Flipside turns concepts of a cafe, bar and donut shop on their heads. They serve sweet and savoury mini donuts alongside coffee, cocktails, beer and wine.

Equipped with WiFi, the 20-seat space was inherited from Caffe Furbo along with its Italian marble and espresso machine.

The most basic “blast from the past” donuts come in orders of ten for Flipperoos ($9.95), which come with vanilla sprinkle and hazelnut chocolate dips for dunking, or classic “CiNE” Sugar donuts ($7.95).

All donuts are made to order, and the sweet and savoury varieties are actually made using different batters and prepared differently, the sweet ones fried and the savoury “yeast rings” baked.

Each type of donut is inspired by a Toronto neighbourhood. 

Sweet donuts are $5.95 for a half dozen in your choice of one or two flavours.

The Danforth Drizzle variety is inspired by another sweet treat, baklava, topped with pistachio butter, local honey, and crumbly, crispy puff pastry that completes the reference.

All dine-in donuts also get a little extra drizzle on the plate to drag donuts through.

Kensington R&R donuts are given a generous drizzle of tart, sticky raspberry purée, freeze dried raspberries and candied rosemary bringing out the berry flavour. 

Savoury donuts are $7.95 for a half dozen of one or two flavours, a College St. Porchetta variety perhaps the most quizzical. 

In addition to pistachio butter, they’re also topped with slightly tough roast coppa, red wine demi glace and microgreens. The mini yeast rings have a more bready, bagel-like taste, clearly meant to be foundational more than anything. 

Spadina Streetcar is a more successful combination, the donuts providing a vehicle for six-hour duck confit with a sweet hoisin sauce and acidic house pickled carrot, daikon and red onion, fragrant micro cilantro bringing everything together. Maybe this works better because the donut isn’t dissimilar to fluffy, sweet Asian buns and pancakes.

Lattes made with Propeller Coffee start at $4.45, and any hot drink can be spiked with an ounce of Wolfhead Distillery coffee whisky liqueur or Yongehurst Distillery nocino walnut liqueur for $4.95. 

A High Park Sour ($14.95) is the light, summery cocktail option here, made with Dairy Distillery Vodkow (made using milk byproducts), Dillon’s Limoncello, lemon juice, Fever Tree tonic, and a subtle thyme syrup, all topped with a frothy egg white cap.

The Toronto Winter Market ($14.95) lies at the opposite end of the spectrum, deeply spiced and heavy with Dillon’s Rye Whisky, Yongehurst Nocino, simple syrup, Carroll & Co. orange cranberry bitters, and coffee bitters produced in collaboration by Dillon’s and Sweet Jesus.

There’s space outdoors for a 12-seat patio in summer.