The year 2022 has been a rollercoaster for a lot of us and the hospitality industry is no exception, mainly due to Covid-19. The uncertainty of business is still in effect for a lot of eateries, but some have managed to pull through with the goods, and even open shop. We’ve put together a list of ten noteworthy restaurant and cafe openings of 2022 in Perth – and if you haven’t checked them out yet, maybe it’s go time. Take a look.
1. Hank’s Corner – North Perth
Scattered throughout the suburbs of Perth lie many an abandoned deli; once neighbourhood epicentres for acquiring items with the likes of the daily newspaper, Bubble O’ Bills, a suspicious selection of cold cuts from a fridge which most likely didn’t reach food safety standards. But that’s just the charm of delis.
Although those times have passed – deli refurbishments are on the rise, bringing new life to the nostalgic, and may we say, historic spaces. Hank’s Corner in North Perth did a cracking job at giving new life to a spot on Scarborough Beach Road – and they’ve been serving up continental rolls, sausage rolls, Welsh Rarebits, and a healthy dose of gluten-free options.
Hank’s Corner is hot on reusables and recycling too, with their takeaway cups and lids being home-compostable, send heaps of scraps to a commercial composter, and all of their crockery and cutlery are from op shops – a rustic charm.
Location: 64A Scarborough Beach Rd, North Perth
2. Testun Bar – Mount Lawley
Plonked smack bang on Beaufort Street, Testun is a neo-Italian osteria located in Mount Lawley which exudes a mid-century-esque atmosphere where attention to detail does not go unnoticed. Testun quickly became a go-to spot for wine and fine, but casual dining.
Offering a fare of bold flavour combinations, textures, and colours – Testun manages to remix classic Italian cuisine with familiar ingredients that radiate modernity. Their rotating menu hosts plates with the likes of: tagliatelle with funghi and fermented soy butter; squid spiedino with radicchio, lentil and green olive salsa; and whey-brined pork cotoletta with a sauce charcuterie and cavolo nero.
“Testun is an experience that goes beyond the idea of a wine bar as ‘a place to drink wine’ and more as a place to find community, accompanied by a glass of something delicious, and maybe something a little bit funky,” Testun’s owners share.
Location: 12/760 Beaufort St, Mount Lawley
3. Sailing For Oranges – Fremantle
Only recently having joined the seaside locale of Fremantle’s dining scene, Sailing For Oranges is a rustic bar and kitchen with the vision to take diners on a nostalgic trip across the Mediterranean coastline. All while perched on a wooden deck overlooking South Terrace – perfect for people-watching.
Sailing For Oranges specialise in seaside fare with menu items utilising only the best possible local produce which has been finely curated by executive chef, Danny Feng and his team of 20 culinary artist. Feast on salads which enlist cauliflower with fenugreek leaf and tahini. Snacks which see Fremantle octopus with thyme and chorizo. And plates and feasts with the likes of chargrilled whole fish with tangerine and soft herbs. All shapes and sizes, for any occassion.
Location: 33 South Tce, Fremantle
4. Any Restaurant & Bar – Perth
Any Restaurant & Bar is a simply divine eatery which boasts a sleek fit-out in a rather intimate space which is lined with wine bottles, mustard booths, and marble tabletops. Any’s concept aims for an ‘anytime, anywhere, anything’ type scenario where you can indulge, snack or drink.
With a revolving menu which provides a progressive flare while utilising ingredients that are familiar, yet distinctive, the fare enlists: smoked beef with local mushroom and flowers, pork neck with sumac and rhubarb, pumpkin with curry leaves and wattleseed, and oysters with apple and green chili.
The creative menu is all thanks to Perth-born chef Josh Gray, who’s spent time behind the tools at heavyweight Perth restaurants, Rockpool Bar & Grill and Print Hall Dining Room. If you’re in the mood for something wildly different, the ultra-modern Any may just rock your boat.
Location: 26 Queen St, Perth
5. Carina’s Kitchen – Mount Hawthorn
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Starting off with humble beginnings at various markets around Perth, Carina’s Kitchen quickly rose to popularity with their baked goods, thus gaining the incentive to open a brick-and-mortar store in Mount Hawthorn. You won’t find any eggs, dairy, or animal products of any kind in Carina’s goodies though – just delectable, plant-based sweets and savouries that will have you questioning whether they’re actually vegan or not.
Carina’s creations are innovative, yet traditional with the likes of: sticky date cakes, rich tiramisu, oozy Biscoff stuffed donuts, and bouncy cinnamon scrolls that are to die for. And if you’re not much of a sweet tooth, you can get your hands on mushroom toasties, roast veg bagels, and potato and black bean sausage rolls.
Located inside Hawaiians Mezz, there’s plenty of seating available to sit down, relax and be fully sent into a trance by the flavours of your chosen baked confection. You wouldn’t even know that Carina’s creations are vegan unless someone told you so!
