These mussels are my favourite and have everything good chilli mussels
should. Most importantly, the sauce is thick with tomatoes, peppers and
chillis, with a touch of lemon to add some zing. The main size is very
substantial and comes at a reasonable price.
Messina's is located at the west end of James St in Northbridge, with
indoor and outdoor eating areas. The service is excellent and occasionally
a musician will entertain patrons with traditional Italian music.
Shop 5/ 160 James St Northbridge WA 6003 ph: (08) 9227 1793
Gino's Spaghetti Bar
4.5 Stars
Gino's is a hidden gem, located in the inner suburbs of Perth. The small,
traditional, family restaurant serves some of the best chilli mussels in
Perth - both dine-in and take-away. The mussels are served in a rich
sauce, thick with crushed tomatoes and chillis. It's hard to get better
value for money with the extravagent portion served up here.
Shop 1 199 Flinders St Yokine WA 6060 ph: (08) 9207 1200
Sienna's
4 Stars
Sienna's is a large, family, Italian restaurant located in the heart of
Leederville, specialising in traditional Italian dishes. They know how to
do chilli mussels here - not straying from the traditional thick tomatoey
sauce served up in a portion that's hard to finish in one sitting.
115 Oxford St, Leederville, WA, ph: (08) 94448844
Capriccio Italiano
4 Stars
Cappricio displays a big sign boasting "The Best Chilli Mussels in
the West". Their business card announces they are "The House Of
Chilli Mussels". So expectations were high when I arrived to sample
their flag-ship cuisine.
I'll start by describing all the things that made this a 4 star review:
great prices, great portion sizes (choice of small, medium, large), prompt
service, authentic Italian family feel, top location and outdoor or open
window seating. The mussels were served, as people with experience know
how to: a wide based bowl that allows as much sauce as possible to cover
the mussels, a finger dipping bowl, shell bowl and soup spoon. The sauce
was thick and fragrant.
With all this going for them, I was on the verge of confirming their
self-declared status of "The Best Chilli Mussels in the West".
Unfortunately, I ordered my chilli mussels "hot", something that
has never caused me any concern or trouble before. But this time,
"hot" chilli mussels finally lived up to their description and
the fire that started in my mouth left my taste-buds numb after two
mouth-fulls.
So, unable to taste the chilli mussels, I was also unable to either
confirm or deny the claim of "The Best Chilli Mussels in the
West". Certainly the hottest. However, it would be unfair to poorly
rate these mussels simply because they accurately delivered what was
requested. But next time (and there will be a next time - my co-diner that
evening rather liked the pasta and has been on about it ever since...)
I'll be sure to ask for medium or mild.
71 / 73 Lake St Northbridge ph: (08) 9328 4334
The Italian Cafe
3.5 Stars
Again located in Hillarys Boat Harbour, the Italian Cafe is a cheap, but
brilliantly positioned cafe overlooking the waters of the harbour. The
quality of the mussels tends to fluctuate (as does the service), but
normally you can expect a rich sauce thick with crushed tomatoes, but
light on the chilli. It's worth asking for extra sauce as the kitchen
sometimes goes a bit light, leaving the mussels too dry. It's also worth
noting that the kitchen frequently runs out of mussels, so it's best to
get in at the start of lunch or dinner.
All that aside, on a good day you'll get great mussels, for the lowest
price in Perth, and be eating them right next to the water. It's worth
checking out.
Sorrento Quay Hillarys WA 6025 ph: (08) 9448 9033
Monte Fiore
3.5 Stars
These mussels are excellent value for money, with an enormous bowl served
for just $15. The sauce has a light-weight, but very flavoursome, white
wine and chilli base with a medium spice. There is a smattering of red
cabbage, fresh capsicum and snow pea sprouts through-out for something a
bit different.
Located in the heart of Mt Lawley, Monte Fiore is walking distance to
numerous bars, cafes and pubs. The restaurant has a large indoor area and
a small amount of alfresco seating.
628 Beaufort Street, Mt Lawley WA ph: (08) 9227 9898
Primo Cucina
3 Stars
Although mostly sticking to the traditional sauce, it is sometimes served
a little too sweet for my liking. Fortunately, it's comes with a few
wedges of lemon which usually do the trick to zap it into shape. Primo
Cucina is a medium sized fmaily Italian restaurant that offers great value
for money and is located in suburban Hillarys.
Outdoor heaters for winter time make this an attractive alternative to the
boat harbour restaurants.
110 Flinders Ave Hillarys WA 6025 ph: (08) 9403 4225
Giardini
2.5 Stars
This is a perfect example of an expensive restaurant charging more money
for less food. Whilst Giardini's has great atmosphere and is located in
the lively Oxford St of Leederville, their chilli mussels do not match the
expectations set by the quality of the surrounds. The biggest problem with
the mussels is simply the size and the price. They are more expensive than
most of the restaurants listed on this site, and half the size of most
too.
135 Oxford St, Leederville, WA ph: (08) 9242 2602
The Belgian Beer Cafe
2.5 Stars
A sauce light on the palate may appeal to some, as most of the other
mussels listed on this site have (my favourite) a thick, rich, tomatoey
sauce. The Belgian Beer Cafe serves up their mussels in a tall 1kg pot,
with a light-weight white wine and chilli sauce. Trouble with this
technique is that mussels do not hold a thin sauce very well and the tall
narrow pot makes it hard to get a taste of the sauce until half your
mussels have gone.
These mussels are reasonable value for money, usually going for around
$20. They are sometimes served as a special, which includes fries and a
beer.
The Belgian Beer Cafe is located in Perth City. It has large indoor and
outdoor areas and an excellent selection of foreign beer.
Corner Hay and King St, Perth, WA
The Greek
1 Star
Salty, spicy, thin, red sauce is the only way to describe these mussels.
There was not a hint of substance to the sauce, which left me wondering
how they had managed to turn it red in the first place. Perhaps with
chilli powder, but certainly not with tomatoes. To their credit, the
mussels themselves were large and of excellent quality, which only made
the sauce all the more disappointing.
The Greek is located in the heart of Northbridge. The restaurant has a
large indoor area, with an al-fresco area outside on lively James St.
124 James Street, Northbridge, WA, 6003. Ph. 9227 7346
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