06 Mar Contra Café
After a really busy start to my Sunday (4 showings in the morning), I decided to pop into Contra Café to fuel up before starting several condo showings for another client. I’ve passed by Contra several times before, as it is located on Shaw St. – one of my secret routes (Shhh… – don’t tell anyone!) to get to Liberty Village.
Although Contra is a relatively small café, it has great exposure with its corner location in a quiet residential neighbourhood between Christie St. and Ossington Ave. just south of Dupont St. The café stands out because of its stark white, brick façade. The owners, architects by trade, paid close attention to every design detail when renovating this spot in 2014. The use of various materials including the exposed brick, marble, wood and stainless steel as well as the accent lighting really gives this café a cool, urban feel. Must be one of the reasons it was packed on a Sunday afternoon at 3:00pm.
I decided to grab a double espresso and added a gluten free pistachio cookie to go with it. Contra’s beans are roasted by Social Coffee and Tea Company. Some of their treats are baked in-house while others are supplied by local Toronto bakers.
Both the espresso and pistachio cookie were fantastic – can’t wait to try other gluten free treats that Contra offers up. The café also has a small selection of sandwiches, croissants and muffins – all looked delicious in their display case.
During my short visit, there was standing room only and the community table at the back of the café was particularly busy with some of the patrons working on their Macs and others engaged in conversation. I had a friendly chat with the barista, who let me snap a few photos before hitting the road for my next showing in Liberty Village.
Be sure to check out Contra Café if you’re on Toronto’s west side – when the weather begins to improve you can also enjoy the patio out front.
I’ll be doing more showings in this neighbourhood and Liberty Village, so I’ll be sure to visit again shortly.
Contra Café – 1028 Shaw Street
-torontoyourway
Mark Lebovits, Sales Representative
Royal LePage Real Estate Services Ltd., Brokerage
416-274-4984 | mark@torontoyourway.com