Jetty Bar & Eats

According to owner Miles Hull, if Jetty Bar & Eats had a motto, it would be "under-promise and over-deliver."

It's an approach that's evident as soon as you arrive. From the outside, you could be forgiven for mistaking the unassuming shed-like building for a ferry terminal. After all, the riverside venue is located on a defunct ferry route to Rottnest Island on Fremantle's East Street jetty.

But inside the airy 120-person capacity bar and restaurant, the stylish interior is reminiscent of a European beach club, with wooden booth seating and long tables that ensure everyone gets a decent view of the Swan River. A 10-metre-long bar and open kitchen are at the heart of the operations.

"My wife and I have spent quite a bit of time in Greece on the Ionian Islands, where there are non-descript shacks on the beaches. You sit and have good wine and food right there on the water," explains Hull of his inspiration behind Jetty Bar & Eats. "One of the big laments for Perth is we're surrounded by water, ocean and river, but lacking in places to go sit by it and have quality drinks or bites to eat."

The concept may sound simple, but the hospitality veteran behind several successful Fremantle enterprises, including Little Creatures and Harvest (now known as Habitue), recognised it was an opportunity not to be missed.

Greek island shacks aren’t where the Mediterranean influence ends.

Italian-born Head Chef Marcello Segalina takes inspiration from Jetty’s waterside location, rustling up a seasonal food menu that heavily features seafood. Dishes are for sharing with shark-bay scallops with corn puree, lardo, capers and lime, pan-fried squid with spicy nduja butter and whole fried school prawns served up with a lime aioli dip, a few fan favourites.

There’s also a vertical rotisserie for Greek-style gyros stuffed with pimento and orange chicken, or a vegetarian version using Israeli pita layered with roasted eggplant, tahini, salad and pineapple amba sauce.

Drinks have a similar coastal vibe. With fresh, summery cocktails including pet nat with candied orange, almond, citrus and topped with Swan Valley made Vino Volta wine, to an array of Spritz – our preferred: “It’s a Pretty Big Dill” with Campari, Prosecco, lemon and dill. 

For the wine list, Hull enlisted the help of sommelier Foni Pollitt to help navigate the “relatively unknown world of Greek wine”, so visitors can try hard-to-find drops from producers such as Santorini’s Gaia Wines and organic winery Domaine Zafeirakis.  

The food and beverage offering is partially a nod to the European immigrants who arrived in Fremantle in the fifties and sixties, bringing “their food, culture and coffee machines to Freo,” says Hull.

As a long-time Fremantle local, Hull hopes Jetty Bar & Eats will strike a balance between being a welcoming space where people can relax beside the water while attracting those after quality food and drinks.

“I want this to be a place where people come for a quintessentially Freo experience”, says Hull. “Where they can sit on this unique waterfront and watch dolphins, ships, boats and trains while having food inspired by the origins of European Fremantle.”

Photo credit: Studio Field