Cheerio Coffee, a Takeaway Coffee Window and Micro-Bakery, Opens in West Perth

The bourekas at Cheerio Coffee, an itty-bitty coffee window and bakery that opened in December, are terrific. Filled with three different types of cheese – goat’s ricotta, pecorino, feta – and armoured with seeds and spice, they’re a resounding win for vegetarian deliciousness. The cinnamon buns, knotted like balls of oversized brioche wool, are also a good time and something I want to revisit soon – just as long as I leave enough space to try whatever sandwich (made with house bread, naturally) is on when I visit.

In short: Cheerio might be small, but its changing daily selection of baked goods may cause big problems for those that struggle with making decisions. Courtney Gibb – co-owner, together with wife Simone Gibb, of Cheerio – isn’t trying to fan the flames of FOMO: he’s just easing back into Perth’s hospitality landscape after a two-year sabbatical.

“I wanted a bricks-and-mortar space of my own where I could bake things that I enjoyed cooking and eating,” Gibb, who seems to be enjoying his return to the hospo scene, tells Broadsheet.

If Gibb’s name isn’t immediately familiar, you’re likely aware of his previous workplaces. After finishing up at Shenton Park’s legendary Star Anise, he was head chef at Greenhouse, where he cooked alongside fellow Star Anise alum, Matt Stone. He then spent seven years with Mary Street Bakery, where he worked his way up to the head baker position. While Cheerio’s cosy one-man bakehouse represents a change of scenery and scale for Gibb, it’s a workplace that suits Gibb’s life as a young father.

“At Mary Street, there used to be an hour when I’d be by myself in the bakery,” he says. “I always enjoyed that kind of peace and quiet before the rush started and the cavalry came in.”

West Perth locals may well be familiar with Cheerio Coffee’s location, if they frequented this coffee window while it was the original Cleaver Street Coffee. As a local resident, Gibb was a Cleaver Street Coffee regular, and he hopes Cheerio can serve the community as its predecessor did. One month in and some signatures are starting to emerge. Those bourekas and cinnamon buns, unsurprisingly, are Cheerio’s bestsellers. Sandwich fillings change regularly but the bread will always be a tin-loaf sourdough baked using flour milled in-house. Filled focaccias are part of the weekend offering. The coffee is from Five Senses, while a bench out front provides locals with somewhere to sit at and watch the world – and Cleaver Street – pass by.

Cheerio Coffee
50 Cleaver Street, West Perth

Hours:
Mon to Sat 6am–1.30pm

@cheeriocoffeewestperth