Find Il Lido at 88 Marine Parade, by Forrest Street opposite the foreshore. View the former cabaret building from the pavement or visit during trading hours.
The original Lido complex opened in December 1935 and was designed by architect Howard Bonner for proprietor Lou Hatfield. It included a cabaret, chemist's shop and open-air cinema with seating for up to 650 people. The cabaret had a large dance floor and windows along the Marine Parade frontage, while the picture gardens were styled with Japanese-inspired landscaping and lighting.
The picture gardens closed in 1958 as television changed Perth's cinema habits, and the cabaret later became the Lido Coral Room. The building then went through several restaurant incarnations, including the Mandarin and La Tropicana, before reopening as Il Lido in 2008. Much of the original complex has been altered or lost, but the corner building still carries the Lido name and part of the site's long social history.
Il Lido now serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, with an espresso bar, Italian-inspired food, wine and alfresco tables facing the coast. Walk-ins are welcome, although bookings are available for the main canteen. When you're inside, look up at the ceiling - some of the original decorative design survives overhead and gives a glimpse of the building's earlier life as the Lido Cabaret.
About Il Lido and the former Lido Cabaret
Cottesloe History - Lido Picture Gardens and Cabaret