Nestled on the southern banks of the Swan River, Victoria Park is a hotspot for all things entertainment, food, and leisure, brimming with a range of unique retailers and culturally diverse hospitality offerings. If you ask us, Vic Park — as it’s affectionately known — is one of the best places in Perth to grab a bite and a tipple.
The destination is conveniently situated just three kilometres east of the Perth CBD, making it easily accessible by train, bus, car, or on foot. That’s why we’ve done the hard yards and rounded up all the best things to do and see in the area — from hidden gems to all-time favourites. Here’s our Local’s Guide to Victoria Park.
Index:
Cafés and restaurants
Pubs and breweries
Boutiques and specialty retail
Parks and playgrounds
Gyms, health, and wellness
Attractions
Cafés and restaurants
Catalano’s Cafe
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.
Neho
With a menu designed to be shared, Neho specialises in Southeast Asian cuisine with a range of inexpensive small plate and snack dishes fusing Chinese, Japanese, and Korean flavours that really hit the spot. Think rendang short rib, Thai barbeque pork, tofu goreng, and fried chicken wings. Sign us up!
Panchos Mexican Restaurant
For more than 40 years, Panchos has been the place to go for laid-back Mexican fare. Sporting a buzzing atmosphere and generous servings, it’s a great place for a casual feed and irresistible midweek specials. Whether you’re a fajita fiend or eyeing the nachos, you’ll find it all here. We recommend grabbing one of the lusciously moreish frozen cocktails while you’re at it.
Bentori
Bentori is a cracking Japanese eatery, brought to you by the same guys as the popular neighbourhood dessert bar, Bar Spoon. We’re talking traditional teishoku sets, 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.
Cosy Del’s
Tucked tidily in the heart of Lathlain, Cosy Del’s is a quaint neighbourhood wine bar with a whole lot of charm. Inspired by the north of Italy, the menu is ever-rotating with both new and old-world bottles. Food-wise, expect the romance of homemade focaccia and handmade spinach and ricotta gnocchi, alongside burrata, cured meats, and charcoal fish. The tiramisu is a must and trust us when we say you’d be crazy to leave without trying it. Delizioso!
Pubs and breweries
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 perfect place to pull in for a pint and flavour-packed 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.
Broken Hill Hotel
Fusing historical architecture with a modern ambience and delicious fare, the 1898-built Broken Hill Hotel is a destination adored by blow-ins and locals alike. Here, you can pick a perch and catch all the action on the big screens throughout the Sports Bar and Main Bar, plus live music in the Garden Bar. Food-wise, expect a diverse menu of fresh and locally sourced ingredients, including mixed mushroom gnocchi, fried chicken burgers, beetroot halloumi salad, and bangers and mash.
Boston Brewing Co
The team at Boston Brewing Co are guaranteed to keep you fed and watered with a killer range of wines and cocktails, and of course, their own famous brews. Food-wise, expect share plates including crispy Brussels sprouts, baked camembert, and mushroom arancini. Or if you’re looking for more of a feast, try the roasted pumpkin and feta risotto, braised beef cheek, or chicken and leek pot pie.
Balmoral Hotel
Victoria Park’s favourite local pub, Balmoral Hotel has plenty of screens and a gorgeous beer garden setting that’s perfect for a pre-game beverage. They also have a Spicy Tommy’s Margarita on the menu made from in-house chilli tequila if you really want to get fired up while cheering on your team.
Boutiques and specialty retail
Victoria Park is home to a variety of gift stores, quirky boutiques, bookstores, and fashion and retail outlets across the town. Whether you’re looking for something for the kids, your better half, or yourself, here are some of the must-stop shops.
Bookworms and art fanatics
Packed with popular reads and those harder to find, bibliophiles (or book lovers) will feel right at home in Crow Books.
Music enthusiasts can get their fix of old and new vinyls, cassettes, turntables, and accessories at Rhubarb Records, which has been buying and selling since 2013.
Check out what’s going on at the Victoria Park Arts Centre which regularly holds exhibitions, events, and classes for people of all skill levels, ages, and backgrounds, and browse the gift shop selling the creative works of WA artists.
Or pop into Delights of Siberia for unique knick-knacks like matryoshka dolls or collectable spoons.
