While mornings in Northbridge used to mean either yum cha or crawling out of a nightclub trying to find a taxi with your shoes in your hand, believe it or not this neighbourhood has all of your coffee needs covered with a variety of quality cafes that rival any suburb in Perth.
Here are some of the best Northbridge cafes and coffee shops to try right now.
Arrival Hall
Image credit: Arrival Hall | Instagram
We adore this aesthetic, light-filled cafe slash homewares store. The espresso is great, alternative dairy options are flawless and they usually have a decent batch brew or two on too. Thankfully your food options are just as good. At the moment I'm obsessed with the house-cured salmon smørrebrød, which looks more like a piece of art than a piece of toast, but the xo scrambled eggs is another real winner.
Giant Coffee
You may have to hoof it down a hidden laneway to find Giant Coffee, but you'll well and truly be rewarded for your efforts. Headed up by ex-Howards Groove barista Claire Kim, this aesthetic corner cafe is punching out some of Perth's finest coffee alongside pastries, bagels and other bites to go. They're best known for their einspanners, though, which is a Viennese-style coffee topped with thick cream. It's quite possibly the most indulgent way to take your morning brew.
Lil Toastface
This mighty hole in the wall from the crew behind Perth's most loved toasted sandwiches has been a very welcome addition to William St. Located right by The Bird and Kakulas Bros, Lil Toastface is a convenient spot to pick up your mid-morning almond flatty and ol' faithful ham and cheese toastie.
Miller & Baker
Image credit: Miller & Baker | Instagram
Head down towards Hyde Park and you'll find one of Perth's best bakeries, Miller & Baker. The vegemite scrolls are legendary, but I'm also a big fan of their kimchi toasties and chicken pies. Let the cabinet guide your decision on the day—it's all good and the baristas know what they're doing too.
Eillo
Good coffee, plants, candles and keep cups—we dare you to walk in and not come out with a side of homeware with your coffee at Eillo. If you're feeling peckish, they also have a tight little toastie menu that hits just right.
Zonts
Led by Baker Kaz (Le Cordon Bleu alumni), the Zonts Bakehouse team are all about making delightfully light, airy and buttery croissants, with flavours ranging from classic, chocolate and almond through to salted egg yolk custard and honey wattleseed. They also have a plant-based range that slaps just as hard.
Charlie Boy Coffee
Image credit: Charlie Boy Coffee | Instagram
This cosy new little Northbridge cafe has just popped up with plenty of lush greenery and a cabinet full of goodies to set you up for the day. Located in prime position on the corner of William and Francis Street, this is the perfect place to organise that long overdue catch up in your lunch break or when you’ve got things to do in town. We can’t get enough of their cinny scrolls (of course) and their lemon poppyseed cake to die for.
Re Store
Italian deli and cafe, Re Store, is an absolute Perth icon for good reason. Join the lunch-time queue and wade through rows of pasta, Italian biscuits and jars of antipasto goodness while you think about what to add to your incoming conti roll. We’d suggest the oil-cured veggies, pickled eggplant and sun-dried tomatoes.
Cafe Pastel
Cafe Pastel is dedicated purely to Portuguese tarts, so you know they’ve perfected the recipe. If one is not enough (let’s face it, one is never enough), we suggest you pick up a box to take home so you can sample more than just the traditional tart—we reckon the caramelised fig and salted chocolate with vanilla deserve a taste test too.
Lulu Lala
Image credit: Lulu Lala | Instagram
Lulu Lala is all about beautiful bagels and pretty little flavoured lattes. Pick between lattes like strawberry mocha, butterscotch cream and matcha before giving into your bagel desires.
20 Twenty
Best known for their twenty-layer crepe cakes and impossibly gorgeous iced lattes and caffeinated drinks, 20 Twenty has your next coffee date covered. Not feeling the sweets? Don't stress. This laneway cafe is banging out some stellar toasties too.
Cafe Guilty Pleasure
Kitted out with vintage furniture and retro wall art, Cafe Guilty Pleasure is an eclectic little Northbridge cafe that's perfect for a friend date filled with coffee and cakes. From fluffy cream cakes in every flavour to light and airy choux and basque cheesecake, it's hard to pick but the earl grey cake might just be our fave.
Parkside Coffee
Image credit: Parkside Coffee | Instagram
This cute new coffee window facing Stuart Street Reserve tucked into the leafy streets of Northbridge is ideal for those keen for a caffeine fix and a sweet treat with pastries, sandwiches and food from Miller & Baker as well as some other local rotating bakers. Come grab a bite, sit in the sunshine and let the kiddies or pups run wild at the playground and park just steps away.
Little Willy’s
Little Willy’s is a cosy and comforting nook of a café dishing out simple but delish eats and really good coffee (they’re roasting Pound Coffee here). The art-filled space is small, quirky and dim, but don’t let that deter you—if you can grab a free seat, settle in and enjoy one of the best breakfasts in Northbridge. The brekky burrito is the menu star but everything coming out of the tiny kitchen is tasty, including the bagels and savoury muffins.
Little Bird
The folks at Little Bird are all about healthy and flavoursome food that also looks incredibly good on the plate (and the 'Gram, if you're that way inclined). The gluten, dairy and sugar-free crew will be happy chowing down on vegan chocolate cake, pumpkin fritters and buckwheat pancakes, but don’t fret traditional brekky lovers, they’ve got your bacon-lovin’ selves covered as well. Dairy-free coffee options abound at Little Bird (they crank out a mean almond milk chai here) and it’s an all-day brekky affair which means you can sleep in, then scoot in for some yummy eats which will have you feeling tip top for the rest of the weekend.
Flora & Fauna
Image credit: Flora & Fauna | Instagram
Cute, cosy and quirky, hole-in-the-wall café Flora & Fauna may be teeny tiny, but this café has a big ol’ heart. Tucked away in a little laneway off Aberdeen Street, the compact kitchen dishes out veggie and vegan-inspired brekky and lunch eats alongside Micrology coffee, fresh pressed juices and Harney & Sons tea. Friendly and always up for a chat, owner Allison Côté is a former florist and interior designer, which explains why her meals (like seed and nut muesli, French toast and vegan cashew mac n’ cheese) come out of the kitchen looking like works of art.
Flo Espresso
Punchy and flavour-packed Korean-inspired street food is what you’ll get at Flo Espresso, one of the best cafes in Northbridge. This new kid on the block may be off the beaten track, but locals know a good thing when they see it and we reckon Flo’s kimchi and cheese toasties are up there with the best in Perth. Top Dup doughnuts make a regular appearance on the counter along with delish Five Sense Coffee. The crew here also make a crackin’ hot chocolate. A toastie, hot choc and a doughnut? That’s brunch perfection right there.
Sayers Sister
The younger sister of Leedy institution Sayers, Sayers Sister doesn’t put a foot wrong when it comes to the most important meal of the day and it’s no secret that this is one of the best cafes in Northbridge. Constantly packed with hungry hoardes looking to get their hands on a Bloody Mary and a Full Breakfast, this Lake Street eatery dishes out the sort of top notch meals we’ve come to expect from the Sayers name, like perfectly poached eggs, green pea and ricotta pikelets and toasted coconut bread with lemon curd.
Now, check out more of the best cafes in Perth.
Image credit: Giant Coffee | Instagram