Dine

Peggy's

Paying homage to his childhood, it's Harry Peasnell's high-quality sandwiches that avid fans of Peggy's eatery come for.

By Kate Jones

Chef Harry Peasnell and partner Harriet Roxburgh swung open the doors to Peggy's sandwich servery in August 2021.

They quickly amassed a large and loyal following of eager Fremantle locals eager for their humble sandwiches crafted by a top chef.

Growing up in Melbourne, Harry has fond memories of corners stores where you could grab a tasty ham and cheese or salad sandwich, and it's this nostalgia that's behind Peggy's, named after the couple's three-year-old daughter.

Harry has an impressive resume. First in Melbourne, working under award-winning chef and restaurateur Andrew McConnell (Gimlet at Cavendish House, Cutler & Co. and Cumulus Inc.) After a stint in the kitchen of McConnell's Builders Arms Hotel in Fitzroy and then Cheek, Harry moved to Perth in late 2019 and within days of arriving in WA, was working the pass at Lulu La Delizia in Subiaco.

Yet it wasn’t long before he began flirting with the idea of going solo with his own eatery. Something more casual versus modern finer dining. The hunt for an empty corner shop began. "We gravitated towards Freo being more of a community vibe," Harry tells Lost in Fremantle. "There is a lot of character, and I also noticed a massive shift of friends moving down to the area. There was a lot of cool stuff happening, which I now know why," he adds of Fremantle's burgeoning food and drink scene.

The couple found their ideal spot on the corner of Market Street and Leake Street in the Imperial Chambers building built in 1896. "Peggy's is in a heritage corner that had only ever been used for retail, so there were no hospitality bones at all," he says. It took months of paperwork and shop fit-out to be ready to open to the public, but once they did, the crowds came.

Peggy's inviting interior has a canteen feel. Light blue tiles against whitewashed walls and timber floors in a space filled with natural light. Large windows look out to the bustle of Market Street with alfresco-style seating made using milk crates.

Bread is baked in-store daily, including focaccia, tin loaf and potato buns, with all sandwiches made fresh to order.

You'll never find anything pre-wrapped in a cabinet. An all-day menu is led by the sausage and egg muffin miles ahead of anything you'd find in a servo or from the golden arches. The Shnitty, chicken schnitzel with lettuce, cheese and dill mayo in a sesame sub, and the Antipasti, filled with mortadella, ham, sopressa, provolone cheese, and marinated vegetables, are two other fan favourites.

The Parm is loaded with panko crumbed eggplant, spicy tomato sauce, onion, lettuce, and Parmigiano cheese in a focaccia roll ideal for veggie lovers. If you're seeking a slightly simpler sarnie, tuck into an Egg Salad stacked high with mayo egg mix, cucumber and lettuce in a soft tin loaf slice. Wash it all down with fresh orange juice or Nippy's chocolate milk or brewed Community Coffee. Homemade cookies are also on offer to curb any sugar cravings.

"You could borderline run a semi-fine dining restaurant out of the space we've got," says Harry. "Everything's cooked, and it's hot. It's all assembled to order. It's all wrapped to order. Because we're open seven days a week, it allows us to do everything fresh every day."