Shadow Bar & Kitchen

I hadn’t been here in at least 5–10 years (if it’s even been open that long!), and my two visits couldn’t have been more different. Last time was a packed evening, this time a quiet Monday afternoon. How great to find somewhere open on a Monday! It really is such a beautiful venue. I was thrilled to see non-alcoholic cocktails on the menu (not just mocktails!) and ordered the margarita. It was fine, though not amazing, so I followed up with an alcoholic amaretto sour. They were happy to make it “up” in a coupe glass instead of over ice in a short glass, which I really appreciated. We shared the baked brie to start. It was okay, which made me a bit nervous about the mains. Thankfully, the mains were excellent. We had the ribeye, the potato, the asparagus, and the beetroot risotto with goat’s cheese, all delicious. Service was lovely overall, though it would’ve been great to know a dish was unavailable before we spent 20 minutes deciding on it 😆 I also love the variety of seating (booths, high tables by the window, and standard tables) and the extensive wine list. I especially appreciate that the cocktail menu is organised by how they’re served (high, low, or up). Cocktails are more than just their ingredients! 🫶🏻

Gnocchi was really good ! Fish credo was also awesome , really loved the vibes of the place , wine selection is divine . Never expected the place to look like this from the outside . Will come back again

Absolutely loved this place! The pasta was cooked perfectly—fresh, rich in flavour, and beautifully presented. You can really taste the quality ingredients. They also have a great selection of wines that pair perfectly with the meals. Whether you’re after a creamy carbonara or a classic bolognese, everything we tried was spot on. The atmosphere is warm and relaxed, perfect for a casual dinner or a special night out. The staff were friendly and helpful with wine recommendations too. A fantastic spot for anyone who enjoys good Western food and a nice glass of wine. Highly recommend!

Points go to Massimo's service: I was a guest staying at the Alex and while generally not someone that enjoys wine, decided to go with the wind on this occasion. I'm happy to say Massimo's wine recommendation was stellar and that I am now looking to buy this wine to enjoy with family and friends. Points also go towards the brooding design and atmosphere of Shadow. Food-wise, the oysters were ok, the scallop was actually great but the real let down was the prawn dish. The bisque was watery and flavourless and the prawns a tad tough. The asparagus dish was also just ok, though "scorched", there was not much of a smoky flavor. (I suppose the allure of char is also in the contribution of smokiness which I felt was missing from this dish.) For the price and promise of such a beautifully designed space and fantastic staff, an improvement in the food would definitely lift Shadow's game.

Went here for a girls' night and had a fantastic experience! They have an impressive selection of wines, and the staff are incredibly knowledgeable and helpful with recommendations. Snapper Crudo – 10/10 This was the highlight of the night for me! Incredibly fresh and flavorful. Oyster Mignonette – 10/10 Absolutely delicious — I could’ve easily eaten a dozen! There’s such a wide variety of wines to choose from. My friend ordered the Mondeuse Noire, which paired beautifully with the Chef’s Table experience. Highly recommend for a relaxed night out with quality food and wine!

Great New Years Eve dinner experience. Fabulous service that was prompt and helpful but not intrusive and no hovering either. Delicious food, amazing and interesting beverage list. Pretty funky moody atmosphere too.

Staying at Alex hotel we had two great evenings here. Wonderful wine list, knowledgeable service and delicious food. The crab pasta was a hit as were the shark bay scallops. The charcuterie was very good but would love more variety in the cheese selection.

What a delight! Dark, moody and classy. The food was phenomenal, the wine list superb, and the service was intimate and personal despite the large number of covers on the Wednesday night we visited.

Came here on a Wednesday night, it was quiet which was really good. We ordered wine and a bit of food to share. Also have a mains each. I find the fish is a bit dry and small of a portion, the beef that we ordered was average looks a bit dry. Ambience was really good, wine was good, service was good. Food is just average. Would just come back for drinks.

