About Us

Nestled between Sydney's Inner West and North Shore, Artarmon is a suburb where two lifestyles converge: casual cafe culture and upper-market wine bar obsession. Enter Buckle + Depot, Artarmon’s new bistro-meets-distillery and brewery, giving locals a place to both pause and play. After a successful soft opening on the 8th of October, the first half of this dual-venue, Buckle Cafe & Distillery, has its grand opening on Tuesday, 22nd October. The 150-seater venue is located inside a glass atrium alongside the heritage-listed 1 Frederick Street. The cocktail bar and eatery aims to provide Lower North Shore locals with a unique inclusive experience that offers something for everyone. “We wanted to create a venue that seamlessly connects cafe and cocktail culture, where anyone can come to pause or play” says General Manager, James Peters & Executive Chef Johnny Sercombe. “This is something we’ve injected into every aspect of the venue from the interiors to the menu. We really wanted a transformative space – something that offered one thing by day, another by night and a bit of both in between, depending on the experience customers want.” Johnny is in charge of bringing full-of-flavour and versatile feeds to the venue – options that can seamlessly take customers from cafe lunch to evening dinner. With a distinguished career working across groups such as Merivale, Solotel, and Applejack, Johnny has an unwavering focus on quality and value. The menu features a mix of classic eats. For brunch, customers can choose from a Bacon & Egg Roll, Avocado On Toast, Corn Fritters, Acai Bowl, and more. Come 12pm through to dinner, the menu switches to a more hearty offering, including a Falafel Bowl, Reuben Sandwich, Tomato Penne Pasta, Rump Steak and more. Buckle’s dual vibe extends beyond its menu offering and into the space as a whole. In the middle of the venue – surrounded by cafe furniture, close by an industrial coffee machine and adjacent to a children’s activity area – is "Phoebe", a 150L Copper Pot Still that will be commissioned to distil whisky alongside the house Buckle Gin and Buckle Vodka. In the spirit of keeping things approachable, Buckle has engaged James Peters – a young and passionate mixologist who's worked in high-energy bars to premium cafes including The Glasshouse Artarmon and Acre Artarmon – to create a cocktail list featuring standard favourites like the Buckle x Black Market Espresso Martini (Buckle Vodka, Black Market Cold brew, Coffee Liqueur) and house exclusives such as the Spiced Honey Daiquiri (Spiced Black Rum, Honey, Lime). No bar would be complete without a Happy Hour. Buckle has since introduced their very own from 5-6pm every Monday to Friday. Guests can sit, sip and enjoy the warmer weather with a glass of Buckle Gin or Vodka and a standard mixer, pints of beer and by-the-glass wine for $9. Buckle gets its name from Frank Buckle – a man who epitomised a life of breaking the mould. Frank was a renowned first-grade cricketer turned respected industrial architect responsible for the design of the heritage building that Buckle Cafe & Distillery sits alongside. Frank’s legacy is that life is about the freedom to choose how to live your moments. Buckle is a testament to this same freedom; whatever you’re seeking, they’re here for it. This same approach will apply to sister venue and bistro Depot Brewery, which is due to open its doors in late November. But more on that one later.