Explore
Perth's leafiest cafes
Swap four walls for leafy courtyards, garden nooks and plant-filled spaces.
Published
8 min read
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Explore
8 min readExplore
Swap four walls for leafy courtyards, garden nooks and plant-filled spaces.
Published
8 min read
Text size
Published
Text size
By: Natalie Pugh
Perth is home to plenty of cafes serving good coffee, but some take things a step further, swapping minimalist interiors for leafy courtyards, garden settings and enough greenery to make you forget you're in the middle of the city.
From garden cafes hidden behind suburban streets to plant shops where you can grab a coffee before inevitably taking home another houseplant, these are the spots where the setting is almost as good as what's in your cup.
Surrounded by community garden beds and fruit trees, Be Free’s home at Perth City Farm feels a world away from a typical city cafe. The 50-seat venue has a natural farmhouse feel, with an all-day breakfast and lunch menu built around local, seasonal and organic produce.
Just off Scarborough Beach Road in Mount Hawthorn, Ginga hides one of Perth’s prettiest outdoor spaces behind its facade. The courtyard is filled with greenery and centred around a fish pond, creating a sun-dappled little oasis that feels surprisingly removed from the busy road nearby.
The name gives you a pretty good idea of what to expect. Secret Garden Cafe on Angelo Street in South Perth has a leafy backyard-style area where you can settle in for breakfast, lunch or coffee away from the bustle of the street. It's been part of the South Perth cafe scene for years and remains an easy choice when you want your coffee with a side of greenery.
Along Ardross Street in Applecross, Cioccolato Espresso has a leafy laneway and outdoor seating that make it an easy place to settle in for a while. Inside, you'll find shelves and cabinets filled with homemade cakes, breads, quiches, salads and other favourites.
Housed in a heritage building at the river end of Broadway in Nedlands, Little Way has plenty of leafy garden space to make the most of. Its courtyard and backyard gardens are filled with greenery, with outdoor tables tucked beneath a retractable roof or open to the sky. Come for breakfast and coffee, or stick around for brunch, drinks and dinner later in the week.
There's a reason Wholefood Circus made the list. Behind the cafe is the Circus Garden, a proper outdoor space filled with garden beds, greenery and tables for dining among the plants. Inside, you'll find a wholefoods deli stocked with fresh produce, pantry goods and treats.
It’s hard to get much leafier than a cafe inside Kings Park. Zamia Cafe sits beside May Drive Parkland, surrounded by the gardens and greenery of Kings Park, with views across the parkland from the cafe. Stay for a coffee and one of the cakes, slices or muffins baked in-house, then take a wander through the park afterwards.
Little Vine feels more like someone’s beautifully overgrown backyard than a cafe. The garden space was once the family retreat of the owners and is now filled with leafy nooks, established grape vines and views across the river towards the surrounding rural properties.
Hidden away in Fremantle, DaRaw Nature feels more like a garden escape than a cafe. The space combines a leafy garden, outdoor terrace and light-filled glasshouse with a gallery showcasing local art, while the menu covers brunch favourites, homemade cakes and treats. It’s also known for its homemade chai, which is a good excuse to slow down and spend a little longer among the greenery.
Somewhere in the Park took over a former Victoria Park bar and gave it a serious garden makeover. The result is a light-filled cafe and bar with greenery woven through the indoor and outdoor spaces, including an open-air mezzanine and garden area out the back.
Stomp Coffee brings a garden setting to Angove Street in North Perth, with its leafy courtyard providing a quieter place to settle in away from the street. The cafe is particularly serious about its coffee, working with different specialty roasters alongside a menu of breakfast favourites.
Nourish Me Wholefoods combines a wholefoods shop with a small cafe and leafy courtyard on George Street in East Fremantle. Grab a coffee, breakfast or one of its cakes and settle in outside among the greenery, then browse through the shelves for organic products, snacks and goodies to take home.
Garden Cafe on Guildford lives up to its name with a relaxed garden-style setting behind its unassuming Guildford Road frontage. There's also an adorable coffee window on the side, complete with a mural of a corgi, so even a quick takeaway coffee gets a little extra personality.
With its lush greenery, tropical-inspired interiors and leafy outdoor spaces, Chinta has long been one of North Perth’s go-to spots for a cafe setting that feels a little more exotic. The venue combines its cafe with a homewares store, so you can wander through the greenery before settling in for breakfast or lunch.
Garden Eats sits among the lush gardens of Lost Eden Creative Art Gallery in the heart of Dwellingup, with the tables surrounded by trees and edible gardens. What started as a horse float has since grown into a full cafe serving seasonal, plant-based and gluten-free dishes alongside locally roasted coffee.
For when a coffee run could also use a little more greenery, and maybe a new plant to take home.
Bar Botanik combines a cafe with a plant shop, creating a leafy space where you can browse indoor plants before settling in for coffee. It’s become a favourite among Perth’s plant lovers, particularly if you’re looking for something a little more unusual than the average trip to the nursery.
Housed in a heritage-listed building on Mandurah's Eastern Foreshore, Wild Waffle Project has filled its old-world surrounds with leafy plants, colourful pots and plenty of greenery. A long communal table lined with plants sits at the heart of the cafe, while the menu is all about indulgent Liège waffles. Leave a little room in your hands for a plant or two before you head home.
Part cafe, part florist and part plant jungle, Green Bunch is made for anyone who has ever gone out for coffee and accidentally come home with a new houseplant. The East Victoria Park store is packed with indoor plants, flower bouquets, gifts and homewares, while the cafe opens onto a garden with fig and lemon trees, picnic blankets and plenty of space to sit outside. Plus, it's dog friendly.
The name really does say it all. That Plant Cafe in Kelmscott is filled with greenery, with plants woven throughout the cafe and plenty available to buy and take home. Alongside the plants, you’ll find breakfast, lunch and burgers, making this one for anyone who likes their coffee with a side of indoor jungle.
Located within Source Foods, Ivy & Me Botanics brings together plants and coffee in one leafy setting. The space is filled with greenery and botanical touches, with plants available to browse alongside the cafe offering.
Bolt Coffee features indoor and outdoor seating, with funky furniture and plenty of plants throughout the space. It's a great option if you want your coffee somewhere with a little more personality.
For those who think a coffee run is infinitely better when you can browse a few plants afterwards.
Swan Valley Station is essentially a garden centre, cafe and country day out rolled into one. The nursery stocks more than 250 varieties of plants, while the cafe spills onto a sprawling lawn beneath shady trees. Once you’ve finished your coffee and cake, you can wander through the nursery, browse garden art, walk around the marron lake and sculpture trail or say hello to the resident farm animals.
Set inside Dawson’s Forrestfield nursery, The Homestead Cafe occupies the restored Dawson family home, built in 1918. It’s a particularly nice place to take a break after browsing the nursery, with light meals and coffee served in a setting surrounded by greenery. The cafe is open daily from 10am to 3pm.
Monty's Fusions Cafe sits inside Mia Flora Garden Centre on Beaufort Street, so your coffee comes with a garden centre full of plants just metres away. The cafe serves fusion-style brunch menu in a leafy outdoor setting, with tables among the plants making it a particularly nice spot to linger.
Sitting inside Waldecks Garden Centre in Stirling, Blue Lotus Cafe gives you a pretty good excuse to combine coffee with a wander through the plants. The cafe has indoor and outdoor seating, with the surrounding garden centre providing plenty of greenery to look at while you eat.
