Zoots takes a little bit of magic and a lot of soul to create the intriguing mix of a cafe winning hearts in Dundas West. Owners Melanie and Shawn combined their passions to open a place that offers great bevvies and food - not to mention board games, art, vintage clothing (if you know where to look) and a healthy dose of whimsy.
The spot was partly inspired by Melanie's old workplace in Detroit (also called Zoots) which was located in the Cass Corridor, an area famous for producing artists like The White Stripes. The now-closed cafe used to see a mix of the rock and electronica scene drop by to play music, drink coffee and pass time; this eclectic mix of art and coffee continues with Zoots 2.0. Melanie's partner Shawn is the bean guru, and his love for magic adds design elements to the decor - dig the logo!
Tucked away in the back is Melanie's studio and showroom for Melanie's Closet, a vintage shop moved from 829 Dundas St West. In the main room, cozy tables house couples playing Battleship and soon, a special-made chess table will accent the space. The owner of Monkey's Paw will soon lend a selection of their 'old and unusual' books to the vintage book shelves left over from the building's previous owner.
And how about the FOOD! Fantastic pastries provided by Clafouti, bagels by St. Urbain, tempting baked goods (oh my god, the buttermilk cran cake) by local bakers Feed Your Body and Queen of Hearts. A fantastic mint brownie (2.25) made with spelt flour - not that I could tell. Sandwiches that made me wish it was dinner time. Locally-provided loose leaf teas and organic, fair trade Dark City Coffee beans. "We don't use an over strong, trendy espresso," says Melanie. "It's a European medium roast - it's meant to be smooth." And fie on latte art!! One day you may see the staff wearing t-shirts that say "F*ck Latte Art" - Melanie says she can layer and show off once in awhile, but doesn't really give a hoot about it otherwise.
Hours:
Monday - Friday (7-7)
Saturday - Sunday (7-9)
WiFi: Yes!
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Zoots ia fantastic and is a wonderful addition to the Dundas W. strip. Love it in there. Great food and coffee!
Zoots is full of character and as much as I would love to keep this wonderful finding all to myself, I have to recommend that you check it out next time you're in the neighbourhood. Bonus: An amazing treasure trove/vintage store in the back for those who get too overcaffeinated and get an urge to get up and shop.
Warm, tasty and eclectic applies to both the fresh fare and the atmosphere. The owners Shawn and Melanie are so easy going and welcoming that the feeling is that you are visiting friends when you swing into Zoots. A great place to call a second home and an awesome cup of coffee!
Regarding the Fabulous Zoots Cafe....Great food, drinks, atmosphere and lots to do. But Shawn and Melanie who own it are the reason you want to go!! You must go meet these two.
They make you welcome and comfortable and the whole package makes it a truly wonderful cafe experience!!
This space is great and the people are wonderful not to mention that the coffee is as good as it gets.
Knew you would do it!!!! Well done sweet woman. Can hardly wait to get there. LOVE Aunt p
Bravo to Zoots for adding something great to Dundas street west. The owners have created a great space to go hang out. It's vibe is a like many coffee bars in Europe. You feel like you can hang out for hours or breeze through on your way to work. Dundas street west could become the new cool of the city because of these founding entrepreneurs.
Fantastic!
I was just there yesterday for the first time and I love this place! The americano was great and the food was so good. I was also really impressed with the owners. I can be easily intimidated by some of the trendier places in this city and there was none of that in this place. They were patient while I decided which of the great looking desserts to choose from. It's about 45 minutes from where I live but I will probably end up a regular.
AHAHAHA can you imagine a restaurant that thinks they're avante garde, where the servers wear shirts that say "fuck food presentation", and charge the same as a restaurant that actually puts care into how they plate and serve their food?
What's next, duck confit on a paper plate?
This place is anti latte art, because they can't actually do latte art.
If you're going to claim big talk like you're above pouring latte art, or serving "trendy espresso", at least make an effort at being good.
Nice try at sounding cool though, I guess the saying about a sucker being born every minute still rings true.
Missing the point anon. Zoots is all about the presentation from the room to the plates of food and coffee. My sandwich rocked -organic everything- plated with fresh ground cherries, kumquats, winter orange. A winter feast for the eyes. The coffee in fair trade organic and delicious, and presented outstandingly. I think the point of resisting latte art is that little pouring tricks does not necissarily male a good tasting coffee.
This is Shawn, one of the owners of Zoots. Your comments are welcome however the Anonymous is not. Please have the courage to put your name with your opinions. I do believe you have missed the point. We were being a bit "saucy" I must confess, but clearly we struck a chord. We are not trying to be avant garde, just good. As well, I believe we charge a bit less for a coffee than a vast majority of other cafes in the city. We were not talking about "trendy espresso" but simply trends in coffee flavour. As for duck confit on a paper plate . . . why not! I trust you will explain to all why duck confit on a paper plate tastes different than duck confit on a ceramic plate and then the further differences on a glass plate and so on for all the other kinds of plates you can imagine.
