Running With Thieves — Restaurant in South Fremantle

To sum it up, this was a disappointing experience.

I'll start with the positives, the food was quite tasty, and the beers are quality and well priced.

But what overshadowed the experience were the following two things: evidence of poor/disorganised management poor service

POOR MANAGEMENT

To start with the menu on the website hasn't been updated since Feb 2022 (over a year), and the menu on offer was almost entirely different, which makes planning for those with dietary requirements quite challenging.

Secondly the male toilets were out of order leaving only a single unisex/disabled stall available for men to use, and when I entered at 5pm on a Friday afternoon it was out of toilet paper. Of course maintenance issues occur but I do not envy all the guys who have to line up for a single cubicle for the whole of Friday night at the start of a long weekend...

POOR SERVICE

When I arrived I went to the bar to order us drinks and the bar tender accidentally spilled one of them all over my shorts, not a great start, but to his credit he offered us the two beers for free got me a cloth and apologised profusely, which is all you can ask for. The only reason I mention this therefore is to highlight a pattern of repeated errors by staff.

Next I went up to order food, ordered chips, corn fritters and tempura eggplant, as my partner is vegetarian and I often eat vego when we're out. We received the snapper instead of the corn fritters, which is surprising as they are on two separate parts of the menu and when I ordered the fritters I said specifically "the corn and coriander fritters" sure maybe fritter sounds like snapper but the snapper dish has neither corn nor coriander on it. Anyway I was in the bathroom when the dish came and my partner accepted it on my behalf and I didn't want to make a fuss as I eat fish at home, despite the fact that the snapper was twice the price of the corn fritters (and I realised I had been charged for the snapper).

Finally I went to order us a second round of beers, and the bartender walked off after pouring them, without charging me, returned 30 seconds later and said 'what can I get you mate' clearly forgetting he'd just served me and I said, 'I need to pay for those beers'.

In total these successive mistakes really soured the evening.

OTHER COMMENTS

Additionally the venue, itself while the interior is quite beautiful, the only exterior seating are a small number of stools with no tables in full view of the western sun and no shade, while nice for a sunset view, the lack of proper tables and shade means it's not very usable as an enjoyable area. Finally, we arrived at 5pm on Friday afternoon to a DJ playing really loud EDM, I'm sure that this music/atmosphere would be awesome after dark, but at a time of day when the majority of patrons are families with kids and couples, I think a relaxed atmosphere would be...

Reviewing Running With Thieves after being there almost half a dozen times easy. This has became one of my favourite spots to hang out and grab a beer when I am in Fremantle, which is quite often. Let’s get into the review:

Running with Thieves nails the vibe straight away. Inside, it’s got that classic Aussie craft beer pub feel — clean lines, a big open bar, and good music that sets the tone without overpowering the space. It’s modern, warm, and welcoming — not the old English pub kind, but something uniquely local.

Step outside and it gets even better. The outdoor seating is perfect for winding down and watching the Fremantle sunset. Honestly, few spots in Freo beat that view with a cold beer in hand.

Drinks: The beers here are solid across the board. A few standouts: • Pale Ale: 4/5 • Thieves Lager: 4/5 • Japanese Lager: 4/5 • Caramel Stout: 4.5/5 — Easily my favourite. Smooth, toasty, with just the right lingering sweetness. If you’re into dark beers, this one’s a must-try.

Most of their brews hold up really well — great for craft beer lovers or anyone just looking for a good drink.

Food: • Brisket Sandwich: 3.5/5 — Decent, but could use a bit more punch in flavour. • Bao: 4/5 — Tasty, soft, and a good snack to go with the beers.

Would love to see a few more familiar or classic food options on the menu — something hearty to balance the drinks.

Service: Here’s where it drops a little. Finding a table can be a mission. The staff often feel rushed and hard to flag down, especially during busy hours. A bit more attention to the floor service would really round out the experience.

Overall: Running with Thieves is a great spot — the atmosphere, drinks, and setting make it one of those places you keep coming back to. A few tweaks in service and menu variety, and it’d be near perfect. Still, it’s a go-to for drinks, sunsets, and that...

Hi RWT team

We had a bit of a function for my sons 18th on Saturday 29/6 and had a low table with 18 attendees booked under Mark Regan.

We are from the country and made the 500 km round trip so our extended family and friends could also come along.

From the day we booked to the minute we left we could not be happier with the service and friendliness that we received both on the phone and in person on the day.

I was a little concerned that the noise level may be an issue (particularly for my mum who is 85) however we found the whole place was all very comfortable for both noise and warmth.

The reason I selected your property was the menu selection was more diverse than other venues I looked at, and I am a big fan of your RWT ginger beer!

The staff were amazing, friendly, helpful and the food was sensational. Everyone in our party commented on the volume and quality of the food, and the selection of drinks was amazing.

Some venues don’t like people bringing a birthday cake etc, however your staff had no issue and were happy to assist by putting the cake in the fridge for us until we were ready.

The icing on the cake for us was your owner /manager coming up to my son and personally thanked him for celebrating at the venue, and gave him a $100 voucher to come back on the future! Completely unexpected was this gesture, however it speaks volumes to us “country people” as unreal customer service!

So from some really satisfied, full and happy customers , thank you! We had a great afternoon and I can safely say we will be back!

Only negative - I forgot to get some Ginger beers to bring back home!

Cheers and thanks again,

Mark Regan and family Narrogin WA

Sent...