A HERALD & PERTH VOICE PROMOTIONAL FEATURE Email matt.eeles@fremantleherald.com to promote your business.
FREMANTLE has taken a sizeable bite out of the 2026 Restaurant & Catering Hostplus Awards for Excellence, with Nunzio’s Restaurant crowned WA’s best Italian restaurant and newcomer Anglesea taking out Best New Restaurant.
The awards, announced at a gala dinner at Perth’s Pan Pacific Hotel on Monday night, recognised 25 categories across the State, with venues assessed on food, service and presentation.
For Nunzio’s, the award adds another accolade to a Fremantle institution known for its Sicilian-inspired Italian cooking.
The Essex Street restaurant makes its pasta fresh in-house, while its menu draws on local meat, fish and seafood. The intimate venue has become a destination for both casual meals and celebrations.
Just down the road, Anglesea’s win comes less than a year after the restaurant opened in the heart of Fremantle.
Fremantle also featured strongly among the finalists, with Emily Taylor named a finalist for Asian Restaurant, while La Sosta and Vin Populi were in contention for Italian Restaurant, Angel’s House Bistro for European restaurant and Kailis’ Fishmarket Café for seafood restaurant.
Across the river, Perth venues collected a string of major prizes.
Specialty restaurant category
UMA at the Pan Pacific was named Restaurant of the Year and also won the specialty restaurant category, recognised for its South American cuisine and use of WA produce.
Miss Mi on Murray Street won best Asian restaurant, adding another accolade to its modern Southeast Asian offering. The restaurant combines flavours from across the region with Australian produce and dishes designed for sharing.
Sentinel Bar & Grill, on the corner of St Georges Terrace and William Street, was named best steak restaurant. The CBD venue combines New York-style and European influences and has now been recognised as WA’s best steak restaurant for three consecutive years.
The awards also highlighted the strength of the inner-city suburbs.
Chakra Restaurant in Inglewood won best Indian restaurant, with the family-run venue specialising in home-style cooking, local produce and whole herbs and spices.
Highgate’s Meninas Grill was named best European restaurant, bringing Spanish-style dining to Beaufort Street, while Acqua e Sale in North Perth claimed both best pizza restaurant and casual dining restaurant of the Year. The Sardinian-inspired restaurant is built around wood-fired pizza and homemade pasta and has previously collected national and state Italian dining honours.
Applecross’s Quarter Acre Hotel and Bibra Lake’s ROAR Bar & Grill were finalists for family dining.
ROAR, in particular, reflects the increasingly broad definition of neighbourhood dining, combining a restaurant, bar, coffee, outdoor dining and a large kids’ play area at its Bibra Lake venue.
The national gala is due to be held in Sydney on October 26.