Elegant, cozy and culinary - Shadow Wine Bar is an impressive player in the Perth restaurant scene. All that is missing, in my opinion, is a jazz trio playing in the corner and Bill Murray at the bar. It is an intimate space underneath The Alex Hotel, but it definitely doesn't feel like a typical 'hotel bar' or an add-on, but rather like you've arrived somewhere special and private. Nice touches like soft lighting, candles, and sophisticated furnishings make you feel streets away from Northbridge's busiest corner just outside the door. I was surprised at how local and seasonal the menu is, plus lots of vegetarian options and gluten free menu amendments. Savoury cravings were fulfilled with spiced nuts; silverbeet, garlic and walnut; white bean puree with roasted capsicum and gluten free bread (yay!); and the showstopper was the crushed potatoes (tasted baked and fried) with a punchy salsa verde. Get them! The sparkling rose was a nice tipple, I am not a huge drinker but I was getting the nod from my friends that the wine list was 10/10. I'd come back for a cozy dinner when I want to be whisked a world away without leaving Perth.

One of our favourite openings of 2015! Having heard so many good things about this place from reviews on yelp and other review sites, friends and family and others who actually worked here, Susan and I thought it was high time to see what all the fuss is about. After finally finding the establishment, we were promptly led to our table. We wet our lips with a carafe of Maris Picpoul, a suggestion from our waiter that turned out to be a master stroke. We started with a beef carpaccio dish whose flavours danced on our tongues. The sardine and tuna servings were simply put, mind blowing. For our mains we chose the Confit Duck and Spaghettini. All dishes were presented well, the duck melted in your mouth and the spaghettini had a fair portion of crab meat and the chilliness was on point. For desert we chose a recommendation of a Pear Tarte Tatin which didn't look amazing but really finishing off the dining experience well with great flavours. Definitely somewhere we recommend and will return in future.

It was time for a weekend out of the house. So I booked a room at the Alex in Northbridge, hurled the Uber Blonde into the car and before you knew we were in the thick of it - and hungry. We had both been to Shadow before but not for lunch together - me after work, the Uber for a girlie thing or something... Anyhooo... the joint was echoey and beer-less pub empty. So we perched at the uppity tabes at the window and never really got past the first item in the Sparkles beverage offerings. Funambul Cava - one of Spain's best sparkling at $9 a glass. Eye-rolling, long flavours and a great tart finish. This is a great room and the vibe is very redolent of Movida in Melbourne - efficient, attentive staff and a short but replete menu and wine list. Small plate peeps that we are, we chose from the clever To Start menu. Seared Yellow fin tuna with escabeche $22, Heirloom tomatoes, figs and pomegranate dressing $16 and Crispy potatoes with salsa verde $10. We were both totally gobsmacked by what arrived (see photos). The tuna was thinly sliced and beautifully seared around the edge and topped with the blanched carrot and shallot escabeche and finished with fennel shavings. Superb. The heirloom tomatoes were to this day the best preparation of the fruit I have ever had the pleasure of eating - anywhere. One again sliced paper thin and dressed with slightly poached fig quarters and the magnificent pomegranate dressing. Absolute stand out dish. The clever crispy potatoes rounded out the great table of food. And these were only the entrees! Dinner bodes well looking at the Plates offerings. But that's for next time. You need to go here. It's.fab.

Really enjoyed my first visit to Shadow, on first appearance of the subdued but sophisticated look I wondered if I would be allowed in with my jeans, flannel and sneakers - but luckily the mood itself was very relaxed we were even shown to a booth since we got there early! Speaking of relaxed at one point I noticed one of the waitress singing along to the shaft theme - instant bonus points in my book :) Since I had a cold the white wines were lost on me I never truly got the flavour, I had much better luck on the reds I found a bold one and an organic which I know from experiences usually pack more punch; all in all some interesting things to try; plus they still have a full bar of wine and spirits if you'd rather. On the food side we stuck to three or four small plates and a main each; I enjoyed everything enough to plan to get back in the near future.

