Fremantle Restaurants

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Our first day in Perth we hopped on a train to Fremantle to explore and have some lunch. My wife and done some research prior to our trip and wanted to have lunch at Joe’s Fish Shack.

Joe’s is located right on the water of the Fishing Boat Harbour with good views. When we entered the restaurant it wasn’t too crowded; just a couple of tables of patrons (after all it was a week day). The host asked us if we had a preference of inside or on the covered patio. We chose to sit on the patio and were shown a nice table with a water view. We were handed menus and began to peruse all the tasty offerings. The menu had a nice selection of seafood dishes, chicken, beef as well as a nice variety of local fish specialties.

It didn’t take long for us to decide on our entrees. I chose the Joe’s Seafood Platter for One which was a combination of Salt & Pepper Squid, battered Fish and Chips, Coleslaw and stuffed Prawn. My wife chose the Salt & Pepper Squid with Chips. As a starter we ordered some of the Sourdough garlic Bread. It was ungodly hot out so I decided to forgo the beer and have an unsweetened iced tea while Liz had a Pepsi.

After we ordered; we settled into a state of relaxation. The water was a calming effect and there was so much activity in the harbour with the fishing boats pulling in and out. We hardly noticed our garlic bread arriving until the incredible smell hit our noses. Wow! This has to be the best garlic bread we have ever had. The garlic bread was thick slices of sourdough toast with both sides of the bread buttered and full of garlic. I drool now just remembering it….

Our platters of food arrived shortly after our appetizer was cleared. The portions here are definitely big and I’m glad we came hungry. My platter was very good. The Fish & Chips were well done with crispy coating and moist fish inside. The Salt & Pepper Squid was excellent and my wife loved hers as well. The stuffed Prawn was ok; nothing to rave about. We managed to eat until we were full but we did leave a considerable amount of food on our plates.

I was surprised how much I enjoyed this place. I thought it might be too touristy a joint but it was very nice. Service was good, food was tasty, portions were big and I loved the view. It made for a nice afternoon in Fremantle.

Eating out in Oz can be relatively expensive, so if you're on a budget - or trying to accommodate a broad range of tastes - one of the cheapest and most practical ways to eat is at one of the many food courts.

Food courts are dead easy to use. Having perused the options on offer and made your selection, simply place your order and pay for your food. You will then be given a number to display on your table, and your food will be brought to you once it's ready.

Drinks are served from a separate stall - most food halls are licenced, so can serve wine and beer as well as fruit juices and non-alcoholic drinks.

Seating is often at a premium - particularly at lunch time and early evening, so the best plan is usually to despatch a member of the party to locate and lay stake to seats whilst others are placing the orders.

Favorite Dish: This food hall in Freo is my favourite and is located diagonally opposite the Fremantle Markets. I confess - I am utterly addicted to the larb gai from the Siam Kitchen! If you have yet to experience this delight, larb gai is a dish of chicken mince stir fried with garlic, lemon grass, mixed through with fish sauce, lime juice, chopped mint and coriander after cooking and served with plain boiled rice ... YUM!

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This coffeehouse is the back of a double-storey art gallery that itself is well worth a look. The coffeehouse however serves up some of the best baked breakfasts in Freo and is famous amongst hungover party-goers everywhere.

Favorite Dish: There's a different menu every week, so telling you won't help much. The chefs basically take turns to create whatever they feel like that week - but I promise each and every item they turn out is as much a piece of art as the paintings hanging in the art gallery out back.

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All my Perth and Fremantle Tips seem to do with Pubs and Breweries - I wonder if that's a coincidence? *winks*

Monk has a fantastic paella selection on Mondays and it does very eccentric and particular beers at all times - I got a dark beer called the "Last Judgement" which was very bitter and very strong. I enjoyed it heartily along with my huge platter of food.

Favorite Dish: Vegetarian Platter:

2 slices of Zuchini Frittata, Tempura, three rolls of bread along with a great Olive Oil dip and crumblings. It's a very fancy and filling platter.

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There are four of these awesome things: one here in Fremantle, one in Subiaco, one is Leederville and one in Perth CBD.

Each one serves up fantastic burgers featuring unique and complex sauces - every single one of wihch is delicious. They come with a serve of pickles and thick-cut chips and potentially a drink.

The walls are usually covered with fancy street-art and the staff are bohemians in appearance, fitting with the artistic flavour of the burgers they create. All foodstuffs are locally produced and sourced.

Favorite Dish: Vegetarian Tempeh Burger with paprika aoili sauce.

Ohhh... doesn't it just sound delicious? The tempeh is warm and soft to the touch and it tastes like chickpea until you bite down far enough into the burger and BAM! Paprika explodes in your mouth like the taste of heaven.

It's so good I got it twice. In a row.

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What can I even say?

It's a clossal venue - front yard table service, backyard on the water table service, and a huge two-storey warehouse inbetween where you can sit, order a pint and a snack or even full meal, and appreciate everything going on around you. The staff are dedicated and usually dress up for work.

I am flat-out in love with this place and went several times during my stay. They are always busy, which just means that everyone agrees on how good this place is. You can even get away with wearing beachclothes and flipflops too.

Favorite Dish: Veggie Nachos - the plate is hot but the food is brilliant. Any single one of the on-the-spot woodfired pizzas is awesome as well.

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Now this is a nice quiet place to have a brew and spin some yarns - the space is warm and inviting, with both mood-lit outdoors and bright-lit indoor areas, and the drinks come in only one size: pint.
Unlike most of the places in Fremantle, they happily accept EFTPOS.

Drinks on tap are a wide range of beers including the entire James Squire's range from Golden Ale to Amber. Food

Favorite Dish: Salt and Pepper Squid with Coriander.

I don't eat fish, but my friend got this dish and it looked delish. Well presented and very, very fresh.

This "Tea Shop" (it's much more than that), serves hearty breakfasts, morning and afternoon teas, Devonshire teas, A La Carte lunches, take-aways and can provide special menus for groups .
Much of the china used is old and beautiful, and the seating is arranged in the same shop area as the antiques.
You can browse the antiques (lots of old china, glass, jewellery and bric-a-brac , as well as some items of furniture)while you wait for your food, and then choose whether to sit inside or out on the pavement.

Favorite Dish: The cakes all looked amazing, I had trouble choosing!
I ended up with a slice of creme brulee tart, and a cappuchino, it was absolutley delicious!