Archie's All Day

Overview

It's close to breaking point. Just when you thought Fitzroy couldn't handle one more cafe, the bustling brunch capital welcomes Archie's All Day. It takes a pretty strong team to compete with the excellent cafes already dotted along Gertrude Street, and owner Anthony Brem has his formula down — he's previously opened Bluebird Espresso, just a quick bike ride down the road in Collingwood. It's with this confidence and pedigree that Archie's All Day looks set to make its mark in Fitzroy.

Reinventing the space previously occupied by Southpaw, the fit-out is bright and welcoming, with a few splashes of colour and some cute small touches — like tulips in glass bottles. A backyard courtyard and street dining is available for warm days, or you can hide away from Melbourne's notoriously wet winter months inside, listening to vinyl. Coffee is by local roasters Proud Mary, and pumped out of a seriously huge Synesso Sabre machine. Archie's Ale is available on tap and a neat selection of craft beers are available for those people looking to relax into their day or night. Remember, this place isn't just a daytime venue — it's all day.

And as the name suggests, food is available all hours of the day too — though it's the brunch menu that we are most excited about. Consider munching into some pumpkin puree, poached eggs, dukkah, Meredith goats feta and crispy polenta ($17), or the zataar eggs with chickpea chips, roasted eggplant, pomegranate, sumac yoghurt and mint ($17). The Huevos Sucio (dirty eggs) have been turning heads as a new hangover cure, with tater tots, jalapeno Monterrey Jack, avocado and tomato salsa, black beans, fried eggs and chipotle mayo ($17.50). This is brunch that goes beyond the standard offerings.

Burgers are available from 7.30am until 10pm. Along with chicken, lamb, prawn and vegetarian burgers is the Juicy Lucy: a wagyu patty stuffed with jalapeno spiked cheese, mustard and pickles ($18). No matter what you're after, Archie's has you covered all day — from that first morning flat white to a nice red wine and cheese platter late at night.