Rifo's Cafe
John Rifici & Sons Liquor Merchants began in October 1999. Within months John could see the area was lacking a meeting place and a point of difference. He decided to allocate a small portion of his shop to simply selling coffee and cake and providing patrons with alfresco seating.
This proved such a success that within 12 months the liquor license was transferred to another premises on 8th Avenue and John Rifici & Sons Cafe was borne. From a limited menu and limited hours the business has evolved to a fully licensed cafe with an extensive a la carte menu serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, 7 days a week, 364 days a year!
The desire to create a casual place for people to drop in for a light meal, a beer, pizza or just a coffee still holds true. The difference that Rifo's prides itself on is that people feel comfortable coming straight from the beach or for a business meeting - all are welcome, kids included.
Recently opening a second Rifo's in East Victoria Park the formula of good food, good service and good value provided 7 days a week, breakfast, lunch and dinner is proving to be, once again, a winner.
Rifo's Cafe boasts extensive opening hours, from 7am until late (last orders at 10pm), 7 days a week, Rifo's is sure to be a welcoming venue for the early bird and night owl alike.
eatingWA Restaurant Reviews 9 reviews
July 4, 2010
- Food
We started with garlic bread, which was 6 large sl...
- We started with garlic bread, which was 6 large slices of crispy, buttery bread which was not too overpoweringly garlicky (a pet-hate of mine). I ordered the chicken risotto dish and my partner ordered the "Penne Passion". The risotto was delicious - not too gluggy - with tender chicken and crisp asparagus folded through generously. My partner was delighted with the copious amounts of wafer-thin spicy sausage throughout his dish and the great big chunks of bocconcini on top. The pasta dishes were $20 each and the portion sizes justified the price! We were so full we could not even consider ordering coffee, let alone dessert!
- Service
We were greeted and seated within seconds of enter...
- We were greeted and seated within seconds of entering the restaurant by friendly staff. The orders were taken with a smile, our water glasses filled as soon as they emptied. Not things we often experience at restaurants on the Albany highway strip on a Sunday night.
- Ambience
Our table was wobbly and the whole place was a tad...
- Our table was wobbly and the whole place was a tad on the noisy side. The combination of the three large TV's occupying the walls and loud music was a bit distracting (if a romantic candle lit meal is what you want - don't come here) but not to the point of spoiling the evening.
- Overall
We are regulars on the Albany highway strip and fo...
- We are regulars on the Albany highway strip and found Rifo's to be quite a surprise. The menu is extensive and the food all looks great, with fairly large portions. We arrived on a Sunday night and found the service friendly and the food delicious. They are open 7 days till 10pm, and we are keen to try their breakfasts (served until 3pm!). Definitely worth a try.
April 6, 2010
- Food
Nice but average. The Tortellini are very disappoi...
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Nice but average. The Tortellini are very disappointing. I expected self made fresh pasta like big pasta pouches, but they used the little dried ones which are $3 for 500 gramms. Then covered it all in hot cream and that was it. Big win on that meal which probably costs $3 to make and gets sold for $16-$18.
Love the breakfasts though....eggs benedict or the pancakes are simply ace!
A lot of the other pasta dishes are great too....salt is often missing! - Service
well....some good some not....like always in Perth...
- well....some good some not....like always in Perth
- Ambience
very nice...like it :)...
- very nice...like it :)
- Overall
I did not like the huge ingress in price after the...
- I did not like the huge ingress in price after the renovations. Have only been back once since then as we were quite shocked about the smaller serves for more $. Shouldn't have happened....that way you lose your regulars.
November 8, 2009
- Food
The food is your very average cafe fare. I ordered...
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The food is your very average cafe fare. I ordered the caeser salad which came after 25 mins and sat on the table for another 10 mins until my dining partners pizza came! This is after it took 15 mins to get a coke and apple juice!
The caeser did not have anchovies, egg or even a shred of bacon! For around $18 I was paying for a head of cos lettuce! It did contain something resembling chicken which tasted as it had been defrosted and shredded.
The pizza had the same chicken on it and was in such large chunks that it lost all appeal as once again all you could taste is the defrosted chicken! - Service
Terible, 3 waitress & 25% capacity and no attentio...
- Terible, 3 waitress & 25% capacity and no attention to detail, too busy making plans for the weekend or talking to their mates and each other behind the counter. After paying the waitress said nothing - no thank you, no good bye - NOTHING!
- Ambience
Great clean environment with funky decor. Comforta...
- Great clean environment with funky decor. Comfortable atmosphere with a lazy Sunday lunch laid back feel.
- Overall
I have wanted to visit this establishment for a lo...
- I have wanted to visit this establishment for a long time and now wish I hadn't. Save your hard earned money and just stick to the coffee here.
February 24, 2009
- Food
Nothing too imaginative on this menu - but somethi...
- Nothing too imaginative on this menu - but something to please everyone. I can't remember the name of my pasta dish, but it came with a (watery) tomato sauce, only moderately flavourful ricotta and I couldn't find any of the promised basil! All the other dishes at the tablet were perfectly adequate and the servings are definitely on the generous size (and pretty cheap)
- Service
All the wait staff were attentive and friendly, bu...
