Last month, the Australian Good Food Guide announced their Chef Hat recipients, including 41 WA restaurants receiving the honour amongst the country’s best venues.
As Australia’s only state-based restaurant guide, the West Australian Good Food Guide follows up the nationwide awards every February, serving as WA’s definitive dining authority. The awards, held last week at His Majesty’s Theatre, celebrated over 100 hospitality venues across the state while also recognising the teams that make it all happen each night and the venues they determined as the best of the best.
You can read all about the top 100 restaurants and their ratings online, but for now, we’ve highlighted the award winners below — your next date night is sorted!
Restaurant of the Year – Gibney
The biggest award of the night made history for the WA Good Food Guide Awards, with Cottesloe’s Gibney receiving the award for the second consecutive year, marking the first time this has occurred in the history of the Guide.
Driving a repeat win from the WAGFG is Gibney’s excellence beyond just their food. The wine list, the idyllic location, the service and design all play their part in cultivating an exceptional experience, channelling French and American brasseries with an Aussie spin. The food cannot be ignored, with head chef James Cole Bowen elevating crowd pleasers and more premium options with the same skill and sophistication.
New Restaurant of the Year – Tigerfish
Tigerfish made waves right from the very beginning, with the beachside location inside the Cottesloe Beach Hotel doing wonders for anticipation — but the WAGFG’s review gives credit where credit is due, although the stylish interiors and karaoke room weren’t insignificant in pushing this spot to a two out of three star ranking. Noting the excellent service, addictive South-east Asian flavours and stellar cocktail offerings, Tigerfish made the top 100 and took home the coveted award after only opening its doors in November last year.
Highlights included wonton bombs, hand-cut fried yam crisps with black garlic aioli for dipping, and oysters with Vietnamese nahm jim, alongside the extensive wine list, sake offerings and Asian fusion cocktails.
Bar of the Year – Cherubino City Cellar
After three years of appearances in the WA Good Food Guide, Cherubino City Cellar has finally come away with a win.
The Subiaco wine bar is the city outpost of WA’s most recognisable labels in Margaret River’s Cherubino Wines, and while visitors can enjoy the opportunity to sip wines from across the label, the WAGFG highlights that the venue provides guests with an experience, first and foremost, which should be repeated again and again. The wine list introduces regions and varietals over an almost 50-page wine list and the in-house wine store, filled to the ceiling with bottles.
The food is decadent, the staff knowledgeable, and the interior cosy yet sophisticated.
Pub of the Year – Gage Roads Freo Brewery
Gage Roads is a Freo fixture for anyone who frequents the area, their 2022 opening leading to six years of legacy building that makes the A-Shed hard to imagine without the pub we know and love.
WAGFG awarded the pub best of the year for the sheer scale of their hospitality excellence – quality and consistency in service and menu, adjusted perfectly to their audience and the iconic port location. Signature tacos, frosty pints, and a families-and-dogs-welcome energy that hits the laid-back nail on the head.
Casual Restaurant of the Year – Testùn
This Mount Lawley neo-Italian osteria has been highlighted as the casual restaurant of the year by the WAGFG for the unique experience of a night dining here, where good times are guaranteed.
90s house music meets a menu that’s not afraid to perfect new takes on old classics. Expect Asian flavours woven through Italian heritage staples, like gochugaru-cured salami with kimchi or sansho-cured market fish with Japanese cucumber.
Best Bar Dining – H&C Urban Winery
High ceilings, industrial design and greenery galore are paired with a welcoming wine list, but WAGFG awarded Fremantle’s H&C Urban Winery with a dining award for a reason.
Chef Gordon Kahle has a storied career of flavour-first menus, replicating just that in his latest foray at H&C. Approachable classics like double cheeseburgers and fish and chips are heightened with quality produce, while elevated items like the cured egg and black garlic beef tartare are a highlight – a modern wine bar classic.
