Il Santo in Claremont Wants to Be Your New Local

Perth has become exceptionally good at special-occasion restaurants.

Between Gibney’s beachside glamour and Hearth’s fire-fuelled theatrics, we have no shortage of polished places for milestone anniversaries, birthdays or promotions, often requiring a booking, an intentionally chosen outfit and a modicum of financial recklessness.

The everyday restaurant – the one you visit twice a week rather than twice a year – is trickier to find and far harder for restaurants to pull off.

That’s the ambition behind Il Santo, the new Claremont restaurant by the team responsible for Il Lido and Canteen Pizza. It quietly opened in May with a simple proposition: good wine, good pasta and enough warmth to keep people coming back.

In Italy, that role has traditionally belonged to the osteria.

“An osteria has always been less about formality and more about atmosphere,” says managing director Lyndon Waples. “Traditionally, it was a place where people gathered regularly to enjoy a drink, eat and spend time together, often becoming part of the rhythm of daily life.”

That thinking shapes the venue from the ground up. Studio Gram has stripped the space and rebuilt it as a welcoming, softly lit space layered with travertine, timber and textured finishes that feel comfortably lived-in rather than freshly installed.

While dining is central to the experience, Il Santo is first and foremost wine-led. Overseen by wine director Michael Mori, the drinks list spans more than 100 predominantly Italian labels, with upwards of 30 available by the glass on any given day, alongside classic cocktails, spritzes and aperitivo favourites. Mondays offer a slight departure from the formula, with diners invited to bring a bottle from home.

The food menu is designed with the same flexibility in mind. Under executive chef Nicola Lunardi, guests can drop in for snacks made for sharing, such as skewers stacked with mortadella, Rottnest swordfish belly and local octopus, and the Shark Bay prawn sandwich, a nostalgic nod to the fish finger sandwiches of childhood. Pasta is made fresh daily, with more substantial plates, sides and Italian desserts on offer for those in it for the long haul.

The most personal dish on the menu is the mafaldine e fagioli. Lunardi’s version of the rustic bean and pasta dish traces back to his New Year’s Eve celebrations back home in Italy, where it would arrive on the table shortly after midnight.

“I remember my nonna soaking the beans in preparation with a huge smile on her face, knowing the ‘famiglia’ would all be together to celebrate,” says Lunardi. “I was only allowed a little glass of red wine mixed with Aranciata, but it was one of the highlights of the year.”

For Waples, Il Santo is more about a feeling than the food or drinks.

“We talked about how we wanted people to feel when they walked through the door. We wanted warmth. We wanted energy. We wanted a room that felt intimate enough for a midweek dinner but lively enough to linger in on a Friday night.”

It’s still early days, but many Claremont diners have already found themselves returning for a second or third visit in the four weeks since Il Santo opened its doors. For a venue chasing the increasingly elusive title of “local”, that’s a promising start.

Il Santo

16 Bay View Terrace, Claremont

(08) 9284 6090

Hours:

Mon & Tue 4pm–10pm

Wed closed

Thu–Sat midday–10pm

Sun closed

@ilsantoperth

www.ilsanto.com.au