Our story

Our Story

Al Canto is a neighbourhood bistro and bar on Hay Street, Subiaco. It’s built around a simple idea: the table sits at the centre of the day. Breakfast runs into lunch, lunch into aperitivo, and sometimes dinner turns into another bottle of wine.

The Venetian influence wasn’t really a concept someone came up with. The owner is Venetian, as is the chef who first shaped the menu. So naturally, a little of Venice found its way in. Cicchetti with a drink. Wine by the carafe. Food made for the middle of the table. Aperitivo as part of the day rather than an event in itself.

The team has done this before, with the Floreat Beach Kiosk, Beach St Co in Fremantle and the Bassendean Hotel, and they still run Koorak in Kings Park today. They’re very different places, but the thinking behind them has always been much the same. Find a place with something about it, understand the people around it, and give them a reason to keep coming back.

There’s some history in this particular address too. For years, 483 Hay Street was home to Oriel Café. People still tell stories about ending up there at all hours of the night. Al Canto isn’t trying to recreate Oriel, and we certainly aren’t open 24 hours, but we like that this corner of Hay Street has a history of being somewhere people gather.

Stefano has never been particularly interested in opening-night fanfare. The better test comes later. A Tuesday six months in. The familiar faces. Someone dropping in for coffee in the morning and coming back for a drink that evening.

That’s what we want Al Canto to become. Not somewhere you save for an occasion. Just somewhere you go.

Come to the table.