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Busselton Has a Vinyl-Led Cocktail Bar With Cult-Status Crab Sticks
Banksia Tavern is spearheading the coolification of Busselton. One bloody good crab stick at a time.
Busselton has had no shortage of openings, growth and cultural commentary in recent years. Less talked about is what hasnât lasted.
When owners Brendan McCarthy and Nathan Headlam took on the site at 43 Prince Street, they came with a stack of records under their arms, an understanding of how to make a stiff drink, and the ability to read a room. Without the latter, they wouldnât have stood a chance.
Brendanâs vision was simple: a classic, old-school tavern. Warm, welcoming, and built on âgood old-fashioned hospitalityâ.
A few years on, Banksia Tavern is a local heartthrob. Vinyl spins. Staff feel like friends. And the old-fashioned joy of sitting at a hardwood bar, getting drunker than intended, hasnât been lost.
âWhatâs been really special about being in a regional town like Busselton,â Brendan says warmly, âis the ability to connect with people in a meaningful way ⌠[watching] locals connect with the space and make it their own over time.â
Head Chef Laura Koentjoro Harding came on board in 2023. A natural fit. She was already supplying formidable desserts while working down the road at Albertaâs, before it closed its doors. With time spent at the likes of Casa in Perth and Cafe Fredaâs in Sydney, Laura understands the balance: challenging the status quo, without losing people along the way.
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âItâs important the menu always holds a level of nostalgia and familiarity,â says Laura. Thereâs no need to constantly challenge. But she admits to being âa bit sneakyâ, wrapping what she really wants to play with in something recognisable, like âtricking a child into eating their veggies.â
Case in point: the bloody good (as written on the menu) crab sticks. A play on the ultra-processed, glorious grot you might find in the Coles freezer section. But hotter. Better. Smarter. Stronger.
At its base, a bright white scallop farce (a smooth seafood mousse), with roughly chopped blue swimmer crab and chives folded through. The mix is piped, frozen, and cut into fingers before being crumbed and fried. The golden fingers then sit on a puddle of lacto-fermented mango sauce, adjusted to resemble Thailandâs nam jim gai, or âsweet chilliâ as we know it.
Other menu items include Shark Bay Venus clams in white wine, chilli and coconut. Add bread for mopping. Charcoal-grilled salt and vinegar sardines follow the same rule: add the bread. Thereâs also a democratic Wednesday pasta and Negroni special worth knowing about.
Cocktails lean playful but well curated. A pina colada, served short with pandan leaf and a maraschino cherry. Hot. And wines lean local, and for the people. Beers too.
Laura also tells me not to overlook the Honey Toast Hokey Pokey â an ice cream sandwich from âback in OG ice cream sando times in the 1800sâ.
âWe make burnt Jarrah honey ice cream and sandwich it between two bits of crispy, buttery and honeyed toast,â she says. âItâs the dish I’m most proud of recently.â
Once youâve ticked off this Busselton gem, why not check out our pick of the best Margaret River wineries for sensational sips and luxurious, long lunches, and our round-up of the most stylish glamping accommodation around the state.Â
