Archie's All Day Making Waves in Gertrude
Archie's All day is a compelling all day until late cafe with a relaxed fresh vibe, where a DJ will serve up tunes as well as your food and coffee. "Refreshing" would be an appropriate word for Archie's All Day, as a meeting place and hub for a catch up, where you can escape the stress of city life. I can imagine some customers would visit this place more than once a day as it's open from early until midnight (Wednesday to Sunday) and the menu can be consumed all through the day. The masterstroke of Anthony Brem and Nick Sawle, you can tell these are people that know the scene and how to deliver to punters.
We hear this cafe is named after the owner's (Anthony) son, Archie. This threw The World Loves Melbourne, as we were set on the cafe being named after the iconic comic book and TV show Archie - how wrong we were. We thought it was another Melbourne nod to pop culture, but it's not.
To make your life better, the food selection is on trend and rewarding for all tastes. Along with healthier eating options there's the dude food standouts. Is this Melbourne's best burger? Juicy Lucy is certainly a contender and when I mentioned it to the DJ/barista he told me that "many people have said that."
Juicy Lucy lives up to it's name with juicy burger overdrive. The burger features 2 wagyu juicy patties cooked to perfection, with cheese surrounding and inside the pattie. It's a double (arguably triple) cheese and double wagyu pattie situation. Then bring in the quality bacon and lettuce on a large brioche bun. Standing in all its glory the burger looks like a Melbourne's "best" contender. Yes you have to move back to capture this mother of a burger in the frame of your smartphone Instagram post.
The bacon is in extra to the burger but we didn't hesitate. A baconless burger is not in our economy.
Fries are also compelling with a large bowl of golden crunch and killer aoli.
We were in a coffee mood so a simple latte was all we required. Normally we like burgers and beer but having arrived before 12 the coffee was welcome. Archie's All Day serves up excellent coffee. But another time we will have to hit on their 18 craft beers and local (and some international) wines.
Other menu options attracted such as Za'atar eggs, Prawn Roll, or the White miso cured salmon...
Like other Melbourne top cafes it's the vibe and experience of the cafe that draws you in. Set on iconic Gertrude St you can people gaze at the window counter. Or sit at a table in several interesting spaces, with art on the walls, hardwood floor, cool sleek timber counters and tables, exposed brick (rough stones maybe) and naked bulbs to make a kind of Scandinavian feel. The flowers on the table also speak of Scandinavia we think.
Service was friendly and smart and the place was packed on a weekday even before the lunch crowd was due to arrive.
Come here for the full meal or even for their sexy cakes, snacks and coffee.
Or the tunes...
Archie's All Day is a compelling cafe on Gertrude St Fitzroy and while we want to revisit for the Juicy Lucy burger, we also want to sample more from the menu. Highly recommended.
