A true Cinderella story, the unused shed plonked down in the middle of Queen Garden Centre has transformed into a glass house serving delicious coffee and big smiles.
Officially open as of May 21, Queen Garden Café is a (hopefully permanent, but currently pop-up) partnership between Daniel and Mairtin, the owner of Queen Garden Centre. Mairtin was a customer at Dineen Outpost where Daniel worked, and he wanted to bring something different to the garden centre. They had the brilliant idea to convert the empty shed into a coffee haven.
The café is very much "family-run," with Daniel and his two cousins on the frontline. The glass house is reminiscent of high-end pop-ups in London; there is a takeout-style window, but you can peer right through the glass to see Daniel and Pia prepare your drinks. There are bright yellow tables and chairs set up all around the garden centre, so you can have your iced latte in the lush greenery of the plants and flowers (which you can then take home). Wi-fi will be arriving soon, but honestly, with the sun shining and the birds chirping around, it'll be hard to keep your eyes on your laptop.
You'll likely notice that the garden centre is lined with pride flags; Queen Garden Centre and the café want to celebrate pride and want to be a super accepting and safe space for the 2SLGBTQI+ community.
Their ultimate goal is to operate year-round with visions of Christmas trees being sold in a "Santa's Grotto" type space serving hot chocolate underneath twinkly lights. It would be a perfect place for families who can't get out of the city to still have the "Christmas tree farm" experience.
Queen Garden Café gets its coffee from De Mello and their baked goods from a variety of places like Circles and Squares and Desmond and Beatrice; gluten-free and vegan options are always available. They are working on local collaborations with the Leslieville BIA to bring more goodies to the table and really want to cater their offering to the community. They are still operating in soft-opening mode, but look out for a more fleshed-out ice-beverage offering (including cold brew!).
Queen Garden Café's operating hours are 8 a.m. - 6 p.m., 7 days a week, but they have applied for an alcohol license and hope to use the space for evening events and collaborations with local breweries, follow their Instagram for updates.
