Subiaco Hotel

Overview

West of the Perth CBD, the light and airy Subiaco Hotel gives you a choice of spaces — from roomy beer garden to sleek marble-topped bar — as well as meals. It's open for lunch, dinner and breakfast, after all. While it started trading back in 1897, thanks to a refurb in 2014, the high-ceilinged heritage space has been tastefully updated.

If you've time for a long lunch, then book a table and settle in for a gastropub feast with a beer or two. Think Fremantle octopus with Spanish chorizo, kipfler potato and onion soubise ($20), followed by braised beef cheek, asparagus risotto, speck and oyster mushrooms ($33). The Subi also offers Monday to Friday deals, which get you two courses for $35 and three for $55. For a more informal lunch, stick to the pub menu. Every day, a burger or chicken parma plus a beer is only $20.

The cocktail list here is a cut above the pub standard, and every drink forges brave new booze-filled ground. At the height of summer, order a Paradise Bird ($18) — Pampero rum, Campari, lime and pineapple, with coconut foam you mix through to your tastes.