The 8 Best Spots For Burgers, Barbecue & Ribs In Perth
In typically American fashion, US-inspired food has now fully invaded the West Australian shore, and can be found populating small bars and whisky hangouts across the city. Luckily, this is a happy culinary coalition, with most Perthians delighted to explore barbecue plates and upscale experimentation on traditional American fare. Here’s eight of the best.
RELATED: THE 7 BEST HIDDEN BARS IN PERTH
#1 Pleased to Meet You
Where: 38 Roe St, Northbridge
PTMY likes to think of itself as an “indoor food truck” with a mess hall set up to share small plates with your mates. Upon entering, you can smell the coal-roasted suckling pig almost immediately. Weekly $15 beer and burger specials are budget-friendly, and the dessert menu features ice-cream nachos and smores, in keeping with the Americana feels. The menu equally draws inspo from Central and South America, so expect some variation from garden variety “dude food” offerings – bonus points for some of the best bar-tending staff in Perth, fronting an extensive whisky collection with alcoholic expertise.
#2 Old Faithful Bar & BBQ
Where: 86 King St, Perth
Meat is Old Faithful’s specialty, with delicious cuts slow cooked and smoked for up to 36 hours before dining, and in-house rubs and spices blending traditional American and Australian flavours. Food is served on cafeteria style trays, and sides include warm corn bread with maple butter, fried potatoes, and red bean with rice – classic USA eats perfectly complimented by attentive and friendly staff that might just be the best team in town. Look for it on Perth’s upscale King Street in the CBD, but be sure to get in early as those seats fill up quick!
#3 Miss Kitty’s Saloon
Where: 882 Beaufort St, Inglewood
Miss Kitty’s in Mount Lawley is a local favourite, serving brunch and supper just outside the city from 8:57am in the morning and from 5:27pm at night (seriously). A warm atmosphere is generated by the cowboy style décor and cheerful staff, who make any dining experience a treat – and that’s before we even get to the food. Canadian specialties are thrown in the mix here, with poutine and snapper served alongside beef chilli, pickled peach slaw and some absolutely divine double-smoked, Memphis dry-rubbed pork ribs with hot sauce (a mandatory order – you won’t be disappointed). For brunch, you’ll find chicken ‘n’ waffles, smoked quail, breakfast beans, flap jacks with maple butter and even a pulled pork brioche sandwich with figs and jalapeño crisps, blending dinner with breakfast in the tastiest way possible.
#4 Brooklyn Lounge
Where: 14/22 St Quentin Ave, Claremont
Hot dogs meet hip-hop at Brooklyn Lounge in the Claremont Quarter, with beats and eats every Wednesday evening from 5pm. The café and restaurant serves breakfast and dinner Tuesday through Sunday, with an extensive cocktail list labelled after America’s finest, including Busta Rhymes, Coney Island, the Upper East Side and the apple pie-infused Barbara Streisand. For breakfast, ask for your feed in either Biggie or Smalls size, and come dinner treat yo’ self to meatballs, pesto burgers, flat bread pizza, bocconcini and antipasto platters straight out of Little Italy.
#5 The Merrywell
Where: Great Eastern Highway, Crown Perth Entertainment Complex, Burswood
Part of Perth’s bustling Crown Casino precinct, The Merrywell is popular with both young and old in search of a solid feed. For breakfast, you’ll find $3 bottomless, diner-style drip coffee with New York bagels, steak ‘n’ eggs and breakfast mini burgers, with crackling turkey legs, barbecue duck sloppy joes, pork ribs, waygu meatballs, jerk chicken and a series of American-style steaks rounding out the all-day and dinner menus. But be sure to leave room for dessert too, which comes served in jars full of sweets like chocolate and walnut brownies, key lime cheesecakes, peanut butter and chocolate cakes, apple crumble and an adults-only ‘salted caramel bourbon blast,’ complete with a full shot of bourbon to wash it down. Make it down here early to secure a table as they don’t take bookings and the place is packed out almost every night – but rest assured if you do miss out, The Merrywell Food Truck is bringing the goods all across the city.
#6 Varsity Bar & Burgers
Where: 70 Aberdeen St, Northbridge and 88 Broadway, Crawley
Widely touted as some of the best burgers in Perth, Varsity has just opened a new hole-in-the-wall burger bar in the Northbridge entertainment district, in addition to the flagship restaurant in Nedlands. College-meets-sport bar vibes reign supreme here, both in menu and décor – the Nedlands branch features a strong gaming set up, complete with foosball table, PlayStations, table tennis and a Big Buck Hunter machine. Food-wise, expect high-quality frat boy eats along the lines of chilli cheese fries, mac’n’cheese, devil wings and pulled pork nachos, along with top-notch burgers and hot dogs with all the trimmings. Chow down while watching NBL and American football on the telly.
#7 Varnish on King
Where: 75 King St, Perth
For an upscale American experience, head to Varnish on King. Sharing the same street as Louis Vuitton and Tiffany’s, this basement level restaurant may be a little tricky to find, but it has a whisky list as long as your arm that makes any searching completely worthwhile. You’ll find the expected American fare, but with a fine-dining twist – think mac ‘n’ cheese with bone marrow and spec, spiced cauliflower beignets, tator tots with chipotle hot sauce and crème fraiche, and baby corn with red pepper caviar and crispy duck tongue.
#8 The Old Crow
Where: 172 Newcastle St, Perth
Southern and Creole fare dominates at The Old Crow, the soul food eatery just outside Northbridge. Open for supper only, be sure to book well in advance as the word has spread that this place has got the goods. Seven nights a week diners snack on spicy hush puppies, pig head terrine and smokey eggplant with ricotta; large share plates feature red wine rabbit, pork sausage casserole and “beer braised pork butt.” The drinks list will be sure to impress too, with the Southern leanings extending into pitchers to share between two – try New Orleans Nutmeg, Louisana Iced Tea and Alabama Slammers if you need to whet your whistle.
(Lead image: Old Faithful Bar & BBQ)
