Is Albany WA’s New Foodie Capital?

where to eat in albany

Decisions, decisions on where to eat in Albany.

If Albany’s restaurants and cafés were placed on a menu, you would be at a loss to decide where to have your plat de jour (meal of the day). WA’s emerging food capital is a tantalising affair on the taste buds as much as it is on the senses, with each foodie outlet a worldly destination in itself. Locals and tourists alike are spoilt for choice when it comes to selecting the right kind of ambience to suit their dining and winning mood – all the while feasting on the best of what the Great Southern region provides.

Here we list where to eat in Albany to suit your food mood.

For a good shop:

Albany Farmers Markets

There’s nothing like feeling that fresh morning crisp air on your skin coupled with finding a fresh eat to satisfy the insides too. Enjoy both simple pleasures in life with a wander around the Albany Farmers Market. Every Saturday morning until noon, Collie Street is a hive of activity bustling with independent vendors selling seasonal fresh fruits and vegetables, farmed meats, cheeses alongside artisan baked goods from the Great Southern region. It is a chance to create a DIY farm to table experience for yourself and to meet with local producers in the ultimate open-air supermarket in Albany. 

Albany Farmers Market, Collie Street, Albany WA 6330

Open every Saturday from 8.00am – 12pm 

To step back in time:

Liberte

A Look Inside Albany’s Booming Food Scene
Source: @libertealbany

Waltzing into Liberte is like experiencing a whirlwind trip to the kitsch and glamour of bohemian Paris. Hidden within the walls of the historic London Hotel, the much-loved local bar and restaurant is a taste of the French capital, with its Parisian-themed décor, renaissance artworks and Boehme furnishings a treat to the eyes as its fare is to the mouth. 

Liberte’s menu is made for sharing, serving up a fusion of French and Vietnamese inspired share plates. Just to see how things are shaken up, order the steak tartare, served with quail egg, fried shallots and season cracker or a ginger crème brulee to make life that extra sweet. Or be more daring with your tastebuds with trying akoya (pearl meat).

The menu is matched with an extensive cocktail list to up your drinking game with fancy concoctions to keep in theme of the night. 

Liberte, 162 Stirling Terrance, Albany WA 6330

To continue the healthy streak:

The Alkaline Café

You may be on holiday, but that doesn’t mean your diet has to as well. Albany’s happy place with food for the soul The Alkaline Café is a true delight. Sitting along Frederick Street, this cosy café serves up nourishing, wholesome meals and drinks to make you feel good with every bite or sip.

It’s easy to be overwhelmed, looking at the café’s blackboard of healthy eats, but either way, you will be making the right choice. The café’s salad bowls are a bright colour display, looking good enough to eat and lucky for you, they are! Open for breakfast and lunch from 7am to 3pm, it is the perfect pitstop to balance out the other indulgent moments on route. 

The Alkaline Café, 1/90 Frederick St, Albany WA 6330

Share plates with a view:

Garrison

Garrison - Where To Eat & Drink In Albany

Real happiness is better shared, so why not bring good food (and a top-notch view) into the equation?

Sitting atop Mount Clarence with sweeping views of King George Sound and beyond is Garrison, a place brings the world together by the share plate. Foodies will be delighted with its moreish menu, with both local influences (polenta, Manjimup truffle oil and parmesan) to further afield such as its juicy Marrakesh lamb meatballs and baharat hummus. It also serves up sourdough pizzas and more substantial meals that could be shared (or not). It’s the perfect place for a slow food affair or a progressive meal as the location is only too ideal for soaking up the encompassing natural beauty Albany boasts. 

Garrison’s dessert options are pretty impressive too – that is if you can find the room for an extra bit of sweetness in your life. 

Garrison, 7 Forts Road Mount Clarence WA 6330

Get your hunger game on: 

Due South

A Look Inside Albany’s Booming Food Scene
Source: @duesouthtavern

Think of Due South the living example of MasterChef Australia’s theme song and Katy Perry earworm ‘Hot n Cold’. It offers the best of both worlds’ food and drinks wise as well as being Albany’s ultimate social arena when it comes to dining on the banks of Princess Royal Harbour. If the sun is out, guests can bask in the good weather and sit seaside on the outdoor deck. If Albany’s infamous wind factor is dialled up, guests can retreat into the almost glass warehouse-like venue and admire the town’s incredible landscapes comfortably warm indoors.

But more onto the food factor – Due South is the type of place to get your hunger game on. It’s famous for its indulgent aged steaks using Stirling Ranges beef, gourmet pizzas with offbeat toppings (Reuben pizza anyone?) and share plates that include tasty controversial choice, fried pickles. 

The drinks are something that will warm the heart too, with an extensive wine list made up of local and international wines and cocktail menu from its shipping container bar. Make sure to check out its themed nights to ensure you save coin and get a top meal out of it too!

Due South, 6 Toll Pl, Albany WA 6330

Dine with wine:

Majuba Bistro

See a sophisticated side to Albany with wining and dining at Majuba Bistro. This French-inspired, two-storey bistro brings cosmopolitan flair onto York Street, with its slick décor of Parisian-style red booth seating and elegant photo gallery on display. 

It’s a restaurant to visit when one wants to treat themselves right with an extensive wine list from around the world. Match the wine with a fine cuisine, with its signature seafood bouillabaisse a royal treat.

Majuba Bistro, 132 York St, Albany WA 6330

Feature image: Garrison

See more: Western Australia travel

Article first published on So Perth – A Look Inside Albany’s Booming Food Scene

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