- All the wait staff were attentive and friendly, but not always super professional. Our dishes came out at different times and we had to wait quite a long time for the second bottle of wine, but in general the staff were attentive and fun.
- Ambience
Rifo's strong point is the casual, friendly, busy...
- Rifo's strong point is the casual, friendly, busy air. Great place for casual group meals and a few drinks.
- Overall
I liked it, I'll definitely go back - but better...
- I liked it, I'll definitely go back - but better for a cruisy night than a big occasion.
November 20, 2008
- Food
The food was generally good and the menu selection...
- The food was generally good and the menu selection was basic, but sufficient. However, the Chipolata were dry and the Bacon and Croissant were cold. Value for money for basic menu items.
- Service
No bloke can complain about a chirpy blond waitres...
- No bloke can complain about a chirpy blond waitress at 7 AM with a smile and a sense of humour. That was the highlight of our morning.
- Ambience
Cross between Hip and Family Man with loud orange...
- Cross between Hip and Family Man with loud orange colours. The big screen tv was a nice touch, although the traffic noise was unavoidable due to location. The mis-matched furniture assortment didn't go amiss.
- Overall
Overall, the Morning Glory boys haven't been ravin...
- Overall, the Morning Glory boys haven't been raving about this breakfast to anybody yet, although we may be back to enjoy the service with a smile....
January 29, 2007
- Food
- Service
- Ambience
- Overall
You can't miss this great orange monstrosity as yo...
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You can't miss this great orange monstrosity as you drive down Guildford road and I must confess it took an organised family dinner for us to actually go here. From the outside it looks like a typical family run Italian cafe, a place where you would see locals every morning and afternoon having a coffee. The menu seems to reflect this with its naming convention for many of the dishes "Nonna's", "Papa's", "Leo's", "Gianni's" etc.
While it was a great relief to be sitting inside in air-conditioned comfort on such a hot and stuffy day, I imagine on any other day the alfresco option would be preferable. As the sun went down it became fairly dark inside and the acoustics of the small restaurant meant even though it was at most half full, you had to shout to be heard over the conversations of others.
Service was incredibly slow as well. As people in our group arrived and sat down, it took about 10 minutes before a waitress came over to ask about drinks and then quite a while before we managed to get their attention again. Some garlic bread and chips were ordered while we decided on our mains but then they did not come to take our order until these nibblies had been finished. So by the time we received our mains, it had been at least a hour and a half since we sat down.
Most ordered a pasta dish, in particular the veal tortellini and the fettuccine rigatoni were popular choices. The meals came out quickly, thankfully, and although everyone ordered the small serve, as with most italian places, the serves were quite big. Most of us didn't manage to finish our pasta, although that may have had more to do with the hot weather killing the appetite somewhat. I found the food to be ok; the cream sauce of my fettuccine was a bit floury and thick rather than creamy but the avocado was a nice touch. The menu also said that pasta dishes were served with bread; however we did not receive any, although at the time we just wanted to eat and then go after waiting for so long.
The prices of most dishes were quite cheap, with pasta being about $12-14 for a small serve and $19 for a large. Pizzas were similarly priced and mains were about $25-30.
Overall I wasn't highly impressed with the service, the food was ok and the ambience was terrible. I would choose to dine alfresco if I decided to come here again.
October 11, 2006
- Food
- Service
- Ambience
- Overall
This is going to become one of my regular local re...
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This is going to become one of my regular local restaurants I can just tell!
We went for dinner tonight after I saw the sign for $16 Chili Mussels and garlic bread. The atmosphere at this restaurant is great. The staff are always super happy and helpful, they look like they enjoy their job and are very friendly.
The table next to us ordered a pizza and that’s what I will be going back for next time! The pizza oven in the restaurant was producing some fine looking pizzas, with generous toppings.
The garlic bread we had was really good, served with the Chilli mussels, which all came out quickly. The mussels were plentiful and delicious. I would have preferred the chilli a bit hotter but that’s just me!
After a great breakfast a few weeks ago followed by this pleasant meal which was also terrific value, i look forward to trying more things on their menu - including the il gelato!
September 9, 2006
- Food
- Service
- Ambience
- Overall
Just popped in for breakfast - we both had a bacon...
- Just popped in for breakfast - we both had a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich on the freshest thick tasty bread, was very tasty! Seemed to be full of locals who are on to a good thing, quick no nonsense service, VERY reasonable prices and you can’t go wrong with the menu. Looking forward to going back!
May 6, 2006
- Food
- Service
- Ambience
- Overall
Friendly, busy and centrally located, you will fin...
- Friendly, busy and centrally located, you will find this place full of morning breakfasters chatting over the newspapers. Lunch and dinner menus are fine, although this is really a cafe and not a restaurant. I can't recommend the steak but the pizzas and pastas were tasty.
Contact Information (08) 9271 1811
- Rifo's Cafe 189 Guildford Rd, Maylands 6051
- (08) 9271 1811
- Visit Website
- View Map
- Italian, Cafe
- Cafe Dining, Family Dining, Casual Dining
- Licensed BYO
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