7 Best Restaurants in Perth, Western Australia

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.

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. 

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. 

Ask any Perthite where to go for breakfast and chances are the response will be Sayers, where the simple chocolate and banana bread has achieved cult status and the poached eggs and potato rosti are not far behind. Crowds line up for the flavor-rich breakfast dishes, which are created with primo local/free-range/organic/seasonal ingredients. 

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.