Percy Flint

When the owners of Northbridge's Picabar, brothers Conor and Brian Buckley, were on the lookout for a new bar project in 2015, they headed to the coast and a little pocket of South Fremantle.

Their goal was to create a neighbourhood bar, a go-to spot for locals and a must-try for those keen to wander beyond central Freo's Cappuccino strip. They found a 1930s former store on the corner of South Terrace and Ada Street that once served locals as the resident newsagency in South Fremantle, run by a man called Percy Flint. Now number 211 has evolved into a bijou bar named after the man himself. Percy Flint, Boozery and Eatery, was born.

"We wanted to create a laid-back and welcoming neighbourhood bar that felt like you were having a drink in your friend's backyard in South Freo," shares co-owner Brian Buckley. "That was always the aim, and it's lovely that it's come to pass."

Percy's interior is homely and inviting. As you enter, you're greeted with booth seating along the walls and a long central dining table offering patrons eyes on the kitchen and the bar. Next door, a cosy lounge has chesterfield sofas, and a wood fire is lit during the cold months. Outside is an idyllic courtyard, popular during any season.

"The focus was always the courtyard - it's leafy and green, and there's a massive poinciana in the middle of it which shades the whole place in summer," Brian continues. "When the sun's out, it's a really easy place to be to while away the afternoon or the evening."

With South Beach just a short walk, Percy's can easily cater to your post-dip drink cravings with a menu that boasts a range of craft beer, cocktails, and a wine list that focuses on minimal intervention and small-batch wineries.

Wines come by the glass or bottle with the majority hailing from Australia with a range of alternative varietals including chilled reds and pet nats like Petit Blancs Vin Nat from the Great Southern or the Ochota Barrels, Texture Like Sun, a red blend from the Adelaide Hills. The rest of the wine menu is made of European imports, like a Cataratto from Salina in Italy or Champagne from France.

If feeling peckish, their ever-evolving menu of gastro-pub fare features plates of corn fritters, and buttermilk fried popcorn chicken, as well as their famed steak-sanga. With warm summer days incoming, expect even more seafood on the menu that already features house marinated Albany sardines, lemon pepper Shark Bay baby squid, and a fish burger using WA snapper. "The idea is to keep it local and constantly changing", says Brian of the food offerings.

In just a few short years, Percy's has become a bustling local sharing its crossroads with The Local and the iconic Italian restaurant, Ruocco's, drawing a loyal crowd to the self-proclaimed Boozery and Eatery. That includes Percy Flint's own daughter, who spent her 90th birthday celebrating at the bar, reminiscing about her childhood living out the back of the former newsagent and helping her dad with the paper run. It seems the original Percy continues to charm and draw a crowd after all these years.

Photo credit: Percy Flint