18 Best Restaurants in Western Australia, Australia

It begins as temptation as your senses are teased by the smells wafting from the open kitchen. Rosemary, chili, oregano, olive oil, and tomato scents will drive you crazy until your own meal lands in front of you. And then, bliss. This modern Italian eatery rivals any classic, and there are plenty in Fremantle. Italians have been ruling the roost for decades, so much that there's been a push to dub the port city, Little Italy. La Sosta offers a buzzy atmosphere while serving creative pasta dishes that will leave you wanting more. Start with the focaccia and leave room for dessert---the tiramisu is calling your name.

Bunbury's dining scene is charging forward, and leading the way is Market Eating House. Head chef and owner, Brenton creates a menu jam-packed with delicious shareable foods cooked on the custom-made charcoal grill and wood-fired oven all within open view. Think Turkish lamb dumplings, goat cheese churros, and crayfish sliders. The industrial decor, busy, but joyful vibe, tantalizing smells wafting in the air, and attentive service may just inspire you to go back a second night. Definitely start with the market hummus and flatbread.

Locally famous for freshly made pastries and decent coffee, this central bakery does a roaring trade every day of the week. It may be the tasty treats that get people through the door, but it's the cute little quokkas on the deck who encourage patrons to stay awhile.

Quokkas are extremely friendly, but it is a fineable offense to feed them.

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.

To call someone a “good egg” is a high compliment in Australia and it's a fitting name for this busy, modern café that opened its doors in 2018. With amazing coffee, a delicious, healthy menu, a kids' play area, and gift shop all housed in a two-story, modern, industrial-style setting, this is the place to be for Sunday morning brunch.

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. 

This industrial-chic bakery-cum-restaurant wins the award for hottest interior in town, with dozens of vintage-style globes streaming from the warehouse ceiling or looping in red electrical cord over suspended beams. Herb boxes line the 1890s heritage facade, while out back the wood-fired ovens, affectionately named Hansel and Gretel, pump out organic bread. An open kitchen creates modern Australian meals that go well with, you guessed it, bread.

The Pizzale family has owned and run this Freo restaurant for more than 50 years and it's here where you'll be treated to an old-style Italian meal. Don't expect flashy decor or fancy lighting—the focus is on the food. It's strictly BYO so bring a bottle of wine or beer (a small corkage fee applies) as the restaurant is not licensed to serve alcohol.

Waterfront Fremantle is renowned for its seafood restaurants, so going to a harborside venue for steak seems almost irreverent, but meat lovers revel in the juicy steak selection at Char Char. They dropped the "bull" from their name but you'll still get a fine piece of meat, cooked to perfection, here. This lively restaurant, with full table service, specializes in chargrilled prime beef selected from year-old, grass-fed Murray Grey cattle.

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. 

Just off Smiths Beach is the chic eatery-cum-delicatessan-cum–cellar door, Lamont's. It does a fantastic breakfast—think cured salmon with scrambled eggs—and is popular for "sundowners," which is the local description for a glass of wine at sunset, often with tapas. Café lunches are lovely and simple, but more refined options are available in the restaurant. From noon till late, dine on sage and prosciutto-wrapped chicken breast with whipped feta; confit duck leg drizzled with vino cotto jus; or grilled local snapper with a side of organic quinoa salad. Executive chef Kate Lamont is CEO and ambassador for Lamont's (check out her cookbooks). You're welcome to pop in for wine tasting at the adjoined wine store and deli without eating at the restaurant.

You'll recognize this place by its giant, multicolor zebra mural on the external wall, which was commissioned by a local artist. Inside, take a seat at one of the colorful communal tables that are surrounded by dividers made from plumbing pipes and then enjoy classic and healthy café eats like Bircher muesli, free-range eggs, burgers, or Ootong & Lincoln's ever-popular coffee-and-cake special.

Simmos has been delighting locals and visitors since 1993 when a father and son teamed up to put their Irish ice-cream recipe to the test. Some people thought they'd gone mad, but now this ice creamery and fun park is a popular excursion for families and sweet tooths. They have so many flavors of ice cream and sorbet that you'll have a difficult time choosing. Past flavors include apple pie, mascarpone with fig, mango macadamia, and gingernut biscuit. They also serve vegan ice cream. There's coffee to go, and—for the kids—a great playground, with games including an 18-hole minigolf course. Bring a blanket to have a picnic in the shady grounds.

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.

This is fancy-pants food at its best as the meals are not only palatable to the taste buds, but also to the eyes. Nominated for six Gold Plate awards and featured in Trip Advisor's top 10% worldwide restaurants, this "art of cooking" lunch venue is a feast for the eyes and stomach. Choose from light or hearty share plates that feature an abundance of locally sourced ingredients such as WA seafood, wagyu beef, and seasonal vegetables. Remember to always leave room for dessert. 

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.