This month we're raising awareness about simple changes you can make in your life to live more sustainably. Find out how you can do your bit here.
We’re loving how many amazing cafes in Perth are offering discounts on coffee when you BYO your own cup—it really feels like the #waronwaste is gaining momentum in P-town. But there are a few Perth cafes and restaurants that have taken things to the next level. From fermenting and composting to BYO tiffins, plastic-free kitchens and buzzing bees on rooftops—we are pretty gosh darn impressed with the focus on sustainability in Perth.
Here are the most environmentally friendly cafes and restaurants in Perth, so you can feel good about eating out.
Ethos Deli + Dining
East Fremantle
Brought to you by Melissa Palinkas and Susan Whelan, the power duo behind Young George (also in this list), Ethos Deli + Dining Room is a fresh take on a New York-style deli paired with Eastern European dishes inspired by Melissa’s heritage. The idea behind the deli is simple—good food, inspired by traditional recipes, plated with a zero-waste approach. Ethos is all about preserving and finding a use for every part of the ingredient they use, using compostable packaging and recycling whatever they can. Good food and a low carbon footprint? Ethos gets a big tick of approval from us.
Dunn & Walton
Doubleview
From their organic kitchen and homemade almond milk to the beeswax wraps you can pick up to replace glad wrap in your own kitchen, Dunn & Walton is enviro-friendly in just about every way. But our favourite waste-free initiative of theirs has to be the BYO tiffins. Offering a takeaway dinner menu every Thursday, all you have to do is bring in your own takeaway container (or buy one of their super gorgeous tiffins to re-use) and they’ll fill it right up. In case you needed another reason to visit, Dunn & Walton has all of their organic cows' milk delivered in bulk to eliminate the need for plastic milk containers.
Young George
Fremantle
Young George is about more than their incredible charcuterie menu, epic craft beer selection and artisanal wines. Did you know that their kitchen is also 100% plastic free? That means all those plastic takeaway containers and cling film: goneski! Co-owner and head chef Melissa Palinkas invested a huge amount in making the move to zero waste and they're still going strong. The team is also fully committed to cutting down on waste by working nose to nail with not just their proteins but also the veggies. Ten out of ten.
Bib & Tucker
North Fremantle
Bib & Tucker has gone beyond their special toilets that allow you to wash your hands in recycled water and donating their coffee grounds to be used on urban mushroom farms. And when we say beyond, we mean up. Up to the roof that is. In case you weren't aware, when you're at Bib & Tucker, you’re sitting below one hundred and fifty thousand bees buzzing around their rooftop hives producing honey.
Haynes Street Larder And Jack & Jill
Kalamunda
It was Haynes Street Larder that started the recycling trend along Haynes Street in the hills, but their sister store, Jack & Jill followed suit shortly after when they realised Haynes Street Larder had saved over 20,000 plastic milk bottles from going to landfill. Both the teams have switched from milk supplied in plastic to glass, and as an added bonus: they haven’t increased their prices.
Swan Valley Gourmet Farm Cafe
Baskerville
Swan Valley Gourmet Farm Cafe follows the principles of the four Rs—refuse, reuse, repurpose and recycle. As close to a zero-waste cafe as you can get, not one scrap of leftovers at Swan Valley Gourmet goes to waste, instead it feeds their dog, chickens and goats. They also generate their own electricity with solar panels, buy local produce from suppliers who use reusable packaging, turn their fryer oil into biodiesel for use on their farm, use second-hand crockery and compost their coffee grounds, among loads of other things. You'll even get a discount when you bring your own reusable coffee cup and you're welcome to bring in your reusable containers for takeaway.
Our Ruby Girl Cafe & Providore
Como
Our Ruby Girl is a great little sustainable cafe in Como and it has the zero waste certifications to prove it. The kitchen is soon to be headed up by a chef from Young George, so to say they're equipped to keep running the show with little cost to the environment is an understatement. The cafe has partnered with Bentley's community garden project and swaps its coffee waste and cardboard for excess local produce, and they grow all their own herbs in their kitchen garden. On top of this, the providore is only stocked with art and homewares from local designers, and, as an equal opportunity employer, a third of their staff have a disability so they're doing their bit in the ethics department too. Nice!
Dinner Twist
South Fremantle
OK OK, so this isn’t a cafe or a restaurant but ease up, these guys have definitely earned the mention. Perth food delivery service Dinner Twist re-uses the esky they deliver your food in, but they'll also recycle all that annoying soft plastic that can't go in your recycle bin. Just chuck it back in the box and they will sort it out for you. Easy. On top of that, they only work with producers of deliciousness who share the same passion for sustainability.
Steam Haus
Maylands
No one can fault Steam Haus for doing everything they can to be more environmentally friendly. From the Keep Cups on offer to the paper straws in use, the flourishing garden out the back growing herbs to the who gives a crap 100% recycled toilet paper donned in their loos. In the kitchen, the team uses Kooda buckets for composting food waste and on the floor, 80% of their furniture is upcycled or second hand.
May Street Larder
East Fremantle
May Street Larder reduces waste by pickling, fermenting, curing, smoking and preserving wherever possible—it is a larder after all. The team also runs workshops to inspire us to adopt their wholesome approach at home. As if we could love them any more, they also welcome the community to bring in any unwanted fruit and veg from our gardens for them to find a use for.
Manna Wholefoods And Cafe
Fremantle
Manna Wholefoods is all about sustainability, with eco-friendly products lining the shelves and bulk foods galore so you can bring your own containers and completely avoid unnecessary packaging, but they're also doing all sorts of sustainable magic in their kitchen. They whip up plenty of delicious vegan eats using only what's in season and are big supporters of fair trade products at a fair price, so you don't have to pay through the roof to feel good about helping the environment.
Keen to join the war on waste? Here's our handy guide to going plastic free and our fave bulk food stores in Perth so you can avoid the packaging.
Did we miss your favourite sustainable cafe or restaurant? Drop us a line here and let us know.
Image credit: Elle Borgward