Subiaco has literally scores of places to eat, drink and replenish.
Dianne Bortoletto scouts out the best lunch spots, no matter what mood you’re in.
Ladies Who Lunch
Cherubino City Cellar is just as much a place to be seen as it is a fabulous place to eat and drink. The elegant fit out, designer touches and walls lined with bottled wine (for sale) will have you dreaming of Europe and the menu will transport you to Italy. Rather than being formal, the vibe is relaxed sophistication. Gather the girls, book ahead, and languish over a long lunch in a secluded dining area, or on sofas with coffee tables, in a corner nook, or simply perch at the bar. The excellent wine list features many Italian, and WA wines including Cherubino’s own labels AD Hoc, The Yard, Laissez Faire, Pedestal, and Apostrophe. The menu is simple Italian bar food done exceptionally well with spuntini (bite-sized snacks), caviar, antipasti, primo, insalata (salads) and dolce (sweets). Think San Daniele prosciutto e melone, stracciatella and roasted peppers, asparagus with whipped ricotta and pine nuts, veal cotoletta with slaw and more. Leave room for dessert, there’s cannoli and tiramisu. Cherubino has all the right ingredients to while away the afternoon and evening.
Cherubino City Cellar, 169-171 Rokeby Road, Subiaco (entry via Xanthis Lane)
Bottomless Brunch & Lunch
If bottomless mimosas and an all day brunch sound good to you, then head straight to corner café Mimosa. The small, licensed eatery has tables inside and kerbside and along with the standard brekkie, brunch and lunch, it offers a bottomless brunch and lunch. Free-flowing drinks include their signature mimosa made with sparkling wine, grapefruit juice and orange juice, Bloody Mary, pale ale, cider, prosecco, rosé spritzer, Tiisch sangria and wines. The menu features a mix of brunch favourites like eggs benedict and smashed avo and lunch options include the delicious brunch gnocchi served with a spicy shakshuka sauce and a soft poached egg and a superfood salad because it’s all about balance, right? There are cold pressed juices, smoothie specials and locally roasted single origin Dark Corner coffee.
Mimosa, 1 Forrest St, Subiaco
The Business of Lunch
There are several places that fit the bill for a business lunch in Subiaco, including the historic Subiaco Hotel. While it might be a little rowdier in the front bar and after dark, during the day the restaurant serves consistent good food. It gets the tick for a working lunch because of its well-spaced out tables, which means that you can talk business without people sitting on top of you. There are also several choices for functions and private dining areas that cater for small and large groups.
Subiaco Hotel, corner of Rokeby and Hay Streets, Subiaco
On level 9 inside the Vibe Hotel which is tucked away on Alvan Street is the Storehouse, rooftop restaurant and bar that offers panoramic views across to the Perth city skyline. The handcrafted menu is curated with regionally sourced produce and service is wholesome and welcoming.
Storehouse, 9 Alvan Street, Subiaco
Escape to Europe
This cute European-themed eatery, Accent Café is fast-becoming a firm favourite. There’s a small terrace out the front, perfect for street watching, and inside, it’s a little like walking into a house, with small intimate dining areas and friendly service. The charming back courtyard is filled with potted plants, hanging greenery and a large arched window that’ll have you dreaming of a Euro getaway. The menu is of course influenced by French, Italian and Spanish flavours and if you fancy practising your language skills, most of the staff are European too which just adds to the café’s authenticity.
Accent Café, 292 Hay Street, Subiaco
Mediterranean Taste has returned to Subiaco but this time in its own premises. For three years, Hedi operated Mediterranean Taste within the Subiaco Markets and was known by customers for his charm, friendly banter and tasty authentic food. His bubbly personality, top-notch service and delectable eats have always attracted regular customers, and it’s an approach which continues in their new corner position at the bottom of Rokeby Road. Linger longer over gorgeous southern European dishes like seafood paella (saffron-flecked and delicious), comforting Moroccan lamb tagine and Mumatz mixed grill which pretty much ticks all the boxes. And they’re all served with a smile as warm as the Mediterranean sun.
Mediterranean Taste, 1 Rokeby Road, Subiaco
The Brewery Lunch
New kid of the block, Golden West Brewery is a welcome addition to Hay Street. Inside the warehouse, high ceilings and a bar flanking one side with the kitchen beyond is big yet welcoming. It adjoins a large alfresco area dotted with striped umbrellas, and inside toward the back is the open brewery operations. Forget burgers and chicken parmas, Golden West’s menu is anything but typical pub grub. Split into small and large share plates, Head Chef Dheeraj (DJ) Khanna has designed a unique menu that combines Australian and European favourites with South Asian spices. The food is worthy of a visit, think house-made naan, lamb and veal koftas, heirloom tomato salad and scotch fillet with salsa verde and charred broccolini. The beer is pretty good too, the lager and pale ale going down easily, and you’ll find more beer and from other breweries offered on tap, along with cocktails and wine. There’s an upbeat vibe, a giant wooden jenga set and it’s popular with the thirty-something crowd. Go early, it was absolutely heaving on a Friday night and busy on a late Saturday arvo.
Golden West Brewing Co, 399 Hay St, Subiaco
The Liquid Lunch
There are times to let your hair down and start getting on it a little earlier, and a liquid lunch is the way to do it. Fenway is an old school Boston-inspired pub and sports bar great for burgers, pints and punt on the ponies. Classic grill-house Squires Loft (now under new ownership) serves hearty meals specialising in grass fed steaks cooked over flames, ribs, and a good old surf and turf. Just behind is The Village Bar, a tucked away pub with 15 beers on tap and more than 20 wines by the glass serving pizzas, tacos, burgers as well as pasta, poke bowls and salads.
