Tiger Lil’s Perth to reopen as Lil’s, a two-level bar and rooftop oasis on Murray Street

Shuttered since the pandemic, former city hotspot Tiger Lil’s will relaunch this summer as a two-level bar and rooftop oasis. National pub behemoth Australian Venue Co. acquired the property at 437 Murray Street from long-time owner Graham Hardie in 2023. After a multimillion-dollar refurbishment, the former playground for Perth party people is due to reopen as Lil’s in early 2025. Tiger Lil’s mixed its last cocktails on March 17, 2020, when it closed because of the COVID epidemic. After operating for 20-plus years before the forced closure, the popular city tavern never reopened. New owners AVC, which operates 26 pubs in WA including the Raffles Hotel, Market Grounds and JB O’Reilly’s, describe Lil’s as a “polished destination for those seeking quality, relaxed hospitality in the city’s heart”. The 600-capacity venue boasting a ground-floor bar, new rooftop alfresco area with space up to 150 patrons and a private function room “ushers in a fresh, grown-up atmosphere for work and play”. The refurbishment was spearheaded by Rothelowman, the Australian architecture firm behind the major renovation of the AVC-owned Claremont Hotel. Venue manager Joel Woolfrey said the Lil’s team had been working behind the scenes to polish its food and beverage menus, as well as entertainment roster of DJs. The tavern will install a pizza oven in the ground floor bar for its modern Mediterranean menu augmented with pub classics. The drinks list will star spritzes and “light, fluffy drinks” for summer, plus mostly WA beers and wines. “We want to pay a little homage to Tiger Lil’s but it’s definitely a fresh new venue, very different to what it was before,” Mr Woolfrey said. “We want to be a nice approachable bar during the week and then a bit of a party bar on the weekends.” The new-look Lil’s would have “less of the kitschy theming and (be) more an upmarket pub with a sophisticated offering” for the post-work crowd, who are expected to flock upstairs. “The rooftop is going to set it apart and create a whole new dynamic for the venue,” Mr Woolfrey said. He added that the relaunched tavern hoped to attract people before and after events at the nearby RAC Arena. In 2023, on behalf of the neighbouring St George’s College, which is currently under construction, the Anglican Schools Commission objected to the redevelopment. The commission hired an acoustic specialist to challenge AVC’s claims about potential noise from the rooftop bar, which will be less than 4m from the secondary college’s music room and close to its terrace. In October 2023, ASC chief Reverend Peter Laurence told The West Australian that he was concerned for students. “Our main aim to ensure the well-being of our students and that includes asking our city neighbours to be aware of the impact they might have on our young people,” he said. The City of Perth has not objected to the redevelopment. Mr Woolfrey said that Lil’s aims to be “good neighbours” and would operate at different hours to the college. “The party on the weekend shouldn’t interrupt them,” he said.