Vans

Cottesloe is blessed with great cafes. But Vans stands out for the originality of the menu. I’ve literally been Everywhere man, and this place has such a fascinating mix of unusual dishes… almost none of which I’ve ever seen anywhere else. Someone in the kitchen deserves credit. And I intend by this post / review to ensure they get it. We’re also voting with our wallet: had breakfast there today, and were already egging one another on to return for lunch AND for breakfast tomorrow. If that sounds crayzee, imagine how interesting the menu must be.

Vans is an absolute Cottesloe institution for a reason. Located perfectly on Napoleon Street, it’s the ultimate spot to soak up the local vibe, whether you’re heading in for a quick morning coffee or a leisurely dinner. The atmosphere is always buzzing—it manages to feel chic and lively without ever being pretentious. The light-filled main dining area is comfortable, but snag an outside table for great people-watching. The menu is fantastic, offering a brilliant blend of modern Australian and contemporary Asian flavours. They excel at their all-day breakfast (the Salmon Hot Potato Cake is a must-try!), but the evening menu is just as impressive. The coffee is consistently top-notch, strong, and exactly what you need to start the day. The service is attentive, prompt, and friendly, which keeps the flow moving even when they are packed out. If you're looking for a reliable, high-quality spot that genuinely captures the relaxed, sun-drenched feel of Perth's Western Suburbs, Vans Cafe is the go-to. Vibe Chic, buzzy, and great for people-watching. Must-Try All-day breakfast and their excellent coffee. Perfect For Casual breakfast, brunch, or a relaxed dinner.

Nice place, food was very good. Had good flavours and came out quickly. Only complaint was toast was bit over cooked. Full table service. Staff were excellent, very attentive and professional. Friendly and quick. Our server made it a joy. No on site parking, street parking limited. Parking at train station if not busy Only down side depending on your group accessibility issues. Not accessible if in a chair as stairs at entry. They can be accessed with assistance if person can climb steps with no hand rails. Seating is available outside is accessible if weather is on your side. Tight seating NO accessible toilets stairs at entrance No ACROD parking within site

Does The Job, No Fuss Look, Vans Cafe isn't trying to win any awards, and that's sort of the point. It’s your classic, no-nonsense local that gets the basics right, without any of the wank. The coffee? It's fine. A solid, dependable brew that'll give you the kick you need without any fancy tasting notes. Exactly what you want from a morning takeaway. The tucker is simple and familiar—bacon and egg rolls, serviceable toasties, muffins that do the trick. Nothing’s going to blow your mind, but it’s honest and it fills a gap. The place itself is clean and functional. You won’t find hipster decor or artisan knick-knacks, just chairs, tables, and a decent spot to smash a quick feed. The staff are efficient and get you in and out, which is fair enough. If you need a reliable coffee hit or a fast bite and you're not fussed about ambience, Vans will see you right. But if you’re after a cracking brew, a proper chat, or a feed with a bit of soul, you might want to look up the road. Verdict: A fair crack. Does what it says on the tin, nothing more, nothing less. ☕️

The food in Vans is always so delicious! Full of flavours, love the Asian twist. So fresh and yummy. Staff is really nice and attentive. One of my favourite restaurant in Cottesloe! The duck spring rolls must be one of the best I've ever had! 👌

We were led to Vans on a recommendation, specifically to try their brussel sprouts. This was going to be a hard sell for me as I am not big fan of the BS. In my mind the brussel sprout risks being both tough and bitter. And yet they were good, in fact very good. As was the eggplant, tofu noodles and paella. All standout delicious. The kids had spaghetti and fish n chips, which by all accounts hit the mark. And the kids fish n chips actually came with a decent salad. So well done guys. Service was friendly and efficient. The setting was relaxed and open with a vibrant floral motif.

I just want to say what a great experience I had tonight at Vans. The staff were so attentive and friendly. The food was so tasty and the service was so speedy! They had a great drink selection and I loved the decor and vibes here. Will certainly be back!!

