Drink, Dine & Brunch: The Best Restaurants in Perth's Northern Suburbs
Chic coastal spots for indulging in some of the best food and wine in the city. These are the best restaurants in the northern suburbs in Perth.
With younger couples looking to buy their slice of the Perth coastal lifestyle but priced out of go-to beachy areas such as Cottesloe and City Beach, investing in the Northern Beaches areas of Watermans Bay, Mullaloo, Hillarys, Trigg and North Beach has found new appeal. They're also quickly becoming the coastal city epicentres for those living in surrounding suburbs.
Once the home of retirees and more established families, and playing host to a few tired restaurants and suburban cafés, independent, creative retail and hospitality offerings are now opening up left, right and centre, and just a few streets back from the water.
The food and drink scene in particular is expanding to tasty new heights. So, without further ado, these are the best restaurants in northern suburbs Perth.
Best Restaurants Northern Suburbs Perth: North Beach
Mister D'Arcy
Artisanal but cheeky fresh food and elegant, friendly service are bound by timeless vibes and beautiful aesthetics at North Beach's Mister D'Arcy. The world class wine list and cutting edge cocktails, cool music day and night, and their trademark blazing open fires also help to make this one of the coolest spots to drink and dine in the northern coastal 'burbs.
We love to pick at freshly shucked oysters and their delicious selection of sashimi while there, sitting pretty surrounded by vintage furniture, lighting and knick-knacks. Have we mentioned they have a dedicated gluten-free dedicated menu as well? Very impressive!
97 Flora Terrace, North Beach
Spinifex Brewing Co.
Nestled along West Coast Drive, Spinifex North Beach boasts panoramic views of the stunning Indian Ocean. Soak in the sun, sand and golden evening sunsets while enjoying their sophisticated ocean fare, premium craft beers, wines and cocktails.
Delightful breakfasts and takeaway coffees are also popular here, and the welcoming team enjoying placing refreshing new twists on their dishes, typically inspired by native Indigenous botanicals and local ingredients.
Sitchu Tip: We love their Thursday to Sunday cocktail happy hour, from 3-5pm, or settling in for a tasty parma and pint with their Friday special.
251 W Coast Drive, North Beach
Best Restaurants Northern Suburbs Perth: Scarborough
SKOL, Scarborough
A hidden slice of Scandi on the fringe of Scarborough, SKOL is a gorgeous bar to recline in post-swim, and enjoy a fancy feast of gravlax and oysters, stracciatella with heirloom tomatoes and peaches, charred carrots with carrot puree, dukkah and yoghurt, and boards of charcuterie and cheese. All mopped up with some delicious charred bread, of course. Expect natural wines and Scandi-inspired cocktails too. Light, bright and airy, and with service that's friendly and completely lacking in pretension, it's one of the best spots in the northern coastal 'burbs to drink and dine, to cheers and have a good time.
35 Ewen Street, Scarborough
El Grotto
You’ll find some of Scarborough’s best Mexican food at El Grotto on the Esplanade, and it’s the perfect place to grab a casual and delicious meal in the northern suburbs.
This breezy beachside gem has been known to host a fiesta or two, with live music, DJ sets and an impressive list of cocktails and spirits. Be sure to say 'salud' with glasses of sangria, spicy margs and mandarin spritz and tuck into barbacoa octopus empanadas and bowls of queso, guacamole and chips.
5/148 The Esplanade, Scarborough
Best Restaurants Northern Suburbs Perth: Cervantes
The Lobster Shack
While this one’s a tad further out than the rest (about two hours’ drive from Perth), it’s absolutely worth the drive (especially as the drive is along the coastline). A family owned company, The Thompsons’ Lobster Shack is the complete surf lifestyle experience - from tours of the factory to guided seal-watching trips, SUP hire, and of course, the award-winning seafood creations. The Cervantes Octopus Salad is a winner, as is the WA fresh abalone, but if you want the real Shack experience, you have to go either the Lobster Shack Roll (with their special fishermans’ sauce) or the small whole lobster with garlic butter. Round out the day with a Simmo’s Ice Cream cone and a swim at Hansen’s Bay Beach.
37 Catalonia Street, Cervantes
Best Restaurants Northern Suburbs Perth: Carine
Regular Coffee Company
A nice little gem if you’re on the road and slightly more inland than the coastal highway, and perhaps headed into the city for work, RCC is a perfect pick-up coffee on your commute spot. Or sit down and enjoy your brekkie over the paper, with an all-day breakfast menu and all-day brunch on weekends, and fresh home-made burgers for the office lunch run for anyone working in the Carine area. Artisan coffee from local roastery Twin Peaks, and the availability of batch brew, elevates this spot into something special.
Located at 2/10 Gemstone Boulevard, Carine, just off Marmion Avenue
Best Restaurants Northern Suburbs Perth: Waterman's Bay
The Little Bay
Sunshine, swing chairs and service with a smile - The Little Bay is one of the best cafes and restaurants in Perth's northern suburbs.
It's the perfect place to take in the natural beauty of Watermans Bay while enjoying locally sourced, sustainable and seasonal fresh food, craft beers and wine.