When we first went to Shadow Wine Bar, in the Alex Hotel, last year we were very impressed so wanting to begin 2016 on a high note we decided to revisit earlier this week. It has a slight industrial feel - exposed concrete, low steel beams with spotlights but, as well, attractive tables, chairs and booth seating, with a long bar, at which you can sit and eat, on one side and at the back partitioning the rear wine bar from the dining room, a wall of racks and wine. It is all clean lines, well lit, welcoming. The wine list and menu change regularly; the wine list is, we reckon, one of the better around and with a very good by the glass selection; while the food shows innovation, flair and panache. While we decided on our mains we tried three of the small bites on offer - potato crisp with crab, tuna and avocado, and pan fried haloumi. An in-house made potato crisp - a world away from those you buy in packets - was topped with shredded crab meat and lemon infused aioli - well seasoned, creamy, succulent, and gone all too soon... Chopped raw yellowfin tuna and avocado sat on another crisp base - delicate, juicy, fresh flavours. And a slice of haloumi, crisp skinned with melting, oozing cheese inside, and doused in sweet honey sprinkled with black sesame seeds - by turn creamy, buttery, nutty, salty and sweet. Quite delightful. By this time we had decided on our next step - calamari with char grilled peppers and cauliflower fattoush. Tender calamari sat on a bed of grilled and blackened, slippery red peppers, scattered with fried pangrattato providing crunch and texture to complement the sea freshened flavours of the squid and sweetness of the peppers. Little dollops of lemon aioli added creamy, citrus lift. It was very good, indeed. Small florets of cauliflower, chickpeas and spring onions, creamy, sharp yoghurt dressing, and aromatic mix of spices - paprika, cumin, and much more - made up the salad - nutty, crackable, snappable seed crackers substituted for the usual pita bread of the classic fattoush, and mint leaves imparted their heady aroma and taste. A few pea tendrils on top completed an attractive and refreshing dish. With our food we shared a bottle of Express Growers 2015 Grenache rosé - deep salmon hued, it has a distinctive bouquet of cherries and summer berries, while the delicate, crisp palate is redolent of raspberries, pomegranate and a hint of citrus. Excellent food wine. We really couldn't, by now, resist dessert so, on recommendation, we tried the pear tarte tatin with tonka bean ice cream - and an outstanding dish it was - buttery flaky puff pastry, encasing sweet, cooked richly flavoured pears, supported by ice cream that had elements of vanilla, but with undertones of caramel, cinnamon and almonds - distinctive and delicious; you could say it is vanilla ice cream with a little more oomph! With the dessert I sipped a glass of an Italian digestif - Amaro Averna -thick and sweet, golden colours, and caramel flavours underpinned by a gentle herbal bitterness. It matched the ice cream especially well. Lady FWO, on the other hand, tried another rosé on offer, Mengoba Brezo Rosado La Vie en Rose bright pink, raspberry aromas, and a savoury, very dry finish. The design on the label is reminiscent of USAF bomber aircraft art adding a little fun to a fabulously refreshing little wine. Our return visit to Shadow Wine Bar and Dining Room amply reinforced our earlier conclusion that this is a kitchen of real skill and ability. Great surrounds, extremely professional and knowledgeable waiters, excellent food and drink - a must for all lovers of good food and wine.

Walk off the gritty streets of Northbridge and into the clean industrial space of Shadow Wine Bar and you'd be forgiven for thinking you're somewhere else entirely. The clean black and white design with walls filled with wine or softened with curtains it has a surprisingly intimate feel. That is only added to with extremely friendly staff, one who was holding a knife at the time which felt like walking in at home. For lunch we opted for small plates between to as we were having a progressive eating day. They really are small; in some cases one piece is one bite. We saw some big plates go by that looked hearty in a fine dining sort of way. While the prices would be high for some, each bite of food was packed with flavour and had me licking the plate. No really. The honey over the haluomi (which I'm told is made on site) was being mopped up by my finger. I'd recommend that, the sticky pork and the crispy potatoes. Wine is their thing and there's a big selection. Staff were so friendly I felt really comfortable and smiley. The music was very cool too, which is something I don't usually notice.