Green thumbs
Partial to gardening or a flower fanatic? You’ve got options! If you’re looking for a gift for someone with a green thumb, GreenBunch is a gorgeous florist, café, plant, and gift store located in the heart of East Victoria Park.
Alternatively, if you’re into homewares, self-care, or gardening, Urban Revolution is all about sustainable, ethical, and quality local products.
Fashion
Fashionistas are sure to leave Victoria Park a little more stylish than they arrived. Woven and Willow stocks a fabulous range of Australian labels including Shona Joy, Staple the Label, Elka Collective, and more.
But if you’re in the market for a new pair of kicks, premium sneaker store 1OFF is a great place to start.
Parks and playgrounds
Locals of Victoria Park will be well across the many beautiful parks, gardens, recreation areas, and playgrounds the suburb is home to. Here are a few we recommend adding to your visit list.
Edward Millen Park
Edward Millen Park is a large leafy park peppered with greenery and a playground. It also leads to Edward Millen House — a unique, heritage-listed building.
Fraser Park
Boasting a soccer pitch, synthetic cricket pitch, and practice nets, Fraser Park is a popular local park with a playground, barbeques, and a car park.
Harold Rossiter Reserve
Harold Rossiter Reserve is a large reserve starring two soccer pitches, a turf cricket pitch, and practice nets. The park also has plenty of leafy shaded areas perfect for picnics, as well as a playground, barbeques, and a car park.
Hill View Community Bushland
The Hill View Community Bushland is remnant Banksia woodland nestled on the corner of Hill View Terrace and Berwick Street. Along with supporting its own ecosystem, the bushland offers a staging point and feeding patch to native birds, as well as walk trails and community artwork.
John Bissett Reserve
With a hit-up wall, basketball ring, skate park, playground, and barbeques all on-site, John Bissett Reserve is a favourite local park for families and friends alike.
McCallum Park
Located on Victoria Park’s foreshore section of the Swan River, McCallum Park is a large open green space. Overlooking the mesmerising city skyline, it’s the perfect backdrop for a picnic.
Memorial Gardens
Memorial Gardens is a gorgeous park adorned with gardens aplenty and lots of shade. Here, you’ll also find a memorial which was built to commemorate the men and women who’ve served and fought for Australia.
Gyms, health, and wellness
S30 Studio
If you’re a fitness fanatic, you’ll be in good hands at S30. You can expect a thrilling group training experience that gets your heart pumping and leaves you hungry for more. With an epic mix of music and movements, S30’s ever-evolving, progression-based training features a collection of strength and conditioning hybrid classes. Each class guarantees to work up a sweat and help you build towards your fitness goals as you power through 30 sets across 18 stations in under 45 minutes.
Aqualife Centre
Aqualife is an aquatic and recreation centre featuring indoor and outdoor pools, gym, and group fitness facilities. Here, you can enjoy a range of classes from dance and yoga to pilates and aqua resistance.
Fitstop Victoria Park
Fitstop Victoria Park is a community-based strength and conditioning gym which focuses on building your confidence so you can live life to the fullest. They operate on a Monday through Saturday basis with variable class formats to cater for all forms of goals, whether you’re training for a marathon or wanting to improve your overall fitness.
Attractions
Crown Perth
Much of Victoria Park’s thriving nightlife scene is centred around Crown Perth — one of Perth’s key entertainment hubs. This riverside venue is home to WA’s only licenced casino, Crown Theatre Perth, and a number of award-winning restaurants like Nobu, Rockpool Bar & Grill, Modo Mio, and Bistro Guillaume.
Optus Stadium
Optus Stadium has regularly been named as the best sports stadium in the world so it comes as no surprise that it’s the beating heart of WA’s sports scene. Year-round, the stadium hosts a stellar line-up of major national and international sporting and entertainment events, from AFL and cricket, to soccer, rugby, and global music artists like Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, and Coldplay.
Swan River and Perth city skyline
Victoria Park is also a fantastic place to lap up the spectacular eastern views of the city skyline from across the Swan River. As we previously mentioned, there are a number of local community parks and reserves ideal for picnics, sports, and other outdoor activities.
