share plates.

It packs out on a Friday, so book ahead, even for lunch.