Eight Perth rooms worth crossing town for in 2026, from the native rooftop tasting at Wildflower to a wood-fire kitchen in Fremantle, each with the chef, the dish, the price and the right neighbourhood.
8 restaurantsPerthUpdated 2026-05-30
Perth spent years being written off as a mining town with good beaches and average restaurants. That stopped being true around 2015, when the State Buildings reopened as a dining complex and a wave of operators decided the isolation was an asset: the produce — marron, Albany rock oysters, Margaret River beef and wagyu, Manjimup truffles — is among the best in the country, and almost none of it leaves the state.
The result is a small but serious scene clustered in a few places: the CBD and the heritage State Buildings, Mount Lawley along Beaufort Street, the port city of Fremantle, and the beachfront at Cottesloe. This guide ranks the eight rooms worth planning a night around, each with the chef where we can name one, the dish to order and what it costs. Start with the full Perth dining guide.
Jed Gerrard cooks the six Noongar seasons in a glass rooftop pavilion — book it first for the best dinner in the city.
Food9/10
Ambience9/10
Value7/10
Why it makes the list
Wildflower sits in a glass pavilion on the rooftop of COMO The Treasury at 1 Cathedral Avenue, and chef Jed Gerrard builds its tasting menu around the six seasons of the Noongar calendar, with native ingredients and Western Australian marron at the centre. The tasting runs around AUD 195, the room looks over the heritage Treasury Buildings, and the cooking has a real sense of place that no other Perth kitchen matches. It is the city's best fine-dining room and the first booking to make. See more fine-dining rooms worldwide.
David Thompson's Thai street-food room in the State Buildings basement hits hard and honest — go hungry and order the curries.
Why it makes the list
Long Chim is David Thompson's Perth restaurant, tucked into the basement of the State Buildings at the corner of St Georges Terrace and Barrack Street. Thompson, the chef who took Bangkok's Nahm to the top of Asia's 50 Best, cooks unapologetically fierce Thai street food here: the gaeng massaman, the chiang mai larb and the pad thai are the dishes to anchor on, with a meal around AUD 70 to 90. It is loud, full and exactly as spicy as it should be. Explore more Thai restaurants worldwide.
Kenny McHardy cooks almost everything over flame in a tiny Fremantle room — settle in for the most distinctive cooking in the port.
Why it makes the list
Kenny McHardy runs Manuka Woodfire Kitchen in Fremantle, where nearly every dish passes over the wood fire — local fish, vegetables, even desserts carry the smoke. The menu changes with what the boats and growers bring, the room is small and convivial, and a meal lands around AUD 70 to 95. It has earned a Good Food Guide hat for cooking that is simple on paper and hard to do well, and it is the reason to point a night at Fremantle rather than the CBD. Compare the city's best seafood rooms.
Neil Perry's grill brand brings dry-aged Australian beef to Crown Perth — reserve it when the meal needs to be a steakhouse statement.
Why it makes the list
Rockpool Bar & Grill, the steakhouse from Neil Perry's Rockpool group, occupies a high-ceilinged room at Crown Perth in Burswood. The draw is the beef: dry-aged grass-fed cuts and David Blackmore full-blood wagyu, cooked over the wood grill, with the famous wagyu burger as the lunchtime cult order. Expect to spend well into the AUD 150-plus range per person with a good cut and a glass of red. For a business dinner or a celebration built on great meat, it is the city's benchmark. See more steakhouses worldwide.
The QT hotel's glamorous Italian grill does handmade pasta and a buzzing room — take it for a dressed-up night out in the CBD.
Why it makes the list
Santini Bar & Grill, the Italian dining room inside the QT Perth hotel at 133 Murray Street, is the city's most glamorous mid-week booking. The kitchen makes its pasta in house — the tagliolini and the signature handmade options are the order — alongside wood-grilled meats and a long Italian wine list, with a meal around AUD 80 to 120. The room is dark, marble-heavy and built for a night where the setting is part of the point. Explore more Italian restaurants worldwide.
A share-plate room in the State Buildings with a serious produce focus — order across the table for a relaxed dinner in town.
Why it makes the list
Petition Kitchen sits in the State Buildings at the corner of St Georges Terrace and Barrack Street, a brick-and-timber room built around small and large share plates and Western Australian produce. The menu changes often and leans on local seafood and vegetables, with a meal around AUD 60 to 100, and the adjoining beer and wine bars make it easy to start or end the night in the same complex. It is the CBD's most reliable mid-range table. Compare the full Perth list.
A Beaufort Street institution with a vast wine list and proper bistro cooking — try it for a long, wine-led evening in Mount Lawley.
