With Fremantle’s final home game of the regular season (fingers cross for a finals miracle!) kicking off this Sunday arvo, match day is the perfect opportunity to meet up for lunch before the game or dinner and drinks after.
Luckily, with Optus Stadium so close to the veritable smorgasbord offered by Albany Hwy and surrounds, it couldn’t be easier than sampling the delicious food and drink in WA’s Home of Footy, Vic Park. Whether you’re down for a relaxed pub feed or something a little more refined, you’ll find it all here.
Family-friendly spots for a bite
Vic Park Hotel
Set in the heart of Victoria Park, the Vic Park Hotel has been standing since 1927 and recently underwent a massive $2.3 million revamp including a brand-new beer garden. It’s the ultimate place to pull in for a pint and lip-smacking Brazilian-inspired eats among an aesthetic blend of modern and heritage architecture. Think salt and lemon pepper calamari, cauliflower bites, classic cheeseburgers, steak sandwiches, and the iconic chicken parmigiana. That’s a big yes from us.
Blasta Brewing
Heading to the game and keen to pop in for a pint nearby? Blasta Brewing is an epic spot to swing in for a munch and tipple. The name derives from Scottish Gaelic and translates to delicious in English, so it’s only fitting that the beers and bites live up to the hype. The new Blasta Collective spans across 4,200 square metres over two venues which are joined by a picturesque laneway, and boast Perth’s first world-class gastrobrewery, a beer hall, alfresco area and playground, and Blasta Coffee café.
Palace Arcade
From Space Invaders to Donkey Kong, get retro with a round of pre or post-footy games at Palace Arcade, Perth’s first arcade bar. With three locations including one in Vic Park, you’re spoilt for choice when it comes to whiling away the hours on original arcade machines from the 80s and 90s. If you’re feeling fruity, indulge in a Cookie Dough Old Fashioned or Princess Peach from their groovy cocktail selection, paired with a giant New York style 22-inch pizza.
Pietro Gelateria
Pietro is a modern Sicilian gelateria known for serving daily-made fresh and natural gelato. Whether you’ve got your eye on the pistachio, hazelnut or salted caramel and white chocolate, the Vic Park store has a scoop to suit all palates.
Get Chunky
If you’re a cookie fiend, Get Chunky is the place to go for a sweet treat before the game. Born from a love for baking, Kyra and her husband Dave opened Australia’s very first chunky cookie shop in 2018. They now have four locations across Perth and an Instagram following of almost 50,000. So, it’s safe to say they’ve well and truly honed the art of freshly baked goodness. Whether you’re partial to chocolate chip or peanut butter, you’ll be going back for seconds.
Yo-Chi
Self-serve frozen yoghurt and acaí, need we say more? Swing in to Yo-Chi in Vic Park for your dessert fix. Begin by filling your cup with the classic vanilla, strawberry cream, chocolate, and salted butterscotch flavours before topping with tasty treats like cookie dough, Biscoff spread, and lollies. Trust us, there’s a reason this place has gone viral.
Where to grab a quick, pre-game lunch
The Camfield
The Camfield is Australia’s largest pub with five bars, 175 beer taps, an onsite micro-brewery, and a huge beer garden just 100 metres from Optus Stadium. Naturally, it’s our go-to before bounce down. If you’re feeling nibbly, the venue’s share-style menu champions crowd favourites like Amelia Park steak sandwiches, chicken parmigianas, and woodfired pizza.
Boston Brewing Co
The team at Boston Brewing Co are guaranteed to keep you fed and watered with a killer range of its own brews, wines, and cocktails. Food-wise, expect share plates including crispy Brussels sprouts, baked brie, and Moroccan lamb meatballs. As well as more substantial offerings like pan-fried gnocchi, roast pork belly, and char-grilled porterhouse steak. Say no more.
Balmoral Hotel
Vic Park’s treasured local pub, Balmoral Hotel, has plenty of screens and a gorgeous beer garden setting that’s perfect for a pre-game beverage. If you want to get fired up before cheering on your team, you’ll need to get your hands on a Spicy Tommy’s Margarita made from in-house chilli tequila.
Where to grab dinner after the game
Lock in your dinner plans at one of Vic Park’s many restaurants or have a casual gathering at one of Vic Park’s pubs. You can go book into dinner at the usual suspects like Pancho’s Mexican, famed sushi train Tao Café, and Good Fortune Roast Duck House. Or you can make a real night of it and try something new and different.
Catalano’s
For casual Italian eats, the family-owned Catalano’s is a winner with generous portions and affordable options. You’d be crazy to look past the extensive selection of pasta and woodfired pizza. But if meat is more your thing, there’s rib eye, chicken schnitzel, and veal parmigiana, too.
Meet & Bun
We, along with many other Perth burger lovers, regularly frequent Meet & Bun. You’ll love every bite of their handcrafted burgers, with so much juicy goodness you’ll for sure need a handful of napkins. Our top picks are the Dark Knight, Chilli Chilli Bang Bang, and Danny’s Southern Fried Chicken. It would also be rude not to grab their cheesy fries on the side, but we don’t make the rules.
Neho
With a menu designed to be shared, Neho specialise in south-east Asian cuisine with a range of inexpensive small-plate and snack dishes fusing Chinese, Japanese and Korean flavours that hit the spot. Think rendang short rib, Thai barbeque pork, tofu goreng and fried chicken wings.
Bentori
Bentori is a cracking Japanese eatery, behind the same guys as popular neighbourhood dessert bar, Bar Spoon. We’re talking traditional teishoku sets, and all things teriyaki chicken rice bowls, sushi, vegetable tempura, and pork gyozas. As well as the affordable eats it’s BYO, so if you’re on a budget, you’re in luck!
RoyAL’s Chicken & Burgers
One of our favourites when it comes to the best burgers in Perth is the sensational RoyAl’s. If you haven’t made a stop here, can we suggest you do. Slinging out all the goodness of juicy American-style burgers and fried chicken, they’re absolutely nailing it on all sides. Wrap your hands around one of their next-level burgers to really dial it up a notch, featuring mac and cheese, pulled pork, triple beef, and much more.
Mimochi
Mimochi opened its doors in 2021 and cemented itself in Perth history as the very first Japanese mochi doughnut joint. Crunchy on the outside but soft and chewy on the inside, they are cooked to perfection in a variety of flavours, including glazed and the classic plain version.
Sweet Land Desserts
Housed inside an extremely Instagrammable turquoise storefront, Sweet Land Desserts is one of Victoria Park’s newest hangouts. After opening in late 2023, the beach themed cafe has become known as a sweet tooth heaven. Word to the wise: head straight to its range of cleverly decorated mousse cakes.
Getting to the game
Public transport is by far the easiest way to get to and from Optus Stadium, which is merely a nine-minute drive from Vic Park. Event buses are scheduled to start arriving at the stadium up to two-hours prior to the start of the event and run for 45 minutes after the final siren.
Just note that for weekday games, services differ and there are no suburban event buses. Instead you’ll need to catch a regular timetabled bus.
So, why not make a day of it and plan your journey to and from the world-class stadium to include a visit to the heart of Vic Park.
