Make no mistake, WA’s bar culture is thriving – and with new establishments opening at what can often feel like breakneck speed, it shows no signs of slowing down. Indeed, the state has come a long way since pioneering and now-institutional small bars like Ezra Pound (198 William St, Northbridge; ezrapound.com.au) and the Mechanics’ Institute (222 William St, Northbridge; mechanicsinstitutebar.com.au) arrived on the scene at the end of the 2000s and early 2010s.
Today, the breadth and diversity of drinking experiences in Perth not only seems to be rippling out to Fremantle and the furthest edges of the city, but also to the farthest corners of the state, with venues like Dunsborough’s Lady Lola (4/16 Cyrillean Way, Dunsborough; ladylola.com.au) and Liberté (162 Sterling Tce, Albany; libertealbany.com.au) in Albany making big splashes in recent years. Throw in first-rate pubs, an overwhelming number of world-class cellar doors, distillery bars and brewery taprooms, and it all becomes a rather extraordinary package deal.
The highlights of my visit are far too many to mention, but if I had to whittle it down a handful, here they are. Arrive thirsty, pull up a pew and get comfortable.
An underground bar in a former bank vault
Foxtrot Unicorn, The WA Good Food Guide’s 2021 Bar of the Year, seems like a logical place to start. Down below the city streets in a former bank vault that also once housed the Western Australian Club, it’s now home to some of Perth’s most awarded bartenders (including this year’s WAGFG Bartender of the Year, manager Shirley Yeung) who are mixing tip-top drinks in a cavernous and clubby saloon of sorts, with plenty of poky corners. Never have I ever had a finer 50/50 Sazerac.
Foxtrot Unicorn
Basement level, 101 St Georges Tce, Perth
foxtrotunicorn.com
The regional pub with a world-class wine list
On the surface, Settlers Tavern (or “The Tav” as it’s affectionately known) might seem like your sprawling everyday alehouse, smack bang in the beating heart of a wine-country town. That all changes when the wine list is placed in your hands. It’s a masterpiece of epic proportions, put together by co-owners Karen and Rob Gough, with more awards to its name than you can count on your fingers and toes, that pulls together the best of the best from across the globe and annotates the selections in tremendous detail. Great effort and care are taken in sourcing local, sustainably caught seafood and putting together a live music program that will keep you there until the wee hours.
Settlers Tavern
114 Bussell Hwy, Margaret River
settlerstavern.com
A distillery bar that’s a level up
Yes, it’s a distillery bar, but Republic of Fremantle never feels too heavily branded or sacrifices the quality of drinks for the sake of showcasing the vodka and gin distilled on-site. Quite the opposite, in fact. Cocktails here are a cut above, unafraid to showcase high-wire technique and play with exciting flavours (eucalyptus honey, toasted rice, golden beetroot). Ditto head chef Emily Jones’s snappy, savvy snacks, which scored her the gong for Young Chef of the Year.
Republic of Fremantle
3 Pakenham St, Fremantle
republicoffremantle.com
New-wave drinking and snacking on William Street
If cracking bottles of wine on a bustling stretch of William Street is your idea of a good time, you are pretty spoilt for choice these days. But if the wines you seek come from vines that are tended by hand, farmed without chemicals and bottled with minimal (if any) additions by legendary lo-fi producers, then there is no better place than Wines of While.
Wines of While
458 William St, Perth
winesofwhile.com
An old guard winemaker doing new-school things
Vanya Cullen is a force to be reckoned with in the world of wine, a visionary who has both carried on her family’s remarkable legacy in Margaret River and pushed it even further through her steadfast approach to biodynamic farming at Cullen Wines. The winery and cellar door have an endlessly rustic charm, exceeded only by the surrounding vines and gardens. Then, of course, there is the matter of the wine itself. My advice? Book a tasting that includes the exquisite Kevin John chardonnay and Diana Madeline cabernet blend, or go all-out and stay for a four-course lunch at the Cullen Biodynamic Wine Room, which highlights produce that may very well have been picked hours before you sat down.
Cullen Wines
4323 Caves Rd, Wilyabrup
cullenwines.com.au
A Fremantle hangout with exceptional cocktails
I rocked up to Strange Company by myself, late on a Sunday afternoon, and was made to feel more welcome than I sometimes do at my own mother’s house – and that’s a lot. Every aspect of the drinks offering at this schmick little hangout is on song, but I’d be lying if I said the cocktails weren’t the highlight. I won’t soon forget a thrilling concoction consisting of sweet vermouth, Cynar, chestnut and gin washed in sesame oil. Pure wow.
Strange Company
5 Nairn St, Fremantle
strangecompany.com.au
A den of good times with a nautical theme (now closed)
It’s practically impossible not to fall in love with Rodney’s Bait ’n Tackle the moment you walk in. Who doesn’t want to drink a Dark & Stormy propped up against an antique boat that also happens to be the bar itself, underneath a giant shark, surrounded by a veritable sea of nautical odds and ends?
Rodney’s Bait ’n Tackle
598 Stirling Hwy, Mosman Park
rodneysbar.com.au
Please remember to drink responsibly.
Published December 2021.