The Armchair Collective

Armchair Collective in Mona Vale — a café and shop filled with beautiful homewares in the one location. They also sell fresh flowers and coffee take away.
The only issue with this place is its often busy so it can be difficult finding a table! If you are patient or come outside of peak times you will easily get a posy outside in the sunshine or inside surrounded by the gorgeous bits and pieces available to purchase.
For breakfast my go-​to is poached eggs with avocado but the spicy eggs are delicious as well. For lunch go the fish and chips!
Just down the road from Mona Vale Beach it’s nice to come here for a bite to eat and wander down the road for a swim. Perfect way to spend a day on the Northern Beaches.

Great location and unfortunately prices go with it. But food was great. Big plates, fresh produces. Come early if you want a table.

Quite expensive but yummy food! I had the cold drip which was great and the staff were lovely.

This is probably the best place to get coffee and a feed on Mona Vale beach. In comparison to other places further away from the beach, it is not that great — but if you are on the beach and just need to walk somewhere this is the place to go.
The coffee is average. Not to weak, unfortunately, it is constantly burnt. I have been here many times, and each time the coffee is over brewed giving you a burnt flavour. Tip when ordering coffee, order it with milk. An espresso would be slightly undrinkable here.
The saving grace of the Armchair is the food. Food here is good. The menu is not extensive, but there is enough to satisfy a day at the beach. But you cannot leave unless you order a milkshake. Their caramel milkshake is awesome. I will come again and again for the caramel milkshake — trust me, it is the best thing on a sunny day at the beach.

A lovely café and shop, all in one! The coffee is really nice and the food lovely, and healthy! I would happily buy everything in the shop as it is all so nice!

It’s always a bit confusing combining a shop with a café, but at least there was lots to look at as we waited for a table at this busy place.
Portion sizes were generous, and really tasty combinations.
I had the soft shell crab burger. Really crispy, perfectly fried wholw crab (a little daunting to look at but great for the ‘wow’ effect) and although it looked as though it was going to be dry, it was succulent and zesty with a delicious wasabi mayo.
The only complaint I had was the green juice (whilst refreshing) was pre made, which means no changes/​additions, and really, it’d be pretty easy to make fresh juice to order. Slackness for no reason– people ordering green juices are probably going to be the ones who appreciate a little effort.
One friend had the green chicken and roasted veges, which actually looked like the whole vege garden.
Other friend had super yummy banana smoothie which came in a carafe. Über yuppie.
Definitely taking more ppl here but have to remember not to check the prices… ouch!

One of my favourite cafes on the Northern Beaches!
I have been here a few times, from breakfast to a milkshake date… I love the generous servings of the breakfast (first time I had the porridge which was delicious… second time I had the eggs on toast with salmon, mushrooms and avocado — both were pretty massive and delicious!) My favourite thing about this café is that the meals are presented amazingly which gives the impression that the dish could not just be made at home… there is a definite ambiance about the place with the only downfall being the crowd!

A cute and funky name for a cute and funky venue, is my verdict upon visiting this seaside café. It’s certainly not the type of place habitually found on the Northern Beaches; the exposed brick and mismatched chairs in velvet and tweed would be more often found in Newtown or Redfern. Not that I’m complaining — it’s a nice change to see something a bit different up north.
On sunny days, the Armchair Collective is crowded with people keen to soak up the sun with some food after a beach session. It’s populated by students, young mothers and other people who don’t ever seem to have to go to work to afford their coffee-​shop habit. Which, given the prices of the Armchair Collective, seems odd to me. At $ 7 for a milkshake, you definitely must be gainfully employed to visit here!
Having said that, those $ 7 milkshakes are damn delicious — and come in jars! Way cute! As is all the assorted cute food and drink on offer — there are biscuits with smarties and sprinkles, and chocolates to take home and all varieties of gorgeous and trendy food on show. If you’re a lover of aesethetically-​pleasing cupcakes, then a visit is a must.