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BYOs are a restaurant-goer’s best friend. No eye-watering wine mark-ups and you get to bring your favourite booze.
For many with money, nous and big cellars, it’s an opportunity to plunder their collection and enjoy a premier cru Bordeaux over good food in a casual setting. BYOs are a boon for the budget-conscious who want good times without having their wallet flensed.
Francoforte in Northbridge. Worth seeking out.
Food gets you customers; booze gets you profit. It’s an old hospitality axiom with a lot of truth. If it weren’t for booze sales, most restaurants would find it difficult to wipe their face.
So just how have BYO restaurants survived, and why is there now more BYO choice than ever?
Lyndon Waples, who quietly acquired Claremont’s Nolita restaurant last year, said, for the time being, they were sticking with the Monday-Tuesday BYO offer.
“There are some enviable private cellars in the western suburbs, so it’s good to give our customers a day or two in the week to bring their own booze and have a banging feed at the same time,” Waples said.
Waples also owns Il Lido and Canteen Pizza in Cottesloe, and said BYO brought customers in on traditionally slow nights like Mondays. What they gave away in mark-up was often clawed back with cocktail sails and after-dinner drinks.
“They’ll still buy a negroni before dinner and perhaps a digestif afterwards,” he said.
Tania Nicolo and Ryan Bookless, who operate popular pizza restaurant Monsterella in Wembley, said BYO gave their customers “an opportunity to bring a bottle of something special to share with friends.”
“We’re happy not to have a liquor licence. We think it’s to our advantage to allow people to bring their own,” Bookless said.
“We get customers because of it.”
Lady of Ro, Subiaco
This cute-as-a-button, bric a brac-packed Greek restaurant has a legion of fans. The owners say its cuisine is inspired from all around the Mediterranean. Grilled saganaki and their succulent eight-hour slow lamb are reasons to go. Bring your own booze, sit on the street and dream of Athens’ Syntagma Square.
Nolita in Claremont.
Nolita, Claremont
Monday and Tuesday are BYO nights and the locals bring out the big guns to quaff with their pasta and grilled meats. Corkage is unique. It’s a donation and you get to choose how much. We encourage you to be generous. After all you’re eating some fab trattoria style dishes right on Bayview Terrace.
Rym Tarng, Bicton
Rym Tarng is a Thai takeaway with aspirations. With three tables inside and a couple more on the street, it is tiny. The Thai dishes are some of the most authentic in the city and with a hilarious, cheerful crew on the stoves, it’s a joyous distraction from the trials and tribs of workaday life.
Viet Hoa, Northbridge
It’s a common story. You go out for lunch, then drinks, followed by dinner, more drinks, then end up at Connies until 3am. The next day is a little ordinary, and it’s time for the world’s best hangover cure: a big bowl of pho from Viet Hoa with a side of fresh green herbs to scatter at will. On the understanding that it’s always best to ease the pain with the hair of the dog, bring your own booze and drink your way back to health.
Francoforte Spaghetti Bar, Northbridge
Owner Julian Staltari says BYO night is every night at his pasta-forward restaurant. You have to look for it; it’s down a small arcade off William Street, Northbridge. But once you get there, you should – we insist – have Francoforte’s pasta carbonara, made properly with guanciale (think bacon but made from the fleshy jowls of the pig), eggs, and, as it should be, no cream. Corkage is $5 per person.
Pappagallo, Leederville
Pappagallo’s food offering. Enjoy it with a bottle of your own plonk.
Pappagallo is home to arguably the best Roman-style pizza in Perth. Roman-style is thinner and crispier than the more common Naples style, and, according to owner Nino La Verghetta, “much healthier.” They also make their own pasta. BYO is available for lunch services only, but all week. Corkage is $10 a bottle.
“It’s nice for people to come in for lunch and drink their own wine if they like. It’s a service we provide. We are fully licensed of course, so no need to bring a bottle.”
Pappagallo also makes a cracking Americano, a spirited aperitif-style cocktail made like a negroni but replacing the gin with a splash of soda.
Tra Vinh, Northbridge
Tra Vinh is a bit of a sleeper. Unless you have made an effort to find it, you probably haven’t tried its fetching Vietnamese dishes. It has, however, a legion of bolted-on fans. They specialise in noodles but their stuffed chicken wings are spectacular. There are two Tra Vinhs, one in Brisbane Street, the other in William Street. It’s all BYO.
Nasi Lemak Corner, Mosman Park and Como
This stalwart of Malaysian cuisine and creator of one of the finest laksas in town is currently closed for renovations at their prominent Mossie Park shopfront. Hopefully they’ll be back in business in quick time.
Nasi Lemak Korner.
Good news: they have a Como store too. Their nasi lemak (the national dish of Malaysia) is notable for its sambal on the side and a pungent anchovy and peanut garnish. Bring your own booze (beer seems to be the best match with spicy Malaysian dishes) and enjoy the quick service and belting food.
Search out Angkor beer from Cambodia, one of the most popular beers in Malaysia, and take a six-pack along.
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