Sneaky Dee's, Toronto's famous Tex-Mex restaurant, concert venue, bar and post night-out haven for nachos, is now venturing into the coffee shop scene with the launch of Little Sneaky's Café. Sneaky Dee's is a brand we can rely on––since 1987, Sneaky's has been there for us, and during pandemic-era Toronto, even they have had to pivot their offering a little to keep staff busy and money coming in.
George Diamantouros, the operational manager of Sneaky Dee's, had been discussing with his staff to start a little coffee offering last year during the lockdown, but with the state of flux with Toronto lockdowns closing and opening up restaurants again, it got put on the back burner. However, with a brand new year comes a brand new lockdown, and in 2022, they officially launched Little Sneaky's Café.
Sneaky's has always wanted to improve their coffee program, and the window beside the streetcar stop at their College Street location has been an untapped market for so long. The running joke at Sneaky's for two decades has been "when will you get a decent cup of coffee" and finally after years and years of subpar coffee and instant decaf, they've invested in an espresso machine, a roaster and a really great cup of coffee.
The staff of Sneaky's spearheaded the campaign for good coffee, probably because they were the ones drinking so much of it during Sneaky's usual 11 a.m. to 4 a.m operating schedule, these same restaurant employees are also being trained up as baristas to operate their espresso machine.
Sneaky's sources their coffee from Classic Coffee in Vaughan, Ont. to supply their now full-service coffee bar where you can get a full café offering like espressos, Americanos, cold brew, iced mochas and more. They also have chocolate chip muffins, croissants and some vegan options, like cupcakes and cookies from Sweets From the Earth bakery. One day, they'd like to have their complete kitchen offering available through the takeout window.
Currently the restaurant is still open for for takeout and delivery from 12 p.m. to 12 a.m., and will be assuming their normal hours post-lockdown. The coffee shop will now be open from Wednesday to Sunday from 9 a.m to 3 p.m., with the goal of eventually opening seven days a week.