Vans in Cottesloe is a great spot with a relaxed, beachside atmosphere and a menu full of tasty options. The food service is generally very good — staff are friendly, efficient, and attentive, which makes ordering and enjoying your meal easy and enjoyable. The kitchen clearly puts effort into preparing each dish, and the flavours are consistently fresh and satisfying. It’s the kind of place where you can enjoy a casual lunch or dinner while soaking up the coastal vibe. However, one thing that caught me off guard was that sparkling water is not included with meals and comes at an extra cost. This isn’t clearly disclosed when you order, which felt a bit misleading. It would be much better if the pricing was more transparent so customers aren’t surprised at the end. While it’s a small detail in the grand scheme of the experience, it did slightly affect my overall impression. Despite that, the quality of the food and service makes it worth a visit. Portions are generous, and there’s a good variety of options for different tastes. The location in Cottesloe is excellent, with a casual, welcoming atmosphere that makes it a comfortable place to sit and enjoy your meal. Overall, Vans is a solid choice for a tasty meal by the beach, just be aware that certain drinks like sparkling water will come at an additional cost.

Went here for lunch with a friend recently. We ordered the bread to start, and I ordered the seafood paella for main. The bread and dipping sauce was lovely, and the seafood paella was out of this world. Nice setting on a Sunday afternoon for lunch. Highly recommend to anyone.

I had breakfast here with my husband on a Wednesday morning. It looked quite busy for a weekday. We also noticed after walking past the cafe several weeks that it was ALWAYS busy! We thought that was a good sign, so we decided to get breakfast here. My husband for the hawker roll and I got the breakfast bowl. We also got a flat white and a cappuccino. Their drinks were DELICIOUS. Just the right amount of milk and espresso. On the other hand, we were quite disappointed with the food. They all sounded delicious, but the dish itself was.... meh. Whatever pastry they used for the hawker was HARD, and the breakfast bowl didn't wow me either. The presentation was beautiful, but the portion and price for the dishes didn't seem to be worth it. I would recommend this place for drinks, and not so much for food.

Came here weeks ago. It wasn't busy so we sat and waited for our menu. Menu came about like a minute. We got the pulled pork and the other one (I forgot what they are called). The pulled pork was good but the other one was my favourite! It has these different flavours and I loved that about it! The place was alright. The staffs however I noticed they just talk amongst themselves and not doing much. Only this one guy staff were doing almost all the table service! When we were about to pay -this tall staff girl just kept talking to the behind the bar staff while we were waiting to pay. Not so very great service there. Like let us pay first and then you could go back and talk to them. Definitely be back for the food. Will also keep an eye with the staffs if they're still the same.

A heaving restaurant is usually enough to keep me away, I am not a fan of crowds, noisy dining spaces, slow service and waiting a long time for meals to arrive. But Vans is an exception. Despite being heaving, the maitre d is always quick to welcome you and find you a table. Water is immediately put on your table as is an immediate invitation to order your coffees while you peruse the extensive menu. The acoustics are favourable so you don't need to yell across to your dining partner to be heard. Our orders were taken as soon as we lifted our heads from the menu, a sure sign we were ready - yet a sign many wait staff ignore or miss. Meals come out fairly promptly and I always enjoy what's on my plate. They also have a little takeaway coffee window if you're on the run which I find super convenient and has become a regular stop off point if I'm in the area. I'd love Vans to serve up soy coffees using Bonsoy - all other soy is too sweet! I'm keen to return to try the breakfast martini!!

Great place for breakfast. It was buzzing when we arrived on a sunny day. Had the scrambled eggs which were fluffy and soft. Possibly had a good amount of Buttler in them. Yummy. The Indonesian fried eggs woke up the senses. They had sambal which was very spicy and small sausage pieces. The flavour was great. Definitely getting this again.

VANS is 'safe bet' restaurant with a dish for every appetite. Their kitchen accommodates breakfast, lunch, dinner and also lighter tapas or share plates. Its not unusual for you to see poached eggs, 'Fish of the day' and a plate of olives at the one table. The style is contemporary with a fusion of Mediterranean and Asian flavours. Prices range between $15-$35 for a main. My favourite menu item; the egg white omelette is sadly no longer, but I can usually find something else which is almost as good. The breakfast bruschetta gets lots of points as does the Bircher muesli. The VANS atmosphere is bustling, with large windows that let in the beach side breeze. It's a great people watching café and VANS draws a rather attractive, well-heeled crowd. Breakfast can almost certainly be enjoyed with a side of eye candy.

