This long weekend may feel a little different to the usual Easter exodus. Anecdotally, fewer people seem to be leaving town. Whether by design or circumstance, Perth is, for once, the main event.
Naturally, the mind wanders. If you were to design a perfect long weekend of eating out in Perth, built around places you have been meaning to try, or have been quietly craving a return to, where would you go?
What follows is a loose itinerary. Like any good plan, there is room to move.
Thursday: Begin in Fremantle
Start by logging off early on Thursday afternoon – naughty but necessary. Pre plan an overnight stay in Fremantle at Garde Hotel, which makes a strong case for keeping things local and finally ticking that “we need to get to Freo more often” box.
Drinks at Beaconsfield Wine Bar set the tone. Let staff guide you through a smart, minimal-intervention leaning list, spotlighting producers like Gentle Folk, Brave New Wine and LS Merchants, alongside a thoughtful edit of European bottles and well-considered non-alcoholic options. The food more than holds its own. Warm focaccia, well-chosen small plates, and the kind of menu that encourages you to stay for one more round.
From here, consider dinner nearby. Anglesea, Cassia or La Lune, each offering a different expression of Fremantle dining, from fire-led cooking to French bistro classics to more relaxed, produce-driven plates.
Finish the night with a nightcap at Darling Darling, Ode to Sirens or Patio Bar.
Friday: A One-Off Worth Planning Around
The morning is best kept simple. Breakfast, then a swim at South Beach. Stroll around Fremantle Markets and follow our guide to some of the best things to eat as a mid-morning snack.
Now, the all-important question of where to lunch. Madalena’s is offering a one-off Good Friday four-course menu, and it is worth planning around. A cornerstone of South Fremantle dining, it does what it has always done best: exceptional local seafood, handled with confidence and restraint, in a room that hums with energy. Settle in and let the afternoon stretch.
From here, wander to The Local Hotel or The Norfolk for a few afternoon beers, then home for a proper reset. Shower, regroup, and step things up.
Dinner shifts the mood. Gibney, WAGFG’s Restaurant of the Year, is always a good idea, particularly when the brief is simple: start with a spicy margarita and have little care for what tomorrow looks like. Expect an all-killer, no-filler line-up of elevated crowd-pleasers, from crisp hash browns topped with caviar to refined seafood and premium cuts. Be confident and brace yourself for a long, indulgent night.
Or take things to the coast at Pearla & Co., where the Easter long weekend brings a limited-edition seafood feast designed for slow, shared afternoons. Served over ice, the spread moves through Albany Rock oysters with mignonette, Abrolhos Island scallops with pomelo, ginger and roasted rice, and Pemberton marron with green yuzu and sea herbs, before continuing with hot-smoked Fremantle octopus, chilled Exmouth prawns with Pearla hot sauce and crispy legs, saltbush and vinegar Augusta abalone, and a line-caught snapper and nori terrine.
At $190, designed for two or for sharing, it is a generous, produce-led offering that leans into the best of the season. Available across the Easter long weekend from Friday to Sunday, bookings are recommended.
Saturday: Two Speeds, Then Cruise Control
Start the day with a walk around Lake Monger or through Kings Park, then breakfast at Sayers Sister, which continues to justify its place in the city’s morning rotation.
Lunch at Two Hands Noodle Shop, a masterclass in Malaysian comfort food and one of Perth’s most satisfying noodle fixes. House-made noodles, bold flavours, and a menu that rewards ordering broadly.
Alternatively, head to Si Paradiso or Three Coins for a long, lively lunch that leans into the energy of the weekend.
In the afternoon, pull things back with a stop at The Beaufort or FOUND Subiaco for a beer. A reset before the evening.
Check into the city. Parmelia Hilton, Quay Perth, COMO The Treasury, Pan Pacific or DoubleTree by Hilton are some of our top city stay picks.
For pre-dinner drinks, head to Lalla Rookh Wine Store or Petition Wine.
Dinner at Lulu La Delizia (book ahead); this is pasta that sits somewhere between memory and precision, and a menu by WAGFG Chef of the Year James Higgs that needs to be explored with rigour, in a room designed for deep chats and the latitude to get a little enthused.
Alternatively, The Heritage Wine Bar & Restaurant is pulling out something special for the long weekend. From 6pm, alongside their regular à la carte, the kitchen is running a seafood-focused chef’s menu built around the best of Easter eating. Think freshly shucked oysters, scallops, Spencer Gulf kingfish and swordfish, all handled with the kind of confidence that makes a long Saturday dinner feel like exactly the right call. It finishes with chocolate slice and caramel cremeaux, which is the kind of ending that earns its place. A strong option if you want something a little more structured and celebratory to close out the night.
Sunday: Settle Into It
Start with a river walk and a slow morning, then take the ferry to South Perth for lunch at The Meat & Wine Co, a site with history and a view that still delivers. Set right on the foreshore, it’s the kind of place where the setting does a fair amount of the work, but the kitchen keeps pace. Think steak, a few well-executed starters, and a long, easy lunch that leans into the day.
By evening, it’s time for a palate gear shirt of sorts.
Book Papi Katsu, an idiosyncratic izakaya with a playful edge. Beneath the neon-lit entry, the menu moves between familiar Japanese cues and more inventive riffs, from raw dishes to skewers and share plates. Expect bold flavours, crisp textures and the namesake pork katsu, golden and juicy with a rich curry. Order broadly, pour a sake or a yuzu spritz, and let the night unfold.
Monday: A Final Indulgence
One last push.
Breakfast at Garum is generous, indulgent and worth the effort. A Roman-style spread that moves well beyond the usual hotel offering. Think frittata, crisp potatoes, scrambled eggs, continental meats, antipasti, pastries and even cannoli. It is abundant and a little excessive in all the right ways.
Lunch is already waiting at home, courtesy of the annual Kailis Bros Leederville seafood sale. A fish pie ready for the oven, trays of oysters, a sharp salad thrown together, and a few bottles of the 2025 WAGFG Wine of the Year, the Trait ‘88’ Chardonnay (available from The Wine Thief, West Leederville).
By evening, the only sensible plan is to stop, and start planning your Anzac Day long weekend itinerary, aka, Part Two.