BYO Restaurants
There is nothing more frustrating for a wine lover than being unable to take along a fine bottle of wine to a good restaurant. For those that take the trouble to cellar wine, why would you want to drink a new release wine that is years away from maturity. For those who don't have a cellar, BYO restaurants allow the opportunity to try wines that are not mainstream.
If restaurant is BYO, then it is only reasonable that the charge corkage. Expect to pay at least $5.00 per person or between $5 and $15 dollars per bottle. At a high quality restaurant, $20 is less than the extra mark-up you would pay for the cheapest wines on the wine list, so it is not bad value really.
The Perth restaurant scene is not BYO friendly. As a result, my friends and I are spending more time in each others houses, and less time in restaurants, as this way we can drink some of the lovely wines in our cellars.
I list some of the BYO restaurants that members are enjoying at the moment. I would encourage you to send suggestions for members to try. I would also appreciate short reviews (75 Words or less)
NB. Many fine restaurants offer BYO on a Tuesday night. I am not listing these as this is too restrictive.
Latest Addition - West End Deli
Western Australia
Anna's - Mosman Park
Recommended by a member with $5 corkage.
Chez Pierre - Nedlands
Tuesday to Thursday night. Not pretentious, just excellent value set menus.
Clarke's of North Beach - North Beach
Serious food to go with your serious wines.
Chutney Mary's - Subiaco
Da Bruno's - Inglewood
Solid Italian food. Not cheap, but it is byo only.
Great Mellie - Fremantle
Very good value. We held a Wine and Food Society of Western Australia event here and were blown away with the quality of the food. A rustic setting that adds to the enjoyment.
Maretti Caffe Cuccina - 120 Wellington St, Mosman Park, WA. Ph (08) 9286 1899
18/9/2009 We had a superb night on Friday night to celebrate the birthdays of Sandy and Kevin. Maretti is a warm and buzzing restaurant that allows BYO. It also has an excellent eclectic wine list that offers some drinking value. The food is authentic and generous and the prices are very reasonable. The staff are knowledgeable and informative and made the experience even more enjoyable.
The menu allows for a variety of eating styles from pizzas to more formal meals. The presentation of the food matched the quality. In short, a fantastic venue to enjoy a special wine. (I have not reviewed the wines as this was a celebration, not tasting, but needless to say, they were superb (Think Roederer Crystal 1997 etc.)
Nine Fine Food - Highgate
Food can be variable, but often very good.
Ria
Soprano's - South Perth
The Prophet - East Victoria Park
Think Emenem on a budget. Great value authentic food. I suggest bringing your own glasses too!
West End Deli - Carr St, West Perth.
West End Deli has been around for a few years serving breakfasts and lunch along with good quality coffee. In February 2010, they started serving dinner from Thursday to Saturday.
We have eaten there twice in the last 2 weeks, and have been impressed by the quality of food and attention to detail. If anything, the food was even better second time around. The good news is that they are BYO. THe bad news is that they have applied for a liquor licence.
Get in while the going is good and make sure they know that you appreciate being able to BYO!