Are you in the mood for something exotic and amazing? If so, you’re in luck, because Perth is home to some seriously impressive Middle Eastern restaurants. And they’re ready to knock your socks off with their unique, flavour-packed cuisine.
Here are 12 of the best restaurants to get your middle-eastern flavour fix in Perth.
Mashawi
Mount Lawley
If you plan on trying out this Middle-Eastern/Moroccan restaurant, make sure you go hungry, because you will want to order everything at Mashawi. Fact. If you do need some assistance deciding what to get though, go for the kibbeh (crushed wheat and spice balls, filled with mince and nuts, served with yoghurt dip), the hummus bil lahme (traditional hummus topped with kofta mince and pine nuts) and the lamb afrah (slow cooked lamb with prunes and slivered almonds on a bed of cous cous).
The Hummus Club
Northbridge
Obviously no list of Perth’s best middle eastern would be complete without The Hummus Club. This brand new addition to Northbridge’s dining scene is serving up tasty Middle Eastern cuisine designed to share and the whole menu is centred around one thing and one thing only—hummus. There are other amazing tasty things on the menu as well, but really though, you need to get the hummus. It’s unlike any other hummus you’ve ever tasted and has a 90 per cent chance of changing your life.
Kazoomies
Fremantle
If you're looking for a breakfast option that is a bit more exciting than your ordinary eggs on toast, look no further than Kazoomies. Spicy, flavoursome and unique dishes are what you'll find, such as the Aussraleli (Australian-Israeli) Breakfast—poached eggs on a bed of red bean shakshuka with falafels, spinach and Jerusalem hummus. Oh, and they have authentic Turkish coffee as well. Run, don’t walk.
SafaCity
Mount Lawley
The word safa comes from the Persian word for 'pure' and that is exactly what you'll find at SafaCity. They dish up traditional, authentic Persian food, like succulent skewered meat and saffron infused chicken. Yum. Oh and they also boast a mean shisha bar and live music on Friday and Saturday nights. So get ready for a full blown cultural experience.
Meeka
Subiaco
Sitting at the top end of Rokeby Road, Meeka dishes up sensational Middle-Eastern/Moroccan cuisine that will blow your mind. Think homemade hummus and falafel, hearty flavour-packed tagines and mouth-watering meat skewers.
The Prophet
Victoria Park
Keen for a traditional taste of Lebanon? You should probably pay The Prophet a visit. However we do recommend that you go with a fairly large group, so you can order every single item on the menu and get a taste of everything—such as tasty succulent kebabs, fresh tabbouleh, home-made baba ghanoush and delicious lamb kofta.
Little Lebanon
Osborne Park
Lebanese chef Ghassan Beydoun has been feeding the good people of Perth with the traditional food of his homeland for years, so he knows a thing or two about good Lebanese cuisine. Little Lebanon boasts tasty dips to share with flat breads, salads and meat dishes, as well as authentic Lebanese pastries all made fresh on site. Nom nom.
Beiyrut Restaurant
Tuart Hill
If you want some seriously delicious and authentic Lebanese food you'll want to head straight to Beiyrut. We'd suggest taking a fairly large group because the menu is huge and everything is amazing. It's pretty hard to narrow down the must-try dishes, but if you take away one lesson from this list, it should be that the potato harra—fried potatoes with garlic parsley and spices—are life changing. There's also live entertainment on the weekends so you can get dinner AND a show.
Cairo Cafe
Canning Vale
We probably don't need to clarify that Cairo Cafe serves up authentic Egyptian cuisine. The clues were there, weren't they? What you might not know, however, is that this little suburban gem was founded by a group of classmates who all grew up together in Egypt before relocating to the land down under. We're pretty happy they chose to grace Perth with their fresh, authentic and fragrant Egyptian dishes.
The Kebab Lads
Bullcreek
The Kebab Lads have revolutionised this traditional Lebanese dish. No greasy B-grade kebab that you stuff your face with after a night out on the juice—oh no, these guys mean business. First of all, it's a restaurant and a pretty damn nice one at that. And secondly, these kebabs are works of art. Oh and they also do tasty meat skewers, falafel, salads and gozleme. Get there immediately.
Sahara Middle Eastern Restaurant
Perth CBD
If you want a bit of variety, then Sahara is your spot. They blend traditional cuisine from several countries across the Middle-East, giving you a very exotic experience indeed. Our hot tip is to order the mansaf—lamb slow cooked in hot yoghurt, and served with a fresh Arabian salad.
Recipe Restaurant
Perth
If you're after a taste of Persia, Recipe Restaurant in East Perth is all over it like white on rice. Our hot tip is to order the Koobideh—skewers of spicy, seasoned, hand-ground lamb served with fluffy saffron rice and a traditional Persian salad. Yes please.
Elie's Tent
Victoria Park
At Elie's Tent you get dinner and a show. Two for one. Result. While you chow down on your delicious authentic Lebanese food, you’ll be entertained by traditional Middle-Eastern belly dancers.
Looking for more Mid-Eastern goodness? Here are all of the hummus dishes worth trying in Perth!
The Prophet | Image credit: Elle Borgward