There is no correlation between the taste of a cup of coffee and the latte art associated with it. It is that simple. You talk about a sucker born every minute and by extension accuse us of "suckering" the public - shame on you for that accusation and I ask you to come and see me face to face so we can have a adult conversation about this - but is it not "suckering" the public to dress up a ordinary cup of coffee with latte art and then because of the art say it is the superior cup? I am not accusing anyone of anything but asking the question. There is a great trend right now towards latte art, some might even say that latte art is trendy. We have simply chosen to focus on making a good cup of coffee. Some of the best coffee I have had in Toronto and indeed countries around the world have never had latte art. I trust you have had our coffee and did not like it. Fair play to you. However, once again let me say that your cowardice is shameful as are your accusations. Your post betrays a personal anger that I do not understand. If I have offended you personally, which seems to be the case, then please speak to me and perhaps we can resolve our differences.
if that's really the owner posting, he needs to lighten up. 'zoots' sounds a little 'douchey'.
let's see Shawn and anonymous meet in the Cadbury's parking lot and settle this thing like men.
It seems to me that the owner, in his post, was inviting comments and criticisms from anyone who doesn't simply lob insults and unsubstantiated claims from behind a shield of anonymity.
In response to your comment about food, I don't really see your point. If the food is good and reasonably priced, why not eat it and enjoy it? Does it matter that the pastries and bagels are made elsewhere? Doesn't the owners' choices of where to procure food and ingredients reflect their experience with food? I had a sandwich there which was tasty, nicely presented and priced in the range of what you'd find at a other cafes. So, what's the problem?
I'm with Mikey P on all the above points. I kinda love Zoots. Like, a lot. I've watched the owners lovingly restore the place for months before they opened in Dec. and wow, what a delight! A small, independent cafe in Toronto - sans attitude, yummy treats, a beautiful cup of fair-trade brew, sweet folks, sweet space... I just feel lucky they're in my hood!
is being vitriolic a Toronto thing? I don't get it. enjoy, and if you don't, then go to a cafe that turns your crank. no need to toss barbs.
I love Zoots. It's got a great groove and the owners are lovely. It's funky without being trendy which spells, in my books, maximum comfort. Everybody's entitled to an opinion, but it makes no sense to pick on a new business where the owners are trying hard to make things special, especially in a city full of businesses that don't try at all. The coffee's admittedly a bit on the mild side of average--some people like their beans near burnt a la Starbucks--but it's fair trade and very reasonably priced.
Btw, I had a brioche there also that was baked in house..with rhubarb jam and it was to die for. Pretty sure these guys know a bit about food...
Publisher's note: A number of comments have been removed as they were made using the same IP address but with different commenter names. This sort of comment behaviour isn't tolerated as it indicates that an individual is trying to create the illusion that a number of different people share their opinion.
Yes, the owner has obviously signed on numerous times to lighten the blow that was inflicted upon his business by Anon. Needless to say, he was probably right in saying that they dont do latte art because they are incapable.
Actually, it was a commenter making a series of negative comments under different names.
Zoots is a great little cafe, and the food and service is excellent.
Wendy, it was nice to meet you there, and don't forget about Man Ray!
As someone who is passionate and thus, often defensive, I can sympathize with Shawn, the owner: hard to swallow comments from some jerk. But let inane stuff like this slide - this guy has clearly not been to Zoots or is from the neighborhood. Zoots is a nice new cafe with nice owners. Many of us who live in the 'hood are very happy to have something new (and also so good) on a strip of Dundas that is largely populated with empty storefronts and sports bars. Welcome Zoots!
I think I'm going to stop in this weekend.
It sounds absolutely delightful. :)
(Anyone know if there's wireless Internet onsite?)
I don't understand why some of you are so viciously against this cafe? All I can say is that I'm totally going to try it out now. Seriously, it's a cafe... we're talking coffee and pastries here!
I've always thought that if you have a problem with food or service then it's probably a cool idea to talk to the staff first. And if you really feel strongly, then leave a mature and constructive comment on a forum like this.
Unfortunately, due to the anonymity of the Internet, that can all go to the wayside; now you can just be a cockface without any repercussions whatsoever. Don't be a troll, it makes you look like an asshole and it makes the Internet suck.
With all the astroturfing and "viral" lameness going on now in days with PR on the Internet, who's to say you're all not just some hired goons from a consultancy working for some looser corporation? Out to soil the waters for honest proprietors like these guys. Identify yourself of piss off; we don't want your kind of garbage around here.
I wonder if the nasty comments are coming from the competitors in the area? For example, the Common is basically just 5 minutes away--directly north up Gladstone@College. Or, could they be people afraid of the business rumoured to be coming to the corner of Dufferin and Dundas West--currently for rent--aka, SBUX?
No offence, but the Common is on a completely different level than this shop.
Two additional comments have been removed. Someone writing under different user names (but same IP address) clearly has an agenda to smear this cafe. Unfortunately, because of these malicious attacks we have decided to close the comment thread.