Chu Bakery

Chu Bakery in Highgate is the kind of Perth bakery where a queue out the door is just part of the routine, and people tend to say it moves faster than it looks. It's takeaway only, which suits the setting: Hyde Park is right across the road, so the usual plan is to grab a pastry and a coffee and find a patch of grass.

Pastries are the main event here. We've heard plenty of love for the croissants, especially the almond and the raspberry, along with eclairs and a salted caramel donut. One local's child described the passionfruit doughnut as soft as a cloud and has been asking for it ever since. Savoury has its fans too: the mushroom danish gets praised for crisp, flaky layers, and a chicken baguette with a crunchy crust and soft middle has won people over. Coffee, breakfast and a few drinks beyond the usual flat white are on offer as well, including a strawberry matcha and an earl grey hot chocolate.

What brings people in is that the pastries feel fresh from the oven. There are also monthly specials that get a bit adventurous, with flavours like sticky date puff choux and a tiramisu-style eclair, while the everyday items stay consistent. Staff are friendly and efficient even when the line is long. One local called it one of the few places in Perth still giving good value for money, though another found it on the pricier side.

The popular items can sell out early, so go sooner rather than later or preorder if there's something you've got your heart set on. Late morning tends to be the busiest stretch. Card and mobile payments are accepted, and there's free street parking nearby as well as a car park with wheelchair access. Check the hours before you head in, since the bakery closes for one day each week.

For a pastry run in Highgate with a park on the doorstep, this is a bakery in Perth worth a visit.