No Mafia — Restaurant in Perth

Today, I arrived in Perth after a long trip, and after work, I decided to take a walk around my hotel to find a place for dinner. A quick Google search immediately caught my attention with No Mafia, and after a recommendation from the kind lady at the hotel lobby, I knew this was the spot for tonight.

No Mafia feels like one of those restaurants you see in movies—where talented chefs create a cool, intimate space with a small but soulful menu. And that’s exactly what it is. Exactly.

The atmosphere is warm and inviting, with soft lighting that practically demands a Negroni in hand, a carefully curated playlist that makes you want to stay longer, and beautiful decor that pleases the eye in every detail.

The service was exceptional. A lovely Spanish waitress (whose name I asked for but, unfortunately, forgot—my bad!) led me to my table, and when I asked for her recommendation, she confidently suggested the Pappardelle with Duck Ragu as the main course.

I didn’t need to think twice. My order was set: Mortadella to start, Pappardelle with Duck Ragu as the main, and a Negroni to tie it all together.

Everything was outstanding. Truly, exceptionally well-executed. The Duck Ragu was, without a doubt, one of the best dishes I’ve had in years—maybe in my entire life. The fresh pasta was perfectly al dente, the ragu was thick, rich, and beautifully balanced in flavor, with just the right hint of truffle oil and finely grated Parmesan elevating every bite.

Honestly, I could go on for hours about this incredible experience—dining alone in a restaurant with soul, with people who are genuinely passionate about what they do. This review is my small way of expressing gratitude to those who work hard (and believe me, I know what that means—I spent years working in restaurant kitchens) and do it for the love of food.

Treat yourself to No Mafia. It’s a gift to...

Honestly have never written something like this ever in my life but I felt compelled to after what happened last night. Went for a celebration last night and seriously have never been one to not eat my meal once in my life. I couldn't bring myself to eat 80% of my meal the pasta was terrible texture it would have tasted better if they boiled packet pasta. Flavour of the sauce was gross could taste an odd burnt garlic type flavour. Service was terrible one staff member was actually lovely and seemed to cop all of our feedback on the night which we apologized to her for however the rest of the team seemed pretty angry to be there. Also half the seats were metal chairs the other half were little stools and we were fighting over who could sit on a chair, seriously who wants to go for dinner and get a back ache on a stool just put a proper chair there for God's sake. We were told we had to all be seated in order for them to take orders even though we did the set menu. We were all there but couple of us had gotten up to go to the bathroom and somehow they spun out over that. Once all seated they then took forever to take our drink orders anyway and it was then another wait to ask them to bring our appetizers out. We then had to ask them to take our orders for mains as we were sitting there waiting forever. Not sure why they didn't take our mains orders at the start and just bring them out at a certain time like any other normal restaurant. I'm not sure how this place has ever gotten a good review.

Believe me when I say I know good Italian food when I eat it and this place is not it, I've tasted better meals out of the freezer aisle at woolies. If you want good Italian literally go...

Very disappointing! I rarely leave negative reviews, but our experience at No Mafia was beyond underwhelming. We were a large group and unfortunately had no choice but to agree to a set menu fair enough but that’s where the problems began.

The service was disorganised and inattentive from the moment we arrived. The waitstaff spent more time standing around than actually guiding us through the process. For a group our size, we expected at least a bit of coordination, but instead, we were treated like schoolchildren literally being told we had to all sit down before we could even place our orders. It was patronising and unnecessary.

Then came the wait. We were left sitting for before any food arrived. No updates, no refills, no checking in. Just a frustrating, drawn out wait. Then we had prompt the staff to take our orders.

And the food? Truly some of the worst pasta I’ve ever had. Bland, overcooked, and completely forgettable a far cry from what you’d expect at a place that presents itself as a trendy Italian eatery.

Overall, we felt ignored, rushed when it suited the staff, and completely let down. I wouldn’t recommend No Mafia for large groups or anyone expecting decent service and...