Leafy… leisurely… lovely… we’re breakfasting at Buckle, Artamon’s newest café and distillery. Set in a vast semi-outdoor industrial-esque space filled with greenery, it’s a light and relaxing venue with a great traditional Australian café menu.
B&E roll 
corn fritters 
iced drinks
We chose the corn fritters which come with avocado and a zingy capsicum relish, and a bacon and egg roll which we pimp up to towering splendour with an added hash brown. Drinks are iced coffee and iced chocolate, both rich and generous with the ice cream. The lunch menu (daily from 12 noon) also looks delicious – the Buckle wagyu cheeseburger is highly recommended by staff.
Buckle is of course a distillery, and while it was rather too early for us to start knocking back the spirits, there is a wide and wonderful drinks menu with both classic and creative cocktails. And from 5-6pm Monday to Friday there’s a happy hour with $9 drinks including Buckle gin or vodka with mixer, all pints of beer and all by-the-glass wines.
It’s all happening this side of the bridge these days, thanks to the new Metro making a trip to the North Shore a quick zip from the CBD. But you’ll probably want to drive to Buckle as it’s part of the Home HQ shopping centre featuring many top furniture and homeware brands.
Buckle Cafe & Distillery is located at 1 Frederick St, Artarmon (Home HQ shopping centre) and is open every day until 9pm (11pm Fri/Sat)
