The trip to Perth I referenced in the Flat White post was truly a whirlwind one: I spent less than 6 days in the Western Australian city, and this being a business trip, I had minimal time for extra-curricular activities. I knew I had to be strategic with my coffee scene education.

The main purpose of my visit was a trade event at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre, so I had planned a few lunchtime cafe visits in the nearby Downtown area, known as CBD (Central Business District). To help me choose, I checked out a few Google listings on “Best cafes in Perth, WA”, which allowed me to narrow my geolocation, but also to identify any other options for the weekend to squeeze in before my Sunday afternoon flight. I looked for a common thread across the different listings and some venues kept popping up – I set my sights on those.

What I was not aware of, however, was that the Google listing timings did not match those of the venues’ opening times – something that I got burnt on in Freemantle where out of 3 cafes I didn’t manage to visit a single one as they shut before the time stated on the search engine, and in learning that I ran out of time to relocate to the next one. I was not impressed.

This has proven true in the opposite way also. I decided to visit Rottnest Island on Saturday by taking the only ferry from Elizabeth Quay, departing at 8:30am. What cafe would be open early enough on the weekend for me to go in, order, drink up and still make it to the port? Well, despite what Google would have me believe, I ended up being positively surprised…

In the end, I managed to pay a visit to 5 coffee shops between CBD and Rottnest – here’s how it went.

Lowdown Espresso

Unsurprisingly, Downtown offers an abundance of swanky coffee shops and a good proportion of my online search pointed at a number of these to be crowds’ favourites. Located in the Cloisters Arcade not far from the Exhibition Centre, it was my first choice, around 2:30pm on a Wednesday afternoon – a very late lunch I’d guess, judging by how early dinner service ended in Downtown in the evenings.

The venue is on the smaller side, with doors at two sides and some sitting available indoors with more spacious tables and benches available in the courtyard, shared by other surrounding food-related outlets. It looks set up for high traffic – to be expected during usual rush hours in a business district – directing the patrons from the till at one door, to the serving area and exit by the other.

With this being the first Aussie cafe I’d ever visit, the struggle was real: do I go for a flat white or a mocha? I would have to continue in the same theme in the name of objective research… And so, almost in a toss of a coin, I settled for the chocolate beverage.

At Lowdown I paired mine with a banana bread, served with butter on the side – a tough choice as even at that hour there were some very tempting bakes in the cabinet next to the till.

The mocha looked attractive on serving, although any latte art was hiding under cocoa dusting; I refrained from eating until I took the first sips of coffee, so I was rather ravenous and eager to dig in. The texture of the drink was smooth and lovely on the tongue, with a rich flavour… in fact, I quickly realised that it was too rich – on the sweet side. Despite this not being a huge cup, it got quite sickening at the end, and I tasted bitter notes – possibly from the type of chocolate used.

Sadly, I did not manage to finish it… but the other half of my substantial banana loaf served as a lovely dessert that evening – bonus!

Find out more about Lowdown Espresso on their Facebook page.

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Telegram Coffee

On Thursday I took my break a bit earlier, after 1pm, to head to the State Buildings, located within a comfortable 15min walk from the Exhibition Centre. This was also a multi-business venue, but pretty unique; formally known as the Lands, Titles and Treasury buildings established in 1875, these three locations – large, high-ceiling rooms connected via narrow corridors – are now home to a mix of hospitality and retail businesses across different floors , including a hotel (although it was the wine cellar that grabbed my attention…)

Telegram is one of the state rooms, with a super-cool bar (check out their Facebook to see what I mean) on one side and seating directly opposite, sharing the floorspace with SHOP 1875 – a salad and sandwich shop.

The place was buzzing with lunchtime trade, but I didn’t struggle finding a seat at the wall-bar, once I made my order at the counter. I had craved savoury but once I saw the huge almond croissants, my sweet tooth spoke for me.

The coffee was served up within minutes, which I found quite impressive considering the human traffic, as well as the fact that I was never given a number sign by which my table could be quickly located.

Even if I thought the swan latte art was a bit OTT, I had to admit the craftsmanship was there – especially considering the aforementioned busy conditions. I assume this is commonplace to the State Buildings’ staff. Onto the taste: it was also smooth and rich, but much better balanced and not as sweet as Lowdown’s. This one I finished gratefully and rapidly, and I was on my way once more, serving myself as a testament to the high turnover of this venue.

The only drawback is that, located in what feels like the middle of the Buildings, Telegram seems a long way to go for a cup of coffee in isolation, as you won’t be able to relax much due to the hubbub and not so comfortable seating – although it is convenient if you’re visiting one of the other swanky shops within.

Without a doubt, though, if I had more time in the CBD I would love to explore the other venues inside this historical location.

Learn more about Telegram Coffee on their website.

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La Veen Coffee

I had been worried my involuntary mocha-detox on Friday (due to my late-ish trip to Freemantle and previously noted mix up with opening times) would continue into the weekend, as with a ferry to catch at 8:30am I thought it unlikely I’d manage a handcrafted cuppa beforehand. To my surprise, it looked like two neighbouring venues in the greater CBD area opened on a Saturday, and even as early as 7:30am!