My my... what is there to say about this place... The atmosphere, the food, THE WINE! I'm so glad I took my better half here over the weekend... It is definitely a must try place in Perth! RECOMMENDED HIGHLY!

Good Nice Tapas style food. Good choice of wine. Staff friendly and helpful. Only gripe is the loud music!

LOVE! Was happy to have been called in to work on a Saturday that made me miss my scheduled appointment and end up, later on, at Shadow instead. Two of us experienced our very first visit and we will be heading back, for sure. Terrific, almost seamless service, despite it coming from at least five of the different staff on that evening. The young Irish girl was a riot and just so likeable. The Spanish fellow was drop dead gorgeous but he also knew his stuff - that is never a bad thing. We shared a couple of plates (gnocchi, veal carpaccio and a portion of Manchego cheese) and they were all good, with the veal being the stand out. Gnocchi flavours just didn't merge as well as hoped. Loss of one star for that and the relatively small selection of wines by the glass available (although that small selection is really varied). Super sexy fit out, dim enough lights to flatter and lovely clean bathrooms. It does get noisy as the place fills. Be advised.

Nestled underneath what must be Perth's first boutique hotel Alex, Shadow is a must for all guests staying upstairs and an essential spot for all locals who are serious about great food and wine. The atmosphere is sophisticated and decor slick and stylish. It's a very contemporary space with jet black furnishings and subdued lighting but still is rich with character. Wine list is really well organized and features a huge array of wines from all across the globe and is sure to please anyone looking for the big names as well as lots of smaller producers. Wines by the glass are also a big highlight here, with some really interesting and forward thinking producers creating natural delights always a focus. Prices range from about 11 dollars to 20 for a 'shadow' which is their proprietary 100 ml pour I'm told. A great chance to try something from an international or local winemaker you've never heard of without committing to a full bottle. Staff are friendly, well presented and as you'd expect - incredibly knowledgeable about all things pouring. Don't be afraid to have a chat because their individual personality and charisma is a joy that makes the character of the entire venue. Food list is ever revolving - salmon rillettes and carpaccio are two definite highlights at the time of my visit, and will be back to try everything else very soon

Had an amazing night for my wife's 40th! Their service was sensational, very attentive. The venue is exceptional, I love it and certainly will be back again! The desert menu, serious wow factor, loved it!! And my two Negroni's were a great way to ease me into the evening. OK, that said, only been open three weeks and the team there are still working on the mains. The sizes need to be a little bigger for the price. This is a serious "make or break" for any Perth restaurant. Increase the size of the meals and you'll get more bums on seats without a doubt. The two side dishes were also a little small and a little too much on the dressing, very salty and needs some work but I'm really confident that by the time of our next visit this will all be sorted out. We had a chat to the staff and manager and their response was awesome, you guys have won me over without a doubt! Can't wait to come back again soon!!

Food, service, venue were great..... There were four of us and we shared 7 plates, great variety and tastes. WHAT A REDICULIOUS wine list!! Im not sure why there isnt a sign on the door saying obscure wines served within!! Our two ladies enjoyed a riesling then looked for a Sauv Blanc....in the absence of one I asked our waitperson who responded "the lady who put the list together couldnt find one SHE likes".....Silly me!! I thought it was all about "we punters"!! Dont get me started on the reds.

