The Meat & Wine Co. WA. The Palace Hotel A Heritage Landmark Reborn as an African-Inspired Steakhouse

Built in 1897 during the Western Australian gold rush, the Palace Hotel is a heritage-listed three-storey building that has stood for more than a century as one of Perth’s architectural treasures. Threatened with demolition in 1972, it was saved and later transformed by Alan Bond in 1988 into a bank and office space. A further restoration by Woods Bagot in 2016 revived its Federation Free Classical interiors, setting the stage for its most recent reinvention: a premium African-inspired steakhouse by The Meat & Wine Co.

Known across Australia for celebrating the spirit of Ubuntu community, connection, and humanity The Meat & Wine Co draws inspiration from African traditions while tailoring each venue to its location. For the Palace Hotel, the challenge was to merge the grandeur of a heritage-listed ballroom with the earthy textures, layered storytelling, and vibrant energy of modern African design.

An African Grand Ballroom Transformation

At the heart of the restaurant lies the hotel’s heritage ballroom, reimagined as a dramatic dining hall seating 140 guests. To soften its soaring proportions, COOOP.co developed a design approach that anchors intimacy within grandeur. The redesign mediates between the ornate Baroque-inspired detail of the ballroom and the contemporary extension of The Meat & Wine Co, binding past and present into a cohesive experience.

High-back banquettes upholstered in bespoke African tribal fabrics cocoon the perimeter, shaping the room into an elegant reinterpretation of a boma an enclosure for communal gathering. Sculptural acacia tree installations rise from the centre, dividing space, filtering acoustics, and symbolising the meeting place central to African tradition. A textured zebra-pattern carpet grounds the hall, while custom dining chairs depicting the “Big Five” animals weave playful yet refined narrative layers. Behind the seating, patterned fabrics evoke the timeless image of gathering beneath the acacia tree a place to eat, teach, pray, and share stories.

Materiality & Atmosphere

The new interiors harmonise with the building’s historic fabric. Warm timber accents, deep velvets, and bespoke detailing complement the stained glass, ornate plasterwork, and classical proportions of the ballroom. The result is a dining environment where nostalgia and heritage coexist with contemporary storytelling, creating a hospitality destination that feels both timeless and culturally resonant.

A Living Heritage

In reimagining the Palace Hotel as an African-inspired steakhouse, The Meat & Wine Co has done more than open a restaurant it has breathed new life into one of Perth’s most iconic landmarks. Guests enter a space where history is honoured and African culture infuses warmth, intimacy, and connection. The Palace Hotel’s rebirth stands as a testament to how heritage spaces can be sensitively transformed, ensuring their stories are lived, celebrated, and shared for generations to come.