The Mad Dog Cafe closed its doors in March during the first lockdown bringing a 10 year-end to this busy Leslieville hotspot. No longer a place for friends, family and local creatives to gather and enjoy a cup of coffee over brunch, the community had been dealt a devastating blow. Good news soon followed, though! With the help of wine sommelier Ian Studdart, and inspired by his travels in Europe, Mad Dog Cafe has evolved its space into East End Vine, a European style wine and tapas bar with a local gourmet foods market.
Eagerly awaiting lockdown restrictions to come to an end and life to return to a new normal, Ian is excited to once again bring the community together to enjoy their space. Boasting an intimate dining area inside and a great patio outside connected by a large garage door style window, the space is vibrant and inviting. Ian paints a picture of summer evenings on Gerrard, live jazz floods the sidewalk, glasses of wine, fresh oysters and small plates flow from the bar and kitchen, and once again, the community is brought together at this neighbourhood hub.
As we all wait patiently for dine-in service to return to Toronto, East End Vine is offering takeout and their gourmet foods market, which features a variety of exclusively local goodies, charcuterie and cheese options. Don’t hesitate to ask which of their handpicked Canadian and international wines pair best with any item!
East End Vine is located at 817 Gerrard Street East and is open Wednesday to Sunday.
