Where to get the best coffee in Perth for your caffeine fix

You might end up waiting a while in an alley for your morning cuppa, but trust us, it’s worth it. Plonked down one of Perth City’s hilly ways on Howard Street, this café serves specialty coffee that will surpass your wildest dreams. Twin Peaks and Smooth Operator beans are all systems go at this hip joint and you best be sure to try their oat mont blanc – a cold brew with a cap of oat cream and a dusting of orange zest and nutmeg – and pair it with a golden toastie, such as the Cuban with pickle mustard, ham, cheese and gherkins. As the name suggests, Howard’s Groove is indeed rather groovy, with its maroon colour scheme, polished concrete floors, soft globe light fixtures and timber fittings. It’s contemporary, but by no means frosty-feeling.

Time Out tip: Howard’s Groove is half underground-ish thanks to the sloped locale. This means you can sit by the window and watch the pants and shoes of Perth City clip and clop by.

Address: 22 Howard Street, Perth
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 6:30am-2pm
Expect to pay: Between $4.80 and $6.50 for a coffee

Coffee lovers in Western Australia can gloat over having Micrology all to themselves. A key player in Perth’s coffee scene since 2013, the staff at Micrology’s passion for coffee is infectious. With a tight, well-rounded lineup of beans to order from, Micrology is all about keeping things as local as possible. They source and roast beans from microlots around the world, with Perth locals’ tastes at the forefront of their final product (the best taste, obviously). You can pop into their café and roastery in Osborne Park to see the crew doing their thing – that’s serving up elite cups of pour-over, cold brew, filter and batchie along with tasty treats like their potato, leek and kale sausage rolls.

Time Out tip: Stock up big-time with Micrology’s two-litre cold brew casks if you’re serious about your coffee guzzling. They’ve even got an oat latte number, which is bound to keep you going.

Address: 1/58 Collingwood Street, Osborne Park
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 6am-2pm; Sat 7am-12:30pm
Expect to pay: Between $4.80 and $7.50 for a coffee

Here’s a spot where soaking up the sunshine upon a grassy flat while sippin’ a downright delightful cup of Joe is the norm – it’s Parkside Coffee. This hole-in-the-wall dispensary backs onto Stuart Street Reserve just north of Perth’s CBD, and kicks it old-school with yesteryear milk crates as their seating of choice. Never mind about a table, the distant cityscape and neighbouring terrace houses are a sublime distraction. Espresso and filter coffee are up for grabs, brewed with beans from new Perth-based roastery, Good People Nice Things. Pair your cuppa with Miller and Baker’s supplied pastries or toasties and you’re good to go, we’d say. 

Time Out tip: Parkside Coffee really is a hole in the wall. There’s no indoor seating to cosy up in winter or escape the summer heat – dress accordingly and make the most of the grassy reserve.

Address: 2 Church Street, Perth
Opening hours: Mon-Sun 7am-4pm
Expect to pay: Between $4.50 and $5.50 for a coffee

Here we have another ol’ reliable, Community Coffee Co, that not only pour up sensational cups of Joe, but supplies cafés across Australia with its in-house roasted beans under the alias, Loot Coffee. Subiaco is where it all started for Community Coffee Co, and these days they’ve ventured out to two Perth City stores and Duncraig as well – all contemporary, light-filled spaces. As for their jitter juice, the usual suspects are on the menu – espresso and filter, along with their stellar cold brew in a can. On Fridays, the OG Subiaco locale melds together wildly good souvlaki for lunch, while the Duncraig specials board has recently seen the likes of overflowing Philly cheesesteak sandwiches.

Time Out tip: If you feel like you’ve driven past Community Coffee Co’s South Perth outpost and have the urge to check it out next time you’re in the area…don’t…it has sadly shut shop for good.

Address: Multiple venues including Duncraig, Perth and Subiaco
Opening hours: Dependant on location
Expect to pay: Between $4.50 and $5.50 for a coffee

Real ones know that Guildford’s Willing Coffee is up there with Perth’s greats, and well worth the drive out of the city’s bustle for a taste of the good stuff. This foothills brew house is Italian-inspired and retro by design – marble countertops, red hues, wood cladding and considered touches complete Willing’s aesthetic – while the finest coffee reinforces its heart. An in-house blend is the caffeinated mainstay, which complements its rotating feature roasters from both national and international labels. Ham and cheese croissants and oozy mushroom bagels are a Willing staple, along with bicycle repair kits and newspapers. But if Guildford is a little too far out of your comfort zone, a Mount Lawley frontier that operates out of Bar Vino by day has you covered for all your Willing Coffee desires.

Time Out tip: Coffee-loving cyclists, Willing is your new safe haven. Enthusiasts gather in Lycra throughout the week to talk about all things bikes and brew.