There are a number of morning options that you can still order throughout the day and so my choice was a hot potato cake with smoked salmon, wilted spinach and a poached egg. I was blessed with a sumptuous gooey egg but the remainder of my dish was less than impressive. The lemon butter was poured over my dish to the same exaggerated extent that the rain flooded the streets. The sheer amount of lemon butter would have been overwhelming had it not been that the potato cake was bland and poorly seasoned and was in dire need of a lift. Our dessert choice was a caramelised ginger rice pudding with the deceptive appearance of being a crème brûlée. We tapped and cracked the thin shell on top to reveal a thick creamy bed of dulcet rice pudding. Subtle hints of fresh lemony ginger added a bit of zing with even more tangy ginger in the scoop of ice-cream. Encouraged by our winning dessert, we thought we would sit out the rain for a bit longer and have a round of coffee. Unfortunately my companions coffee was served burnt. I reached over to grab her coffee for a taste; it was piping hot with an after-taste much like charcoal. What was to follow was something I'm sure can be defined as "how not to handle a disgruntled customer 101". After three rounds of burnt coffee and a number of condescending comments implying that we obviously had no idea what a long macchiato tasted like, we were both left bewildered and mildly offended. Customer service unfortunately still remains sorely lacking in some venues around Perth. With the recent opening of so many exciting and switched on eateries it would be wise for these restaurants to start improving or risk ending up getting left behind in the slipstream of other's successes.

Vans is an early morning cafe and every now and then I like to enjoy a cup of long in a quiet setting because at 6.30 am not too many people are out and about in town. The coffee is exceptional and its priced at the higher end compared to city prices. The breakfast menu is impressive with a good range of healthy, hearty and sweet. I tried the Acai bowl of chia pudding, granola and fruit. Not one for a cold breakfast during winter however I would definitely order this again!

Vans for me personally falls into the same dining elite group that includes the likes of Il Lido, Bivouac and the newly establish Cottesloe Hotel Beach Club (stay tuned for a write up shortly on this place!). What each of these places have in common is that no matter what mood you're in, or what type of dinning experience you're after (whether that's casual and relaxed, formal or romantic) these places seem to be able to cover all bases at all times. The vibe at Vans for breakfast, lunch and dinner is always awesome! The places is always packed and has a killer atmosphere generated by a lot of satisfied customers enjoying good food, wine and company. ++ FOOD ++ The menu for breakfast is exception. My recommendation for the AM selections includes the potato cake smoked salmon with wilted spinach and a lemon butter sauce, as well as the just the scrambled eggs with aged cheddar and chives (There's scrambled eggs, and then there's Vans scrambled eggs! Get them in you're pie hole!). And if you're a fan of spice in the morning, GET THE INDONESIAN SPICY EGGS!!!! Check my pics, they're amazing. For Lunch/Dinner the options are just as good, including amazingly tasty and fresh salad options (and not your standard boring run of the mill salads), beautiful pastas (the blue manner crab linguine is one to keep an eye out for) along with a range of other options that to change depending on season and what fresh produce is available. ++ DRINKS ++ Breakfast = BLOODY MARYS! (Loaded, naturally) Lunch/Dinner = A really good selection of local WA wines as well as a few other international and national beauties. Prices also are fair, they don't completely take the mickey on the booze like some other establishments which for me is always a winner and shows they're confident on making their money on quality food instead of bleeding people's pockets via the alcohol. ++ BOOKINGS ++ I suggest if you're going with a group, call ahead, the place is always busy for a very good reason so to avoid disappointment give them the heads up. VANS FOR THE WIN! EVERY TIME! And just to note, I've visited this place dozens of times so consistency is also something I can vouch for ;)

I didn't enjoy Van's as much as I expected to. The decor/environment was nice, but the dining room was extremely noisy. The waiters kept interrupting our conversation with their own chit chat as they served drinks, etc. I had the lamb ragu, which looked excellent but was lukewarm and bland. I think I will probably go again to see if this was a once-off bad experience. Sadly, 2 stars.

I don't travel to Cottesloe too often to eat but Vans was a great choice - it's just very busy to be prepared to wait for a table because they don't take bookings. Luckily we only had to wait 15 mins for a table for 6 for brekky. The coffee is yum and comes in a good size mug and the freshly squeezed juice is delicious but you pay more if you want more than 1 fruit so it was $13 for apple and orange!! I had the breakfast bruschetta which was nice but maybe lacking in feta and too much ham but the flavours were good. The highlight was the homemade hash browns, so good! The service was nice but the food took a long time to come out. I would probably go back and maybe try out for lunch next time.

Vans is mediocre at best. I went today with my boyfriends family and it was quite bland. I ordered the free range chicken sandwich, which turned out to be a single slice of old bread, topped with hummus, baby romaine, tabouli, tzatziki, and the most bland and tasteless chicken of my life. I added salt and pepper to it after the first bite and even that did nothing to overcome the utter blandness of the dish. The rest of the food was mediocre and nothing special whatsoever. The service was also lacking, in that it took probably about 15 minutes to get the servers attention to order and at the end of the meal my boyfriends mother had to go up to pay because the server was so inattentive. When she voiced her concern about the terrible chicken sandwich, the servers response was that it's a very popular fish and people like it... super helpful. We will definitely never be back. We would've been better off going to Hungry Jacks instead.