Why it makes the list
Must Winebar has anchored Beaufort Street in Mount Lawley for two decades, a French-leaning bistro with one of the deepest wine lists in Western Australia, including a champagne cellar that runs to hundreds of labels. The charcuterie, the steak frites and the duck are the bistro staples to order, with a meal around AUD 70 to 110 before you get serious about wine. It is the room for a long, unhurried dinner where the bottle matters as much as the plate. Browse more on the first-date hub.
Nobu Matsuhisa's global brand lands at Crown Perth with the dishes that made it famous — reserve it for a polished, crowd-pleasing splurge.
Why it makes the list
Nobu Perth, the Crown Perth outpost of Nobu Matsuhisa's worldwide group, brings the brand's signature Japanese-Peruvian cooking to Burswood. The black cod miso, the yellowtail with jalapeño and the rock-shrimp tempura are the dishes that built the name, and the omakase is the way to go all in, landing well into the AUD 150-plus bracket per person. It is not local in the way Wildflower or Manuka are, but it is the most reliable high-gloss splurge in the city. See more Japanese restaurants worldwide.
If you want a big, late, walk-in night, the CBD is not your friend — Perth dines early, and the best kitchens at Wildflower, Rockpool and Nobu expect a booking and wind down earlier than Sydney or Melbourne. Head to Northbridge's small-bar strip instead if you are out past ten.
And skip Long Chim if you cannot take heat or want a quiet, hushed dinner: the room is loud and the kitchen does not soften its chillies for anyone. For a calm, conversation-led evening, Must Winebar or Wildflower's early seating is the better call.
How we built this list
We rank Perth rooms on how well the kitchen cooks, how well it uses Western Australia's exceptional produce, and value against its peer group. We led with Wildflower because it does the most with the least imported, then spread the list across cuisines and neighbourhoods so the guide covers the CBD, Fremantle, Mount Lawley and Burswood alike.
Recognition cited comes from the Australian Good Food Guide and named critics, with chef and dish detail from the restaurants' published menus. Where we could not confirm a current head chef we have left the name out rather than guess. We are not paid by any restaurant here and we do not accept hosted meals. Prices are per person before drinks, in Australian dollars, and move with the menu.
How to book the right table
Lead time: two to three weeks for Wildflower, Rockpool and Nobu, more for a Friday or Saturday; a week or less for Long Chim, Petition, Santini, Manuka and Must midweek. Most take bookings through their own sites or by phone. Perth eats early, so a 6:30 or 7pm sitting is normal and the kitchens close earlier than you might expect.
Tipping is optional in Perth — staff are paid a full wage — though rounding up for excellent service is welcome; watch for weekend and public-holiday surcharges already on the bill. Dress is smart-casual almost everywhere, with only Wildflower, Rockpool and Nobu skewing dressier at dinner.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best restaurant in Perth?
Wildflower, on the rooftop of COMO The Treasury in the CBD, is the city's best fine-dining room. Chef Jed Gerrard cooks a menu structured around the six Noongar seasons, leaning hard on Western Australian produce like marron, and the glass-walled space looks over the old Treasury Buildings. For a serious dinner with a genuine sense of place, it is the one to book first. Compare the full Perth guide for other occasions.
Where do locals eat in Perth?
Beyond the fine-dining rooms, Perth eats well in its neighbourhoods. Mount Lawley's Beaufort Street has Must Winebar; Fremantle has Manuka Woodfire Kitchen and a strong cafe scene; Northbridge runs late with small bars and Asian kitchens; and the State Buildings complex in the CBD packs Long Chim, Petition and Post into one heritage block. Cottesloe and Subiaco add relaxed Italian and beachside dining.
How much does fine dining cost in Perth?
Perth's top tables are priced like other Australian capitals. Wildflower's tasting menu runs around AUD 195, Nobu's omakase and Rockpool's dry-aged steaks land in a similar bracket per person before wine, and the grill rooms can climb higher with premium beef. Mid-range rooms like Long Chim, Petition and Must sit around AUD 60 to 110 a head. Add drinks and a 10 percent allowance for service on weekends and public holidays.
Do you tip in Perth restaurants?
Tipping is optional in Perth and across Australia, because hospitality staff are paid a full wage. Rounding up or leaving around 10 percent for excellent service is appreciated but never expected, and many bills already add a surcharge on weekends and public holidays. Check the bottom of the bill before adding anything, and do not feel obliged to tip on top of a listed service charge.
Which Perth restaurant has the best view?
Wildflower has the best dining view in the city, set in a glass pavilion on the rooftop of COMO The Treasury looking over the heritage Treasury Buildings and toward the river. For a waterside setting, the Elizabeth Quay and South Perth foreshore rooms put you on the Swan, and Cottesloe's beachfront Italian spots catch the Indian Ocean sunset. For the fine-dining view-plus-cooking combination, Wildflower wins.
