Barko & Co

BARKO & CO WEST END CLOSED PERMANENTLY IN 2020.

Barko & Co is the most recent resident at West End's popular Garden Pantry dining precinct, providing expertly-brewed coffee along with delicious breakfast, lunch and dinner fare.   

This cool, casual cafe (a sibling for Teneriffe's favourite riverside cafe) sits at the Garden Pantry entrance on Boundary Street where Salt Meats Cheese used to be. Customers can enjoy a morning cup of coffee and breakfast or boozy brunch in the shipping container laneway or al fresco, overlooking the lush tropical gardens. 

Breakfast fare includes a bacon and egg bagel, avocado on sourdough with marinated feta and beetroot hummus, huevos rancheros (two fried eggs with salsa on sourdough), and brioche French toast served with vanilla ice-cream, local honey, caramelised banana, seasonal berries and meringue.

Healthy lunch options range from nourishing bowls like Barko Bowl (quinoa, mesclun, radish, sweet potato, blistered tomatoes, avocado and asparagus), and wholesome salads such as Summer Coconut with wombok, bean sprouts, fried onion, coconut yoghurt, beetroot, cherry tomatoes and sweet chilli,  to gourmet sandwiches and wraps.

The dinner menu consists of Spanish-inspired entrees like quesadillas filled with bocconcini, mozarella, spinach and pico de gallo, and empanadas stuffed with beef and veggies; while a standout on the mains menu is traditional Spanish paella with chorizo, chicken, prawns and saffron rice.

Coffee on pour is from ​​​​​the family’s own coffee import business, Mr Coffee's, with beans sourced directly from sustainable micro-regions in Colombia. Besides coffee,  there are specialty teas, fresh juices and smoothies. In addition, there's beer, wine and classic cocktails like Long Island Iced Teas, Cosmopolitans and Aperol Spritzes; or try Barko's delectable signature concoction Sweet Melons - vodka, melon liqueur, sugar syrup, lemon juice, egg white and pink grapefruit liqueur. 

By Deb Lidster