Steves — Restaurant in Western Australia

It was the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Pacific Day (which also marked the end of World War II) on Friday 15 August 2025. I attended a ceremony in Kings Park – arranged by the WA branch of the RSL – that very morning, to honour the occasion. I was glad I attended the ceremony, as it was very meaningful and done well. Ultimately, and of most significance, 80-year anniversaries only happen once.

Later, as the end of my day approached, I made my way to Steves. Located in the heart of Nedlands – and only a stone’s through from the Swan River – Steves is a stalwart of the area. At over 100 years old, it’s an entirely different venue from the one I used to go to as a uni student in the late 90 and early 2000s. Back then, it was still classy but much more casual than it is today. I seem to recall a friend telling me they even used to have pool tables. How times have changed.

Now Steves is an uber cool, quintessentially modern venue. As you enter from Broadway or the Avenue, you are greeted by a grove of trees strewn with fairy lights, which is a nice touch. From there, you make your way into the venue via the open outdoor area, or via a side door from the street. Upon entering, you’ll notice a large wine rack, stocked with an amazing array of wines.

On this visit, I decided to just have a beer. But I can say with confidence that the meals I’ve had here on previous occasions were top quality. I particularly enjoyed the soba noodle salad. Having elected to add prawns to that dish, it was super tasty and the flavours melded together effortlessly.

The menu has a good number of choices, but without being overwhelming. On offer are pub classics including fish and chips, a beef burger, and of course, steaks. Also available are miso glazed salmon and lamb cutlets. Personally, I’d recommend the pork gyoza as an entrée – very tasty. Specials abound too, with a $29 rump available on Mondays. They also do natural oysters for $3 each on Fridays from 3 pm – 7 pm.

The staff are always welcoming and once at the venue, you immediately feel comfortable. And if you’re looking for somewhere new to take your special someone, look no further. This is the place to do it. Plus, to top off your evening, you can always go for a walk by the river after your meal. Who knows, it could be the opportune moment to make that proposal you’ve long been planning.

The owners have done a wonderful job with the layout and design of the venue. There’s a generous amount of space indoors and out, making it neither cosy nor cramped. In one way, it’s an intimate venue. The sort where couples can comfortably converse without fear of intrusion. All while varying sized groups can celebrate without worrying about having to keep their voices down.

The outdoor section is really nice. In fact, there’s actually two outdoor areas, one of which is set out in the open – the other being shielded from the elements by café blinds. Most importantly – especially in winter – you will be warmed by one of several moveable gas heaters that make outdoor dining in winter so much more appealing.

One thing I really like about Steves is that it works on multiple levels. On one hand, you can sit back and enjoy your own company while watching AFL on one of several large TVs. Or, if you’re not a sports fan, you can easily sit back and enjoy your own company or that of a friend while having a quiet drink and a sumptuous meal. Similarly, groups are also welcome, with lots of high tables and chairs to boot.

The atmosphere on offer at Steves is unique – it’s not a sports bar, yet it shows sport. It also has an excellent range of wines, yet it’s not a traditional wine bar. Nor is it strictly the domain for a romantic evening. Yet couples can comfortably dine without being disturbed. To achieve this balance in a modern bar is fantastic and to be celebrated.

So, whether it’s for a game of AFL, an after-work drink, or a romantic evening, head on down to Steve’s. It’s...

Edit 15/02/25 : Organised breakfast here on 9/02/25 for a group of 15 and they absolutely stuffed it up. The booking process was a nightmare, we made a point of keeping them updated on numbers so that they could manage the number of staff, it didn't happen. They were really short staffed and the staff that were there weren't paying attention. The manager was too busy socialising to keep control of what was going on. They missed peoples meals altogether and took an hour to come and take coffee orders, then missed some. The manager came to see us at the end and explained that they had been unusually busy and had only had two bookings ( the other one was for 14 people! ), so she hadn't put on extra staff. She promised to send us a voucher as compensation, this hasn't happened. They completely dropped the ball and now have 15 people who won't come back again. This bad management is killing the place. At least they now have a notice on the till saying that they are charging for credit card transactions. Downgraded to 1 ☆. Update 22/02/25: Since posting the edit a voucher has turned up that is valid until August. 9/11/24: Our group has been here for Sunday morning breakfast and coffee eight or nine times in the last twelve months. The food is good but varies in quantity and is reasonably expensive. Service is good but also varies from week to week depending on which staff are working, which is understandable. I've always wondered why they don't give receipts when you go up to pay, so I paid extra attention last week and was charged $25 at the till on EFTPOS, that was what came up on the till face. When I checked my bank statement I discovered that I had been charged more than that, a transaction fee had been added. There is no sign of this extra charge at the time of purchase. I really don't like dishonest vendors and this is the reason for only two stars. I'll be paying cash in future, the food is expensive enough as it is, they can bare the cost of...

Came here recently after many years to celebrate my mums birthday and it’s fair to say it was a total disappointment in every way. The venue itself is decent with nice indoor and outdoor spaces to choose from. On arriving they got mixed up about our booking for 12 people and said we only booked for 5 people. After a bit of back and forth they finally agreed the booking was for more people and begrudgingly joined some tables together for us. I asked for a high chair to which I was brought out the filthiest high chair I’ve had in a long time. We eat out a lot and even the dingiest of Chinese restaurants have had cleaner chairs. We were shocked to learn that for table service we needed to give a credit card. Again, we eat out a lot and it seems bizarre that they have such an issue with walkouts but that’s another story I guess. We waited upwards of 20 minutes to get both our drinks and food order in and that’s after having to call someone over to take our food order. The entree took 35 minutes to arrive. Once that was cleared we waited another 40 minutes and still no food. With 3 children and a baby getting increasingly upset, hungry and tired I went to check on our food (for the second time) and was rudely told by Teigan the manager that our mains were put on hold while the entrees came out on the specific request from our table. That never happened but ultimately… this place is just awful. The service is awful, the food average and the management of the place just nowhere near what‘a expected. They tried to blame us for the delay in food coming (almost 1hr 30 minutes from ordering to mains arriving) and honestly made our lunch so awful and stressful with small hungry children in the heat. We are always on the lookout for a new favourite place to eat but Steve’s is officially on the black list, won’t ever be coming back. Oh! And $17 for kids meals is an...