Our first meal in Australia did not disappoint, although it was quite heavy on the wallet (we quickly learned eating out is very expensive down under). I wish I had a cafe exactly like this one at home: modern, energetic, great mix of people, diverse food options, good wines and other drinks. Breakfast was awesome; my husband had the spicy fried Indonesian egg, and I had the more traditional breakfast of poached eggs, sausage, beans, and grilled tomato. Both were excellent. This was my first time ordering coffee in Australia, so I was a bit confused and didn't order correctly (I just wanted a plain cup of coffee), but I did enjoy the espresso and cappuccino. I also came in a couple of days later for lunch, had the open faced chicken sandwich with hummus, tzatziki and tabouleh, and with a limonata. Nice light lunch.

My 1st visit today on the recommendation of a friend who is a regular at Vans, satisfied customer, nothing over the top to rave about IMO.

I haveto admit, I always thought that his was a shoe shop selling vans shoes and other products. It was only recently that on closer inspection, I noticed the beautiful interior, the take-away window at the side and the throngs of people inside. Realising that this is definitely a popular haunt, I had to try it out. The service was super fast and attentive and obviously employed because of their quirky attitudes and freakish good looks. It's menu is advertised as Mediterranean which is reflected in the outdoor seating. Breakfast does a roaring trade, largely due to their birch muesli and smooth coffees. If you haven't got the time to stay then hop to the take-away window for your coffee or juice.

The menu looks impressive but the food is mediocre at best. Very overpriced and pretentious despite being (once again) mediocre. The staff are not attentive enough and if you dare to bring your child be prepared to be completely ignored or shafted our the back. What a waste of money.

Pulled pork sandwich Delicious. Good staff. Not a cheap eat but remarkably consistent. Happy. Highly recommended local.

The location of this place is what drew me to it. Every time I drive past its busy and that's normally a good sign. Looked at the menu online and saw they have a lot of veggie options. Alas, on my visit at least, they had none of those available. So - chips, fritters and mee goreng - with a carafe of wine. The waiter was clueless about the wine, and lip reading the Barman when he was asked showed he didn't know either. Great. It took an age for it to arrive too. This almost had me heading for the door. I wish it had. The food was, at best, poor. Chips and aioli - chips were good - the aioli was utterly bland and without taste. Fritters were bland too the only saving grace was the red sauce. The mee goreng was not great - even the egg was over cooked. I will not be coming back. And I'd recommend you avoid.

Always a great atmosphere and friendly service. This is like a Cottesloe icon and the menu is ever evolving, with great daily specials and fresh new options every week. It's lovely to sit outside in the summer & in winter they give you blankets which is super cosy. Their Thai beef salad and coconut, pineapple and mint smoothie were winners for me.

Loved it. I've walked past this place so many times to see finally got to eat there. Walked up for a late Sunday lunch and scored a table pretty quick. To pressure or rush to peruse the menu which is always a good thing on a lazy day. I ended up with the Pork Burger with hand cut chips off the specials menu. Loved it. Will be back their for sure.

Great spot! I have mainly been here for coffee and cake, but lunch looks amazing! Their selections of cake per day are limited and thank goodness for that because even the limited variety has me salivating for a taste of every single one! I've had the carrot cake, salted caramel slice, coconut and lime cheesecake and also the rich salted caramel tart. Beautiful cakes that seriously are hard to share after just one taste! Coffee is delicious here also, I'm a sucker for a good caramel latte- and this place offers the goodness with just the perfect amount of froth and sweetness I'd be back here everyday if I could! Staff are super friendly and I just love love love table service! Be wary of how popular this place gets though and parking may be a little tricky but mighty worth it!

Coffee is by far not the best I've had, wouldn't come back for the coffee but the atmosphere is really pleasant & the cheesecake was super tasty.

