Reclaiming the corner store: five of the best neighborhood delis in Perth
Reclaiming the corner store: five of the best neighborhood delis in Perth
Updated: 24 Aug 2023
Teneal Zuvela
All around Perth, neighborhood corner stores are being reinvented for a modern suburbia. No longer selling just the basics, these delis in Perth are all about providing gourmet, locally sourced products to consumers who value quality over quantity. The combination of modern gastronomy and old school tradition has these stores booming with popularity.
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Ethos Deli and Dining, East Fremantle
George Street’s newest resident is leading the way in the war on waste. Susan Whelan and Melissa Palinkas, the team behind the Young George, have opened Ethos Deli and Dining with an aim to cook exclusively with West Australian ingredients and repurpose discarded food scraps into delightful menu items. Inspired by Palinka’s eastern european roots and New York City deli culture, the deli counter features continental sandwiches stuffed with in-house cured meats, hot duck sausage rolls, corned brisket pastrami on rye, ham hock terrines, handmade charcuterie and jars of pickled vegetables made from produce deemed too wonky for the supermarket shelf.
Upstairs, vibrant lunch dishes and tempting weekend-only bottomless brunches are accompanied by cocktails made from apple scraps and gin distilled from leftover sourdough. As an added bonus, all of Ethos’s small goods are packaged in compostable material so that your next charcuterie spread can be plastic free.
Find Ethos Deli and Dining on their Website, Facebook and Instagram.
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The Black Truffle, North Fremantle
Serving up the North Fremantle neighborhood with hearty farm-to-table meals, The Black Truffle is challenging our perception of fast food. Using seasonal produce and old family recipes, gourmet trays of pasta, homemade soups and comforting casseroles are cooked daily and turned into take-home ready-meals. Sandwiches, rolls and wraps are made at the deli’s lunch bar, using bread sourced from local artisan bakers and packed with the customers choice of fresh ingredients. Grab-and-go lunch boxes, favoured by morning commuters, take the form of braised beef tacos, poached salmon poke bowls, spicy paella and asian style noodle salads.
The well-stocked larder offers infused oils, cured meats, homemade dips, rich cheeses and a good range of pantry staples. Regulars tend to linger with a well-made coffee and a copy of the daily paper, while local families are keeping tradition alive, dropping in to pick up bread, milk and baking supplies.
The Black Truffle also offers catering, picnic and gift hampers, with more information on their website. You can also find The Black Truffle on Facebook and Instagram.
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North Street Store, Cottesloe
Cottesloe locals drift barefoot into North Street’s revitalised corner store for old-school lunches with a modern twist. Chevup sandwiches are dressed with lemon roasted eggplant puree, fish burgers are made with local WA snapper, and during truffle season, the humble cheese toastie goes gourmet with creamy black truffles from Manjimup. A nostalgic milkshake menu keeps things retro, with inventive flavours of jaffa, rum and raisin, dulche de leche and ginger nut offered alongside more traditional favourites. Sticking with the original corner store’s name from 1945, co-owners Lachlan Bisset and Craig Stewart have found the perfect balance between old and new.
The line regularly trails out the door as people scramble for loaves of Bisset’s freshly baked sourdough. North Street Store offers a rotating daily menu of takeaway dinners available to purchase between 5 pm - 8 pm, and if you bring your own bowl, fork and a bottle of wine, you’re welcome to dine-in.
Keep up to date with North Street Store’s menu on their Instagram and check out their website for more information.
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Kirkwood Deli, Swanbourne
With a resident pâtissier and a sunny, street-facing alfresco, you will be forgiven for thinking you have stepped out of Swanbourne and into France. Bunches of fresh flowers sit brightly in tin pails alongside jars of homemade jams, dressings and chutneys, with local olive oil poured straight from the keg into your own container. Loaves of freshly baked bread and cartons of free-range eggs are sold beside neatly packaged pots of bircher muesli, home-made granola and yogurt for any on-the-run breakfasts.
In the sweet department, your inner sweet tooth will be overwhelmed by the array of decadent pâtissier-made treats. Buttery bite-sized cupcakes, rich wedges of slice, sticky date puddings and sharp rhubarb and raspberry tarts tempt even the strongest of us. A dedicated sweet table is piled high with parcels of homemade biscuits and gourmet chocolates that are perfect for a last-minute present. And if you’re after something a little healthier, look out for the vegan-friendly CocoWhip soft serve station.
Kirkwood Deli also offers catering and gourmet take home meals. Learn more on their Instagram, Facebook and website.
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The Black Pig Deli & Co, Inglewood
The owners of Beaufort Street’s artisan pantry have a talent for creating charcuterie with flair. Handcrafting their own products under the iconic Poach Pear brand, Adam and Marissa Bielawski opened The Black Pig Deli & Co as a way to showcase their own charcuterie alongside some of their favourite artisanal brands. The Inglewood store is stocked with everything you would need for a gourmet cheese platter, selling creamy farmhouse cheeses from France, hand cured meats, rillettes, pork and sage terrines, and homemade duck pates.
Depending on the season, you will also find a range of unique products including local honeycomb, black garlic, gin salt, burrata cheese, wagin-free duck eggs and lamb and truffle sausages. If you’re wanting to impress your friends with something different on your next cheese platter then look no further than the Black Pig Deli.
Learn more about the Black Pig Deli & Co on their Facebook, Instagram and website.
