Dôme Café Bassendean is a bit of a dream stop for little trainspotters. Set right on the rail line at Bassendean Shopping Village, it leans into the suburb’s railway heritage with a beautifully restored, 100‑plus‑year‑old train carriage you can actually sit and eat in. For kids who love Thomas, vintage trains or even a touch of Hogwarts Express magic, it turns an everyday café visit into something special.
The café itself is huge and spread over two levels, with plenty of standard seating inside the main building. A spiral staircase leads up to a rooftop terrace overlooking the area, which is worth a look with older kids, though you’ll want to keep a close eye on little ones around the stairs.
The star of the show, though, is the heritage carriage attached to the side of the café. A narrow corridor runs down the length of the carriage past cosy booths that comfortably fit families of four to six, while each end of the carriage has slightly larger rooms with standalone tables for bigger groups.
Snagging a booth in the carriage is part of the fun. The fit‑out has been thoughtfully done, with leather seating, timber panelling and vintage‑style details that make it feel like you’ve stepped back into the golden age of train travel. A slideshow inside the carriage shares old photographs from the carriage’s working life and its restoration, which is a nice way to spark conversations with kids about how people used to travel. Watching real trains go past just outside adds to the atmosphere and keeps little train fans glued to the windows.
Like other Dôme cafés around Perth, the Bassendean menu is broad and family‑friendly, making it an easy choice if you’re meeting with mixed ages or fussy eaters. There’s an extensive all‑day breakfast selection, hearty lunches, salads, burgers and classic café comfort food, plus a dedicated kids’ menu with smaller‑sized meals and drinks. The drinks list ranges from barista‑made coffees and teas to milkshakes, iced drinks and hot chocolates that always go down well with younger diners.
The cake cabinet is typically well stocked with slices, muffins and gluten‑free options, which makes this a handy stop for morning or afternoon tea before or after a visit to the nearby Western Australian Rail Transport Museum.
Service is generally relaxed and friendly, and there’s enough space inside the main café to manage prams, though the carriage itself has a narrow aisle so you’ll usually need to park prams outside and carry babies or toddlers in. High chairs are available, and the booth seating works especially well for containing wriggly kids. Being in a shopping‑centre setting also means easy parking and the ability to duck into the supermarket or other shops while you’re there.
Whether you’re fuelling up before an afternoon at the railway museum, rewarding kids after spotting trains at the nearby station, or just looking for a character‑filled café where everyone can find something they like, Dôme Café Bassendean is a fun, reliable family stop – with a unique vintage carriage twist you won’t find at every Dôme.
Dome Cafe Bassendean
Address: Bassendean Shopping Village, West Road, Bassendean WA 6054 (opposite the WAFL oval)
Opening hours: Typically open daily; check the official site or in‑store signage for current opening times.
Website: https://www.domecoffees.com
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Amanda Carlin has her own food and travel blog. Established in 2013, “The Chef, His Wife and Their Perth-fect Life” has enjoyed an exciting name change in 2021, as “The Chef’s Ex-wife” embarks on new adventures with Simply PERTHfect. Amanda loves getting out and about in Perth and WA, as well as brunching, tapas or something a little fancy in equal measures. With her son “Little Chef” in tow, Amanda always has plenty of family friendly eating options to recommend too! Be sure to check out Simply PERTHfect.