Hands down one of the most aesthetically-pleasing venues on West Coast Highway, The Little Bay has stolen the show with its bohemian coastal chic interiors. It's somewhat of an indoor-plant and white-washed-creamy-rattan dreamland in there (don’t be surprised if you see a photoshoot happening while you’re munching your brunch).
Brunch is king here - expect to line up (or swing in a hanging woven basket chair with a coffee while you wait) if you don’t have a booking. They also have a winning selection of cocktails for that relaxed early afternoon vibe, paired with lunch dishes like chicken thigh skewers with truffle butter and charred lemon, grilled peach salad with stracciatella cheese, and shoestring fries for days. Simple, but excellently executed.
33 West Coast Drive, Waterman’s Bay
Best Restaurants Northern Suburbs Perth: Trigg
CANTEEN
An upmarket beach kiosk, CANTEEN is the barefoot little sister of Island Market, the perfect spot to grab a coffee and a bacon and egg roll and get on your way, or sit down out front with the seabreeze and enjoy a sit down breakfast: the smoothie bowls, or the maple-cured bacon and eggs are local favourites. From 11, grab something more filling - tuck into a halloumi burger, fish and chips or a salad. A playground next door, a kids menu, as well as plenty of carparks, make it a great family-friendly option.
364 West Coast Drive, Trigg
Island Market
With plenty of room and stellar views of Trigg Beach, Island Market is a go-to for nice lunches with friends and birthday dinners. Its pink hued, Miami-style interior theme adds edgy undercurrent to its airy coastal chic vibe.
This is the primo place to relax with friends and share a woodfired pita, or a plate of squid or oysters, or something more upmarket and hearty, like steak or pork belly. A substantial wine list takes you from Margaret River to Greece, with an ‘island’ theme to the international wine choices, as well as a lick of Levantine wine to match the cuisine. Whatever you do, don’t pass up the passionfruit semifreddo for dessert.
364 West Coast Drive, Trigg
Best Restaurants Northern Suburbs Perth: Jindalee
The Beach House
Loved by locals, this beachfront restaurant and bar is severely underrated on the restaurant map, and is an ideal spot for a long lunch or afternoon session. Designed by the award-winning Studio Gram (who were shortlisted by the Australian Interior Design Awards for this space) the interiors at The Beach House are a soothing mix of natural timbres, tan leathers, with dark green leather bench-seats and foliage, and muted terrazzo tabletops. The building is designed especially so you can watch the waves of the Indian Ocean roll in; with unmatched views from every aspect of the venue.
Come for the breezy oceanfront location, stay for fridges packed with the craftiest choices and the sharing-style menu offering an array of creative seafood options and inventive takes on staple dishes.
Simply put, it's one of the best restaurants in Northern Suburbs Perth to catch up with mates, dive into a long lunch or have dinner with the family.
Eden Beach Foreshore Park, 100 Aurora Esplanade, Jindalee
Best Restaurants Northern Suburbs Perth: Karrinyup
Dandelion
From the team behind The Standard, The Royal, Fleur and Willi’s, Dandelion offers a wine list that leans into the fun and flirty, as well as a rotating tap selection across their two bars/ The incredible cocktails on offer have the benefit of the venue’s own in-house distillery. Fancy, no?
Yes, you heard that right. Dandelion go one step further than most venues, and make their own artisanal spirits under the banner Dandelion Spirit Co. Their Vodka and Gin are distilled in small batches in an onsite copper till, and infused with a mix of experimental modern Australian flavours, making the Cocktail Menu a must try.
Dandelion Vodka, lemongrass, lychee and elderflower come together for the Lychee-ini Dandelini, or The Passionate Ex is a cocktail made for a warm Perth afternoon: Dandelion Gin, Prosecco, Campari and Passionfruit.
Food wise, a wood fired oven gives perfectly charred soul to most dishes, so don't overlook the ‘Over Fire’ menu. From Vietnamese roasted half chicken with roasted peanut, cucumber, green mango and soft herbs to 12 hour slow roasted beef short rib, wood roasted cauliflower and oyster mushroom yellow curry to WA rock lobster with tangerine vinegar butter, sea herbs and black garlic salt, every dish is a work of art. The small dish menu is also hard to go past; and don’t miss the Dandelion gin and mandarin sorbet for dessert.
West Deck Food Precinct, Westfield, 200 Karrinyup Road, Karrinyup
Good Company Bar
The West Deck food and dining precinct at Karrinyup has brought inner-city culture to the suburbs. With a Miami Beach aesthetic and a beer hall atmosphere, Three Pound Group’s Good Company offers the ideal spot for lunch with friends, an after work drink, or a pre-or-post movie meal, with the cinema just next door.
Craft beer brands abound (Running With Thieves, Bevy Brewing, Little Creatures) and are perfectly paired with pizzas, fish tacos, bao buns and hearty salads.
Head in on a Saturday for Motel, a bottomless brunch with three-course share style menu with three perfectly paired cocktails, plus two hours of Prosecco, wine and beer.
West Deck Food Precinct, Westfield, 200 Karrinyup Road, Karrinyup
After enjoying a bite to eat at one of the best restaurants in northern suburbs Perth, continue your feasting adventures with a visit to the city's best restaurants, or indulge in a sweet or savoury pick-me-up from one of the top bakeries in Perth.
