![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/NeilPerryBBQ.jpeg\")
<\/p>\nAcclaimed 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.<\/p>\n
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 \u2013 and it\u2019s this approach that has served his business model well.<\/p>\n
Perry\u2019s cooking philosophy hasn\u2019t changed in all the years he\u2019s been running his own restaurants. His first foray into the restaurant world was a seafood fine diner Bluewater Grill in Bondi back in 1986.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s the reason his iconic Sydney restaurant Margaret has retained its number-two position in the World\u2019s 101 Best Steaks this year.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Neil Perry keeps it real with an outdoor barbecue in far north Queensland. Picture: Supplied<\/p>\n
\u201cMargaret in Double Bay is the busiest restaurant that we have right now,\u201d he said, who has returned to a full family-owned business model.<\/p>\n
\u201cCafe Margaret, Gran Torino, and Pizzeria Sotto are owned by me and my wife Sam \u2013 we\u2019re the only shareholders, and we work in the business together, and our children do as well. It\u2019s nice to be in that environment for me, where it\u2019s completely about family,\u201d the iconic chef said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cMargaret has re-energised me. I\u2019m enjoying being in the restaurant with my people and the staff more than ever.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/NeilPerryMudCrabs.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n
Neil Perry is big on sourcing fresh seafood and produce directly from fishermen and farmers. Picture: Supplied<\/p>\n
Reflecting on the 80s and 90s power dining scene<\/p>\n
Helping pioneer the modern Australian food movement in the 1980s is his claim to fame \u2013 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was young and hungry when I opened my first restaurant,\u201d he said. \u201cI was totally focused and wanted to create a world class restaurant.<\/p>\n
\u201cI did that in Bondi, and we obviously created a lot of great memories over the \u201880s and \u201890s that people resonated with and when asked what their favourite dining experiences were around the world \u2013 our restaurant was up there for them.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is what really led to the next phase and next business decision for me.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Rockpool era: Investing in quality produce<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen 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,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt worked and we got voted in the 50 Best Restaurants in the world \u2013 reaching number-four in 2002. Then came Rockpool Bar and Grill in Melbourne in 2006. It\u2019s been 20 years since it first opened, and we had up to three around the country.<\/p>\n
\u201cRockpool became known as the great Australian grill restaurant. It was very produce-driven, and luckily for me, other restaurants didn\u2019t really invest in the amount of incredible produce as we did.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was these important relationships with fishermen and farmers that\u2019s rather stressful because it takes a lot of managing, but it\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
On growing a restaurant business and selling it, Perry says not everybody gets a chance to walk away and feel okay about it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you\u2019re 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,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I had the opportunity to do it, and it set me up for the rest of my life which was fantastic.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/NeilPerryFish.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n
Neil Perry\u2019s cheffing philosophy hasn\u2019t changed too much over 40 years. Picture: Supplied<\/p>\n
Perry\u2019s latest foray in Sydney<\/p>\n
Ranked second on the World\u2019s Best Steaks in 2026, Margaret in Double Bay is Perry\u2019s pride and joy.<\/p>\n
\u201cMargaret\u2019s the culmination of everything I\u2019ve ever done in my career. It\u2019s part Rockpool, Rockpool Bar & Grill, Spice Temple and part Rosetta [formerly Crown Melbourne],\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we try to do with Sydney\u2019s 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 \u2013 two insane Italian cooks who opened Rosetta with me many years ago.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe two great cuisines in the world are Italian and Japanese \u2013 the reason for that is that they work really strongly with the season and with great produce. It\u2019s what people love.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/NeilPerryBBQ2.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n
Perry has returned to the family-owned business model with Sydney\u2019s Margaret, launched in 2021. Picture: Supplied<\/p>\n
And in the fickle world of restaurants, Perry still has an appetite for more, and won\u2019t rule out an opportunity to open another restaurant.<\/p>\n
\u201cNever say never, but I am also really comfortable with what I am doing,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I had an opportunity to do another Margaret somewhere amazing, I\u2019d do it. I might be 69, but I still feel like I\u2019m 35 and I don\u2019t hear any part of my body trying to tell me to stop.<\/p>\n
\u201cI could never imagine retiring. I wouldn\u2019t see the point in that because I love what I do.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn economic times like this, excellence at any level matters; whether you\u2019re a coffee shop or a take-out place or a fine dining restaurant \u2013 people always choose quality,\u201d Perry said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen money is tight, people go where they know they\u2019re going to have a great experience, where they know they feel like they\u2019re coming home.\u201d<\/p>\n
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