Il Santo

Il Santo is in Perth.

Perth’s newer dining openings have a narrow window to prove they are more than opening-month curiosity, and the restaurant has a useful early signal: diners were already returning for second and third visits within four weeks of opening. Choose it for a casual Italian meal with stronger wine intent than many fresh neighbourhood venues, not for a formal special-occasion format.

A neighbourhood Italian with a wine-first reason to go back

The strongest clearly stated reason to choose the restaurant is the wine list. A sister venue was recently awarded Australia’s Italian Wine List 2025, and the restaurant has drawn on that cellar depth to give the newer venue more credibility than a fresh opening usually has. That matters if the plan is a casual Italian meal where the bottle matters.

The positioning is deliberately everyday rather than special-occasion. That is a good thing for regulars: the promise is a considered local with Italian cooking and a wine list built to please a range of guests, including discerning drinkers.

The room suits a casual repeat visit

Studio Gram rebuilt the space with travertine, timber and textured finishes, giving it a softly lit, lived-in feel rather than a glossy new-fitout mood. That design choice supports the brief: comfortable, local and easy to re-enter.

Treat the restaurant as an Italian option where the clearly grounded upside is atmosphere and wine, with expectations set around neighbourhood usefulness rather than ceremony. The smarter visit is when the brief is a casual Perth meal with a serious glass in mind.