Acclaimed Australian chef and restaurateur Neil Perry is cooking mud crab on the banks of the Mossman River, hand-picked by Indigenous fishermen who head into the waters at Cooya Beach in tropical far north Queensland armed with a spear to deliver the OAM-cloaked chef with the freshest catch.
On a Miele outdoor kitchen, Perry is searing tuna, grilling steaks to scientific perfection, prawns sizzle and those pesky crab claws are in the mix too. Over a four-decade career, Perry has shown Australian diners why knowing your produce matters; he connects with the people who grow it, farm and fish it – and it’s this approach that has served his business model well.
Perry’s cooking philosophy hasn’t changed in all the years he’s been running his own restaurants. His first foray into the restaurant world was a seafood fine diner Bluewater Grill in Bondi back in 1986.
In 2026, he still works closely with fishermen to source the best produce across the country, and sources the finest from Blackmore Wagyu producers; it’s the reason his iconic Sydney restaurant Margaret has retained its number-two position in the World’s 101 Best Steaks this year.
In 1989, Perry opened Rockpool in Sydney, followed by Rockpool Bar and Grill at Melbourne in 2006, Sydney in 2009, and Perth in 2011. While he sold those businesses in 2016 for a reported $60 million, the 69-year-old still finds a way to bring Euro-chic with an Aussie elegance that few can deliver.
Neil Perry keeps it real with an outdoor barbecue in far north Queensland. Picture: Supplied
“Margaret in Double Bay is the busiest restaurant that we have right now,” he said, who has returned to a full family-owned business model.
“Cafe Margaret, Gran Torino, and Pizzeria Sotto are owned by me and my wife Sam – we’re the only shareholders, and we work in the business together, and our children do as well. It’s nice to be in that environment for me, where it’s completely about family,” the iconic chef said.
“I’ve had business partners my whole life in restaurants, and worked in the city in a corporate environment since 1989, so to come into 2021 and open Margaret has been a real revelation to me.
“Margaret has re-energised me. I’m enjoying being in the restaurant with my people and the staff more than ever.”
Neil Perry is big on sourcing fresh seafood and produce directly from fishermen and farmers. Picture: Supplied
Reflecting on the 80s and 90s power dining scene
Helping pioneer the modern Australian food movement in the 1980s is his claim to fame – and yes, Perry still sports his signature long pony tail that set his as a rule-breaking apprentice in the 80s. At Bluewater Grill, he helped turn a troubled venue in Bondi into a hit.
“I was young and hungry when I opened my first restaurant,” he said. “I was totally focused and wanted to create a world class restaurant.
“I did that in Bondi, and we obviously created a lot of great memories over the ‘80s and ‘90s that people resonated with and when asked what their favourite dining experiences were around the world – our restaurant was up there for them.
“That is what really led to the next phase and next business decision for me.”
The Rockpool era: Investing in quality produce
“When I opened Rockpool Sydney, the main focus was to build a restaurant that captured beautiful design, great ambiance, a fantastic wine list, world-class food and world-class service,” he says.
“It worked and we got voted in the 50 Best Restaurants in the world – reaching number-four in 2002. Then came Rockpool Bar and Grill in Melbourne in 2006. It’s been 20 years since it first opened, and we had up to three around the country.
“Rockpool became known as the great Australian grill restaurant. It was very produce-driven, and luckily for me, other restaurants didn’t really invest in the amount of incredible produce as we did.
“It was these important relationships with fishermen and farmers that’s rather stressful because it takes a lot of managing, but it’s what set us apart and was why we were so successful. It easy for people to talk about doing a great job in the restaurant world, but you have to know how to deliver it.”
On growing a restaurant business and selling it, Perry says not everybody gets a chance to walk away and feel okay about it.
“When you’re in the minutiae of growing up a business like I was in my 30s, 40s, 50s, and 60s, I was building something of value that I never thought in a million years I would sell,” he says.
“But I had the opportunity to do it, and it set me up for the rest of my life which was fantastic.”
Neil Perry’s cheffing philosophy hasn’t changed too much over 40 years. Picture: Supplied
Perry’s latest foray in Sydney
Ranked second on the World’s Best Steaks in 2026, Margaret in Double Bay is Perry’s pride and joy.
“Margaret’s the culmination of everything I’ve ever done in my career. It’s part Rockpool, Rockpool Bar & Grill, Spice Temple and part Rosetta [formerly Crown Melbourne],” he said.
“What we try to do with Sydney’s Gran Torino is take all the amazing ingredients we have access to and put this incredible Italian lens on the dishes. I have executive chef Richard Purdue and head chef Ervin Mamajesi – two insane Italian cooks who opened Rosetta with me many years ago.
“The two great cuisines in the world are Italian and Japanese – the reason for that is that they work really strongly with the season and with great produce. It’s what people love.”
Perry has returned to the family-owned business model with Sydney’s Margaret, launched in 2021. Picture: Supplied
And in the fickle world of restaurants, Perry still has an appetite for more, and won’t rule out an opportunity to open another restaurant.
“Never say never, but I am also really comfortable with what I am doing,” he says.
“If I had an opportunity to do another Margaret somewhere amazing, I’d do it. I might be 69, but I still feel like I’m 35 and I don’t hear any part of my body trying to tell me to stop.
“I could never imagine retiring. I wouldn’t see the point in that because I love what I do.”
He says the secret to his success has been delivering quality; even in tough economic times, diners want reliablility and to know when they spend.
“In economic times like this, excellence at any level matters; whether you’re a coffee shop or a take-out place or a fine dining restaurant – people always choose quality,” Perry said.
“When money is tight, people go where they know they’re going to have a great experience, where they know they feel like they’re coming home.”
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