Buoy Kiosk Hits Like a Holiday, With Bacon Subs and Cheesy “Mousetraps”

The people of the northern beaches know how they want their cafes: on the water, by the water, overlooking the water. And Emily Jolliffe-Murphy’s Balgowlah newcomer sticks to the brief. Buoy Kiosk lives in a sweet little weatherboard space on the water in North Harbour Marina. Just how close to the water is it? The opening hours come with a “weather permitting” disclaimer.

Since late March, Buoy’s wraparound deck has been full of locals (and those enjoying a pit stop on the Spit to Manly walk) leaning into holiday vibes. Banana smoothies arrive blue with spirulina, while mango pours are revved up with tahini and buckwheat. There are fresh juices, too, and cookies-and-cream thickshakes.

But Jolliffe-Murphy, who was most recently head chef at day-to-night favourite Effie’s, is doing more than the “kiosk” label suggests, cheffing up cafe classics. Avo toast is topped with pickled fennel and a house-made buckwheat dukkah, and a “mousetrap” – a New Zealand nickname for grilled cheese on toast – delivers both Vegemite and torched slices of cheese.

Lengthy potato subs are stuffed with bacon and eggs, with melty Swiss cheese, a generous serve of pickles and a spicy house-made “overboard” sauce. From 10.30am, that sub carries chook instead, with a couple of classic baguettes to support.

Broccoli chop salad is flavour-packed in a Green Goddess dressing with a tahini twist, and a Greek number gets its protein from a chickpea and butterbean mix.

Supreme beans are on the machine for flatties, caps or frothy iced long blacks sweetened with vanilla.

Surrounded by the bushy Wellings Reserve, Buoy Kiosk is an on-the-water holiday waiting for you, weather permitting.

Buoy Kiosk
North Harbour Marina, Gourlay Ave, Balgowlah Heights

Hours:
Mon to Fri 7am–2pm
Sat & Sun 7am–4pm
Weather permitting 

@buoykiosk