Address: 110 Terrace Road, Guildford
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 6:30am-2pm; Sat-Sun 6:30am-2pm
Expect to pay: Between $4.50 and $6.75 for a coffee

Salty breeze, sunny streets and seaside coffee – that’s the lore over at Best Wishes Coffee in the ever-so-cool Fremantle. Plonked right in the town’s guts between Market Street and Queen Street, Best Wishes is all about fostering community spirit and diving deep into Freo’s creative scene, often collaborating with local artists and businesses alike. Best Wishes’ tight-knit teamwork makes the dream work, and it shows in every sip of espresso by Perth-based roasters, Micrology, as well as the rotating filter brews by Morley’s Twin Peaks, and Melbourne’s Market Lane and Coffee Supreme, too. Bagels and sweet treats are a big hit at this caffeinated hub, and it’d be near ludicrous to pass up the tasty opportunity.

Time Out tip: Don’t feel like walking a whole lot? Fear not, Best Wishes Coffee is just a hop, skip and a jump from Fremantle Railway Station and the perfect pitstop for an imminent day at the Fremantle Market.

Address: 9/2 Cantonment Street, Fremantle
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 7am-1pm; Sat 7am-12pm
Expect to pay: Between $5 and $8 for a coffee

If you’ve been keeping an eye on Perth’s coffee landscape over the years, you’ve likely come across Modus. With 2016 beginnings, the caffeine roaster has expanded its timber-clad assembly to Mount Lawley, Victoria Park and Wembley, serving the people of Perth top-tier cups of coffee seven days a week. Espresso and filter numbers are all the rage, utilising Modus’ very own brand of beans that are toasted right here in our sunny state, alongside its fresh-baked goods. The ripper pastries are a no-brainer (three-day, chocolate croissants we’re looking at you), as are the roast veg sandwiches and the long-standing Reubens with corned beef, sauerkraut, zucchini pickles, Emmental cheese and oodles of Russian dressing between two sourdough slices – say less.

Time Out tip: Modus is all about KISS (keeping it simple, stupid) with a no-fuss brewing process that allows the coffee’s innate flavours to take centre stage.

Address: Multiple venues including Mount Lawley, Victoria Park and Wembley
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 6:30am-2pm; Sat-Sun 7am-2pm
Expect to pay: Between $4.70 and $8 for a coffee

Phone home – Telegram is mugging up some of the best coffee in Perth. Located inside Barrack Street’s State Buildings, Telegram Coffee has nabbed a prime spot for your rush-hour perk juice and on-the-run, lunchtime pick-me-up. Mid-century in style, the wooden coffee box of sorts churns out mean espresso and filter cuppas using both self-sourced and roasted beans alike. Telegram’s wee one-by-three outpost doesn’t facilitate on-site production, so the team takes matters into their own hands at the shared roasting space, Modern Coffee in East Victoria Park. 2025 marks ten years of Telegram Coffee, and with a little bit of luck, we’ll be savouring its $5-and-under brews for another ten to come.

Time Out tip: Keep an eye out for the 135-year-old crank wheel that Telegram Coffee salvaged from the State Buildings. Safe to say it’s part of the furniture.

Address: State Buildings, Corner Saint Georges Terrace and Barrack Street, Perth
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 6am-4pm
Expect to pay: Between $3.50 and $4.50 for a coffee

From a passion for all things caffeinated and mingling, He Brew Espresso was born back in 2016. The family-run joint originally started its operation on wheels, but has recently found a bricks-and-mortar home to the east of Perth in leafy Maida Vale. He Brew keeps it hip with its relatively no-frills fit-out – after all, it is all about the coffee – and employs Canning Vale’s Crema Coffee Co beans as its local supplier of choice. Both batch and cold brew are on the cards at He Brew, along with some seriously mouth-watering toasties and juicy sausage rolls by neighbouring, High Wycombe-based The Bearded Butcher and Co. Simple, yet effective.

Time Out tip: You’re in safe hands at He Brew Espresso – 2017 saw the brand named as one of the top ten mobile coffee businesses in Western Australia, along with a finalist status in the 2019 National Barista Day.

Address: 31 Maida Vale Road, Maida Vale
Opening hours: Wed-Fri 6am-12pm; Sat 7am-12pm; Sun 8am-12pm
Expect to pay: Between $4 and $6.50 for a coffee

It’s all about coffee and croissants over at Felix and Co Specialty Coffee in Nedlands. This lil’ nook has been in the café game for more than a decade, and that’s not the only thing that’s going strong – their coffee hits equally as hard too. With a focus on seasonality, Felix and Co both roast their beans in-house as well as incorporate some of the finest roasters from across Australia into their rotation. The usual suspects are yours for the taking – filter, batch and cold brew – along with the Japanese-originated pour-over technique for a noticeably robust cup of hot stuff. Delicate latte art doesn’t go unnoticed either. Felix and Co’s compact java shop tends to get packed out, so it wouldn’t be a bad idea to scoot down to the nearby Matilda Bay – one of Perth’s best parks – and enjoy your rocket fuel riverside.

Time Out tip: Felix and Co understand the assignment when it comes to coffee on the go. You can order your cuppa online (at no extra fee, praise be) and sneak through in a jiffy.

Address: 8/160 Hampden Road, Nedlands
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 6:30am-3pm; Sat-Sun 7:30am-12:30pm
Expect to pay: Between $5 and $8 for a coffee