All the New Perth Restaurant, Cafe and Bar Openings We Got Excited About This Autumn

As autumn comes to an end, we can appreciate all the great things that came with it. Though the leaves may have fallen and the days are getting colder, Perth’s dining scene is heating up.

Here – in alphabetical order – are seven new Perth venues Broadsheet covered over the last three months.

Avalon, Claremont

Mediterranean philosophies guide the kitchen at Avalon, a 120-seat restaurant inside The Grove Residences in Claremont. It’s the latest venture from the team behind Cup & Co in Floreat and, while the menu leans Greek and Italian, the approach is broader. Dishes like vine leaf-wrapped snapper with preserved lemon and roasted tomatoes nod to more traditional Greek cooking, while looser interpretations like prawn macarons with sea urchin and crisp basil leaves hold equal weight. With live music throughout the week, the experience at Avalon is layered: refined dining, but warm and lived-in.

Bar Ole, Iluka

Earlier this year, husband-and-wife duo Ryan and Nikki Esqulant opened Bar Ole, a warm and lively tapas bar in coastal Iluka. Located upstairs in the Iluka Plaza, the space is unpretentious. Using produce that is either grown in WA or imported from Spain, the chefs create everything from classic tapas to heartier grilled dishes such as rib eye, Spanish jerk chicken, pork loin and market fish. The drinks list follows suit and is almost exclusively made of Western Australian or Spanish wines – an exception is French champagne. A short cocktail list offers red and white sangria, as well as fruity takes on classic cocktails.

Be Free, East Perth

After quietly becoming one of Subiaco’s cult coffee and brunch hotspots, organic cafe Be Free has moved to greener and grander pastures at Perth City Farm, where its produce-driven ethos feels more prevalent than ever. Surrounded by community garden beds and fruit trees, the dishes at Be Free are shaped by what’s growing nearby or sourced from the Saturday farmer’s market. The cafe offers an all-day breakfast and lunch menu that includes umami-forward miso mushrooms as well as the wild-caught smoked salmon crumpets.

Charim, Northbridge

Charim, opened by chef-owner Hyan Cha, takes its cues from Korean kisa sikdang diners, a fast-paced canteen-style restaurant designed for taxi drivers. Its Northbridge dining room has just 12 tables and takes no reservations. It serves a traditional set menu with dishes that land simultaneously. The centrepiece will be one of four Korean staples: futari Wagyu bulgogi, osam bulgogi (a sweet-spicy surf’n’turf of squid and pork belly), spicy pork, or bibimbap. Each comes with a bowl of rice, a bowl of yukgaejang (a rich soup of beef and vegetables) and seven banchan (seasonal side dishes). Banchan at Charim include house-made kimchi and rolled omelette with fermented pollock roe, raw Shark Bay prawns in a fiery marinade, seasoned acorn jelly, and crisp grilled mackerel, a dish so popular with diners that its temporary removal from the menu sparked an Instagram outcry.

Deadbeat, CBD

This CBD speakeasy takes you back to a time when headbanging and skate culture were all the rage. Tucked down a CBD laneway, Deadbeat ’s gritty fit-out pays homage to the unapologetic defiance of ’80s and ’90s subcultures. The drinks list will regularly change, but you can expect a variety of relics from the past like snake venom (lemon vodka, melon, sour apple and acid) and electric juice (a house juice blend with a choice of spirit), as well as a range of boilermakers.

Light Years, CBD

When east coast restaurant group Light Years announced it would make the trip west to open a venue in the Perth CBD, it felt like an unexpected move. But, when you see the sprawling modern diner in the 140 William Street precinct, it seems like a natural fit. Modern Asian dishes are designed to share, and include Moreton Bay bug rolls, cumin lamb pancakes and their signature lobster rolls. It’s accompanied by a meticulously crafted wine list and a variety of classic and unexpected cocktails.

Pinos, Subiaco

Meet Pinos, Perth’s first dedicated empanada bakery, which brings a taste of South America to a Subiaco shopfront. Husband-wife duo Axel and Brooke Pino serve golden, hand-crimped pastries in a tight list of 12 flavours. Beyond empanadas, expect cold-pressed juices, barista-made coffee and alfajores.

Ten and Sen, Leederville

Ten and Sen spicy Hokkaido-style ramen bowls are decorated with a colourful array of WA’s vegetables. Its monthly “tapas” rotation includes karaage with Fremantle octopus and a spread of Platta Cheese slices. Each bowl of ramen has toasted broccoli (with a light tempura crisp), tomatoes, red onions and seasonal vegetables. Ten and Sen is an example of how local produce can continue a long culinary tradition – even one that started 8000 kilometres away.

Additional reporting by Lucy Bell Bird, Jasmine Loda-Batey, and Jessica Rigg, Sarah Schmitt, Madeline Wallman and Ange Yang.