Girls night out at the Shadow Bar went great. We ordered some small plates to share: mixed olives, halloumi with black sesame honey, buffalo mozzarella & tomato bruschetta and grilled chorizo. All the small plates were amazing and so fresh! The small plates came out in different times, which was great as we enjoyed having conversations with some nibbles in between. Once we ordered our mains, they came out so quick! The mains were also great and very tasty: pan fried gnocchi, veil schnitzel, crab spaghettini & clam/mussel brodetto. Loved the atmosphere and the setting of the wine bar. We had table reservation for 7.30pm and end up leaving the table very close to 11pm. The staff were lovely and they didn't rush us to clear the table. We also enjoyed Stoneflower Chardonnay from Margaret River. Shadow bar is perfect for date night or night out with friends. Highly recommended.

Very cool place. Although it's a bit stealth, the front is large and dark but strangely somehow camouflaged. You enter at the front through gorgeous giant beaten steel doors that could feel like you're crossing the threshold of some game of thrones scene.. But once you get inside and your eyes adjust to the low lighting you get a snap impression it's a bit fancy and modern... You will want to wear your nice threads here or you risk feeling a little poor and grubby. The Wine list is outstanding and somewhat expensive. Best thing though is that there is a 375ml option! Like you find everywhere in Europe but very rarely in the Southern Hemisphere. Awesome.

Hard to fault Shadow Bar. It feels luxurious yet the fit out is fairly simple. Great service, top wine list, and decent menu choices. The food is quality and way above average, as such, the price point is too. Great for a date, groups, business. They have nailed the noise level, it's perfect. Highly recommended

White tablecloths, stark industrial fit out, great food and great service. We went straight to mains as we'd had a snack and glass of wine a bit earlier. They didn't disappoint. The seafood with calasparra rice was perfectly cooked and felt like Spain on a plate. The creamed mushroom tagilatelle was good and the steak perfectly charred. Everything was delicious but serving sizes are "fine dining" (you need to order am entrees or dessert for a full meal). Washed it all down with a bottle of Cote de Provence rosé, delightful. I would return, it's pricey but everything was beautifully presented, service was good (a few teething problems but nothing unforgivable) and our meals were delicious.

Lovely wine bar in the heart of Northbridge. Food was carefully prepared, beautiful setting and attentive waitstaff to boot. I can't help but feel Nick T's idea of making a quick $$ is to put less on the plate, leave the price at an all time high (just like Gordon st. Garage). If you're a hungry diner then this place will leave you broke and wanting more. However, if you are just thirsty, the wine selection isn't bad at all....oh you'll still come out broke and still wanting more!!!

DO NOT GO HERE. the food is way over priced for the quality, the service is terrible, and the ambiance is a drag. I waited literally 30 minutes to get a glass of wine, 20 to get my order, over an hour to get my disgusting food. and it was the wrong dish, which they forgot. They quickly made it and it wasn't even McDonald's quality. the presentation was awful. it was fried zucchini with goat cheese. But there was literally no goat cheese or flavor but friedness. this place is not worth your time or money and I wish I could give it zero stars. I came all the way from Chicago and wasted my time on a terrible meal.

If you're under the age of 45, don't bother entering this place. My sister, brother in law and myself stopped by today looking for a proper wine bar and was so disappointed. The server stopped by our table about 5 minutes after we sat, threw menus down and walked away. I do not have a huge knowledge of Australian wines or had ever been to this restaurant so it was difficult to navigate the menu and was disappointed the waiter didn't help out. After ordering some food and wine that looked okay, the waiter returned 10 minutes later with everything minus a food item we ordered. After finishing, we had to walk up to the bar and ask for our bill because our waiter didn't come back to our table. I personally felt like the wait staff spent more time with the older clients and ignored us completely. I will never go back. I was hoping to learn something about local wine or at least get some sort of service, instead we were ignored. Terrible place.

Very cool vibe and amazing food! Service was very friendly and knowledgable, and the handmade pasta is delicious. Will be back again!!

Beautiful breakfast....beautiful room. Staff attentive, polite and not over bearing. Will come again for dinner.