That was La Veen on King Street, where I headed eagerly with my day bag ready for Rottnest beaches thereafter (absolutely loving the shorts and T-shirt weather at that time of day!). Despite the early hour, a few of the outside tables were already taken and the place was nearly full inside – the interior a mix of exposed red brick, wood, array of brewing utensils on display and simple, functional seating. Once I made my order at the counter with a very friendly-looking barista, I secured my own sunny outdoor spot with a table marker.

The menu promised a special mocha experience as the drink was listed under their signature 45% milk Belgium chocolate selection – and it did live up to that expectation, even if first impressions were misleading.

Seeing the chocolate drizzle on top I had to wonder if it was compensating for (lack of) any flavours within, or whether this was an avant-garde upsides-down version of my favourite drink (which, admittedly, would be suitable for a European tourist in Oz…Ha!). Also the seemingly fluffy milk did not fill me with confidence; thankfully, it proved to be quite dense and not full of air, demonstrating professional steaming skills.

The drink was very creamy and well blended, and oh-so-tasty – possibly thanks to that Belgian chocolate, which they are right to celebrate. I drained the cup in no time and if I hadn’t been hurrying for a ferry, I would have easily ordered another one – not just for the amazing coffee, but also for the chilled vibe of this part of Perth, as it was waking up to a gloriously sunny weekend.

Learn more about La Veen Coffee on their website.

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The Lane Cafe

Based on my experience of remote destinations, I did not have high expectations of any cafe on an island, an hour’s ferry ride from Fremantle and where the only modes of transport are the one-way bus, bicycle, or your own two feet.

Luck had it that the day I chose to travel to Rottnest was also the day of Port to Pub 2024 competition – an ultramarathon channel swim from North Fremantle to the Island – and that meant it was absolutely packed with people. It wasn’t as noticeable when I was chilling on one of the south beaches; but once I was back to the first bus stop at the Visitor Centre with some time to spare before my return ferry, the marathon was drawing to a close so all the contestants and their supporters were literally spilling out the food venues – but, for such a small location, there are quite a few to choose from.

So much so that I almost stopped at the wrong one (admittedly, partly distracted by the quokkas). But I did find The Lane which I had chosen as my preferred spot, mainly because it was coffee-focused and still open nearing 4pm.

There was a line, mainly for cold drinks, but I was one of the crazy ones to order a hot coffee.

Seeing it being made, with a chocolate syrup used as the mocha base, I wasn’t surprised when I lifted the lid on my my paper-cup coffee to see it looking like any other takeaway concoction… albeit the dense, creamy top took me by surprise. Ironically, there wasn’t much chocolate flavour to it, and it tasted more like a flat white… a very good one, however. In fact, after the first disappointment and once I got my head around what I was drinking, I realised it was actually very enjoyable – and finished it with pleasure.

Not your typical remote cafe after all then!

To find out more about The Lane Cafe visit their Facebook page and the Roto website to see what’s more on the island.

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Voodoo Coffee Company

Voodoo was another positive surprise of the CBD as it was open on a Sunday morning – giving me one last opportunity to sample the Perth cafe scene before my return flight home that afternoon. It was another glorious summer walk down a similar path I took to La Veen, stopping one block short.

Despite the ominous name, the decor was really cool (reminiscent of Cult of Coffee, now that I think of it…) There was only one barista on duty, and while the cafe is rather small with limited sitting, it is also part entrance to a mall, and so it gets traffic from both sides: the shopping centre and the street. Thankfully, at that time of day the turnover of people was there, but not overwhelming. Flying solo, the barista took a wee while to serve my mocha, but I was glad to see he did not abandon any drink half-way to operate the till.

The presentation was very pleasing to the eye, matching the oddly warm vibes of the place (I think it’s the wood). But what looked like dense milk layer was actually a rather fluffy foam, while the chocolate had that odd bitter-ish taste, that often comes with dark cocoa – not particularly offensive, but not luxurious either (maybe I’ve been spoilt for life by the Belgian variety!) After the first few sips, the mouthfeel and flavour improved, but closer to the bottom of the cup the drink had the slightest grainy feel from the cocoa powder. Maybe I was picky or set my expectations too high after my initial impression, which – up until that first sip – made me believe this would be the winner of Perth cafés.

And while this title goes to its neighbour Le Veen, it was still a pleasurable experience that I wouldn’t dismiss.

Learn more about Voodoo Cafe on their website.

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Conclusions

That makes 5/5 with one cheeky island inclusion – it all counts for painting a decent picture for a wayward tourist to Western Australia’s capital city and surroundings. I wish I had more time to sample a wider area, but from this brief stint a few common themes emerged:

• On average, barista-made coffee is cheaper than in the UK – since the exchange rate during my visit was a rough 2 Australian dollars to a British pound, the prices above are more than reasonable for the quality of coffee, combined with the cafe decor and location. I can see why Aussies like their crafted coffee so much – it’s accessible!
• Many places roast their own beans – you can buy coffee bags from most of the above cafes, which is certainly not common and demonstrates dedication to the cause. It’s not just coffee after all – it’s a lifestyle!
• Aussies have a sweet tooth – I know, I know: I was drinking chocolate coffee after all! But even that seemed sweeter than a typical mocha at home; and I got the same impression from scanning the menus and seeing what else is on offer, both in terms of drinks and food stuffs. Contentious? Discuss!

If you’re planning your first trip to Perth and visit any of the cafes on this list, let me know what you thought! Or, if you have been already – did you have a similar experience? What’s your favourite coffee shop in Perth? Let me know in the comments!