How To Spend 24 Hours in Perth in 2026

Headed west over summer? Broadsheet’s city cheat sheets cover everything from new players that live up to the hype to old favourites that continue to deliver. This is a hit list that’ll have you making the most of every minute in Perth.

Where to eat in Perth in 2026

Every day starts with a strong brew, whether it’s at a new spot or an established cafe serving everything from serious sangas to insomnia-inducing hits of espresso.

Parkside Coffee, a joint venture between Miller & Baker and Daylight Coffee Roasters, has activated a once-sleepy park in Northbridge. Bottega Deli brings Pascucci coffee and cannoli to Claremont, while Cheerio Coffee is keeping West Perth caffeinated from an itty-bitty coffee window.

While beachgoers will find the lure of mornings at Il Lido and Bib & Tucker hard to resist, and certainly have their heads turned by the views at Bert’s and the psychedelic ceilings of Magic Apple, you’ll have to head inland to taste some of the city’s most interesting breakfast food.

Hinata Cafe is Perth’s permanent destination for Japanese-style breakfasts, okonomiyaki, vegetable curry rice and other Japanese comfort and cafe staples. Other topnotch Asian-inspired breakfast spots include Corner 33, Ghee Brothers and Cafe Yoka.

Staying on the breakfast-brunch sandwich channel, Fremantle’s Peggy’s is another sandwich-pusher of note and has quickly made a name for its thoughtful combos including a saucy egg-salad ciabatta and a chicken schnitzel sandwich spiked with dill mayonnaise. Also in Freo, The Cool Room is churning out simple and pared back breakfast staples.

Bakeries remain perpetually popular out west – and for good reason. Hunter Bread, a bijou community bread shop opened by an Iggy’s alumnus and former Aesop marketer, turns out terrific sourdough, croissants, pain au chocolat and other bang-on viennoiseries. If you’ve got time to queue, Teeter, from young gun Natasha Brownfield, is churning out some of Perth’s best baked goods from her East Perth patisserie three days a week. The house-milled flour at Miller & Baker is deployed in everything from baguettes to pastries. The continued growth of Big Loaf Bakery means North Street Store’s legendary cinnamon buns are available at a growing number of places, but a visit to the Cottesloe corner store seems very right. If you prefer your cinnamon scrolled, head on over to Smidge Bakery for “Perth’s best cinny scrolls”.

The best lunch west of the Nullarbor is still found at Millbrook, a winery restaurant in Jarrahdale (about a one-hour drive from the CBD) with an on-site garden that supplies all of the kitchen’s fruit and veg. Be warned: word of Millbrook’s deliciousness is well and truly out, and you’ll be competing for a booking.

The suburbs continue to offer the realest tastes of Asian eating – Girrawheen for Vietnamese, the communities around Hulme Court for hawker cooking – but the food court at Spencer Village is perhaps the west’s all-in-one Asian food destination: here’s to hand-pulled roti, Taiwanese beef noodles, ube-heavy Filipino dishes and Indonesian comfort cooking.

For something a little more specialised, join the queue at suburban noodle joint par excellence Two Hands Noodle Shop for springy kolo mee, kampua and other eastern Malaysian favourites. Or take a trip to Mirrabooka for $5 banh mi, con tam with grilled pork and soul-warming Afghan cooking.

For great Asian food in the city, you can’t look past Ginza Nana Alley. It comes from the crew behind the equally great Hifumiya Udon Noodle House crew and it’s inspired by Japan’s yokocho alleyways. Within the space there’s Onomichi-style ramen, skewers, oden kappo and tonkatsu. Japanese lunch staples go mobile with Omusubi Natchan, a food truck serving hand-pressed rice balls.

Lunch is also a great time to check out Falafel Omisi, a low-key cafe in an unlikely location dishing out splendid falafel, boldly flavoured shakshuka and sabich, among other Middle Eastern deliciousness. 

Need to celebrate a special occasion? Hearth – the in-house restaurant at the Ritz-Carlton Perth – delivers on the polish and precision one might associate with one of the world’s most recognisable luxury hotel brands. The northern Italian-inspired food of Lulu La Delizia still makes it one of Perth’s must-dos, while Monsterella remains a benchmark in best-pizza-in-Perth discussions. Le Rebelle has also established itself as Perth’s favourite new-school French bistro. Over in Cottesloe is Gibney, a beachfront brasserie serving upscale fare with one of the best ocean views.

When it comes to late-night dining in Perth, Chinatown remains a solid go-to (Izakaya Grill! Happy Family Inn!). Otherwise, consider hitting up Alabama Song for late-night fried chicken.

Where to drink in Perth in 2026

The popularity of Wines of While continues to grow. While the natural wine focus remains, it changed hands in December 2023, with Tom Van Beem and Emma Pegrum now confidently steering the ship alongside a crew of rotating guest chefs. Arriving in the afternoon and settling in is the best way to nab a table for the night.

Nearby, in the “Paris end” of Northbridge, is one of 2024’s best new bars: Bar Love is a ’70s-inspired retro bar from industry veterans and best mates Murray Walsh and Pippa Canavan.

In Fremantle, Madalena’s continues to draw a crowd with its snappy drinks list, seaside address and new upstairs bar.

Whether it’s for a quick drink or a full dinner, Casa in Mount Hawthorn is always a good idea. The team has a serious commitment to wine-handling (everything is stored in temperature-specific fridges), and drink, design and good eating come together to create the neighbourhood bottle-shop-bar of our organic wine dreams. Or, if you’re looking to grab a bottle and some takeaway, neighbouring Casa Pizza Wine, the team’s takeaway joint, serves classic and inventive pies that pair perfectly with a biodynamic drop. Paul Bentley, who turned heads at Si Paradiso, is in the kitchen.

Or stop by Edward & Ida’s, a two-storey pub and cocktail den with some serious pedigree in the form of owner Dimitri Rtshiladze (also Foxtrot Unicorn, Nieuw Ruin) and a fish burger that we can’t get enough of.

Nieuw Ruin in Fremantle offers a boho Freo take on the wine bar genre via nostalgic small plates and a homey Antiques Roadshow aesthetic. Factor in the efforts of establishments such as Mummucc, No Mafia, Wine Merchant and Besk, and the prognosis is looking good for wine drinkers out west. If beer is more your speed, then head to Mons O’Shea in Freo, a proper Irish pub complete with spice bags and Scotch eggs.

Maybe it’s just me, but there’s something very Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories about pulling into Northbridge hi-fi listening bar Astral Weeks for one last drink while listening to sweet records being played through an equally sweet sound system. Behind Astral Weeks, the team has opened a hidden diner called Ah Um. Also of interest to the nocturnal crew, Lucy’s Love Shack is the place to go for late-night rock, while Foxtrot Unicorn turns up the fun at all hours.

Things to do in Perth in 2026

Perth Cultural Centre – and the surrounding Northbridge precinct – remains ground zero for the state’s arts scene. WA Museum Boola Bardip, the Art Gallery of Western Australia and the Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts are great for anyone looking to hit up an exhibition. Or if you’re keen to take in a spot of theatre, the Blue Room Theatre and State Theatre Centre are key players in keeping the thespian arts alive.

This article was updated on January 5, 2026.