Location: 148 Scarborough Beach Rd, Mount Hawthorn
6. Hinata Cafe – Fremantle
This quaint, Japanese cafe located at the Fremantle Fibonacci Centre exudes authentic cuisine which is delightful, delicate, and is made with love. Hinata Cafe is a 70-seater with an open-air, upstairs dining veranda with earthy tones, cushioned seats, and hanging greenery, where not a thing is out of place – picture perfect much like a traditional Japanese cafe.
Hinata Cafe owner, Tomoe Echo started her business back in 2011, selling her goods at a local high school and various markets, but luckily for the people of Perth, the Fremantle locale is here to stay. While specialising in Japanese brunch plates which host an assortment of morsels, Hinata Cafe also offers home-style, seasonal dishes and sweets with the likes of: teriyaki chicken sandos with yuzu mayo slaw, Japanese curry rice, soups, hotpot, okonomiyaki, matcha cheesecakes, and hojicha crème caramels. It’s the closest thing you’ll get to a Japanese cafe in all of Perth.
Location: 19 Blinco St, Fremantle
7. The Beaufort – Highgate
The Beaufort precinct came about from the award-winning team behind The Old Synagogue in Fremantle. It’s a mammoth, three-level establishment with multiple venues withing including a very green rooftop terrace, a jumping dancefloor, a sneaky speakeasy, a beer and wine courtyard, and a delectable restaurant by the name of Lotus, which is the main point of topic here.
Lotus serves modern south-east Asian cuisine inside a revived 1950s warehouse with a kitchen that’s been dreamt up by Executive Chef Leigh Power and the visionary behind Melbourne’s infamous Chin Chin, Chef Sundoo Kim.
Expect to see menu items with a Thai, Malay, Indonesian, Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese and Indian flare, with the likes of: Szechuan pork pot sticker dumplings, butter chicken curry puffs with achar pickle, charred broccoli with house satay and miso butter, peppered beef tataki with Korean black bean dressing, fragrant red curry with crisp duck legs and lychee. The diverse menu makes for a spot to suit a range of palates.
Location: 521-525 Beaufort St, Highgate
8. Lucy Luu – Mount Hawthorn
Legendary dumplingeers, Miss Chow’s went right ahead and opened a second venture in Mt Hawthorn, Lucy Luu. The family-run venue offers more than just mouthwatering dumplings however, by bringing a more-so bar and bite-style foods with a South-East Asian heritage.
Keeping with the Miss Chow’s roots, Lucy Luu keeps quality at the forefront of their eatery utilising high-end WA produce. The fare you can stuff your face with see the likes of sriracha prawn toast with saffron aioli, deep-fried lamb ribs with xin jiang crust, and steak tartare with Szechuan spice and wasabi aioli.
Lucy Luu has gone full speed into Perth’s vibrant bar scene by introducing an international wine list and cocktail menu that will stick around on your palate’s cheeky memory. If you’re a fan of Miss Chow’s, then you can’t go past Lucy Luu.
Location: Shop 42/148 Scarborough Beach Rd, Mount Hawthorn
9. Vinotto Bar – Swanbourne
Vinotto Bar is the quintessential neighbourhood wine bar perched in sunny Swanbourne. It’s rustic, it doesn’t take bookings, it’s a pleasant 55-seater, and it has been well and truly pumping from the get-go. Vinotto is deliciously sunlit during the day and by night transforms into a low-lit hang-out with an elegance via a terrazzo countertop centrepiece.
The split-level space means elite views into the bar’s kitchen garden and courtyard while you await your treats, with whiffs of flatbreads baked to order from the open, but tiny kitchen. The kitchen is headed by Justin Wong, and he’s been producing big flavours.
Accompanied by a plethora of European vinos, the fare enlists: asparagus with Parmesan custard and herbs from their garden, Wagyu beef tartare, lightly smoked Fremantle Herring with fresh tomatoes and saffron, and silverbeet malfatti with brown butter. Each dish upholds a sophisticated appeal, but welcomes the casual diner.
Location: Lot 2/137 Claremont Cres, Swanbourne
10. La Lune – East Fremantle
La Lune has the ability to transport any old Joe from Perth to Paris from a simply gaze upon the neighbourhood bistro. The all-day cafe, restaurant and wine bar exudes a French charm with a dash of mild retro funk. Iconic Bentwood chairs line the street with outward facing rotation to elevate the Parisian-cross-Manhattan ambiance.
Upon entering La Lune, you’ll be trodding on black and white tiling which appears to have been welcoming the people of Perth inside for years. Although old-timey, there’s modern touches are scattered across the bright eatery.
Whether you’re after a casual or fancy affair, La Lune caters to your needs with their New York brasserie-style menu. With minor changes here and there, Chef Jesse Blake doesn’t stray too far from tradition with his creations. Get into some: gruyere toast, steak frites, nicoise salad, steak tartare and cassoulet – all with a focus on Western Australian produce and seasonality. Wine is a given at La Lune too.