I think I could find myself wanting to try Vans again, but certainly no-time soon. For brunch, they only offer Bloody Mary's as an alcoholic choice. And, for $10 a pop it is essentially tomato juice and a celery stick. Geriatrics may rejoice! And, how about some other options... Mimosas? Bellinis? Micheladas? Not everyone craves a Bloody Mary and there are plenty of other options out there to offer patrons. My poached eggs were way over done, eliminating my ability to "dip" the toast they provided. The eggs were sitting in a bed of kosher salt. I have no idea why, other than maybe for aesthetic reasons. I wasn't prepared for a Sunday morning salt lick. The waitress was overbearing and not in a good way. I told her we planned on talking for several hours and will be ordering, but no time soon. She returned 5 minutes later. This could be the reason why I ordered the first thing I saw on the menu and paid the price for it later (literally and metaphorically speaking).

Good service. Interesting menu. Enjoying smashed avocado on rye with tart dressing. Partner said his Wagu beef burger was very delish. Coffee fabulous. French manager Anton charming and excelent customer service.

Vans Cafe is a bustling cafe amongst the lovely designer stores in Cottesloe. For me Vans is the perfect place to sit and enjoy a coffee whilst pondering on whether or not to spend $400 on a gorgeous dress. Whilst the price tag at many of the surrounding stores may not fit your hearts content, the coffee at Vans sure completes the hole in your stomach. I've eyed off the asparagus, green bean and goats cheese salad on many occasions, next time I don't think I'll have the strength the resist. Vans Cafe is definitely a hit!

My friends that live this way recommended Vans for breakfast because the food and service was great. Or maybe they said that the ladies that frequent here are very easy on the eyes. I am not sure which came first. Either way I have taken up their suggestion several times and they were right, on both counts. This place gets busy, especially on the weekends. The service is friendly and attentive. The food is consistently good, with good sized servings and fresh ingredients. The food price tag matches the area.

A fun, always-busy-on-a-weekend restaurant that does a pretty mean breakfast in my opinion. Nothing too fancy for those who like their eggs on toast eggs on toast. The restaurant is kicked-back and yet still sophisticated, I particularly like the alfresco for breakfast on a Sunday morning. Have yet to try lunch or dinner but the menu looks impressive - a fusion of Meditteranean and Asian flavours that doesn't seem to try too hard.

I was looking forward to this meal, having dietary restrictions and looking ahead to see that there was many options I could choose from straight off the menu. All I needed was a friend and an excuse to try this place out. Its wasn't close to home, 40 minute drive that I thought would be worthwhile given the good reviews on Yelp. It was busy (a good sign) and we arrived at 11.19am and found a table. The staff member dumped menus in front of us and disappeared until 11.34am. The lunch menu was strangely split into dishes available after 11.30am and dishes available after 12noon. We asked why there was a menu that had dishes not available for 1/2 hour and she said she didn't understand what we were asking. I told her that i wanted to order the avocado toast dish (which i had just seen delivered to the table next to me.) She told me i would have to wait 1/2 hour to order this dish. I said I don't understand how the table next to me could order the dish, but I could not until 12 noon. She rolled her eyes at me, took back the menus and said "I don't understand what YOU don't understand, its simple enough for everyone else". She made my guest and I feel that we were not good enough to eat in the establishment and that it was above her to serve us. Now im not a stupid person, I have a well paid autonomous job that sees me travelling and interacting with professionals at many levels - but never have I felt so unwelcome in an establishment. I was not rude, did not raise my voice, but merely enquired as to why I could not have a dish that appeared on the table next to me and on my menu. Not once in all my 38 years of dining out have I ever left a restaurant before I even got to order, but the service and rudeness of the staff was enough to make me get up, take my guest and leave in search of somewhere who wanted our money and custom. We will not be back to try again and that's very disappointing as it looked like it could be a new favourite.

The best cafe in Western Australia. Always consistently awesome and service is brilliant! Breakfast, lunch or dinner is excellent. They change up the menu often so you can try new things.

Best scrambled eggs on toast in WA!!! Absolutely brilliant. Also the coffees and juice are very good. Service can be a bit slow but that's Perth. I've been going here for years and have the same thing every time.

We went there on a sunday evening, waitress was argumentative when she brought my sister inlaw the wrong wine, finely bought wine that was ordered then tried to get us to pay for the wine that she delivered incorrectly....!!! Three of us ordered 'fish & chips' which was less than very average Chips were OK (how can you mess up chips) fish was a laugh and was over cooked, batter was dark brown and hard as a rock and the fish dry. Tip: For the cook, (couldn't have been a Chef,) stroll down to the local fish & Chip shop and ask them how to cook fish or even have a look at how they do it. Whole experience was dissappointing and damn expensive, after the argument with the wine we couldn't be bothered arguing about the fish....wouldn't go back.

My wife and I love this place. Great breakfasts