Beloved Toronto coffee shop opens new location after over 20 years in business

A Toronto cafe that's been a neighbourhood stalwart for over 20 years is finally expanding, opening a brand new location in the city.

Every neighbourhood has its institutions; those spots that have been there as long as you can remember and that you can't imagine ever closing down. Growing up in the Beaches, for me, that was The Goof (legal name: Garden Gate), but for Mimico, Birds and Beans Cafe fits the bill.

Opening its doors in 2004, the cafe has been supplying the community with fair-trade, bird-friendly coffee and eco-friendly goods for the past 21 years out of their charming cafe just off Mimico Square.

If you rarely venture deep into the west end of the city, you could go your whole life without knowing it was there, but you'd be worse off for it: the coffee is excellent, and the cafe itself looks and feels like something straight out of Gilmore Girls.

As of last month, even more people in the city are getting the chance to experience the magic of Birds and Beans Cafe, as, more than 20 years after opening their original location, they've expanded with a brand-new location.

You'll still have to venture to the west end to get it, though; they've just set up shop in the Humber Bay Shores area.

"We are pretty excited with the new location," Adriana Berrio, who oversees the brand's cafes, tells me.

"It kind of just happened — we saw the opportunity of being on Humber Bay Shores, still close to our original location but a different neighbourhood, and we decided to adventure there."

The reception so far has been great, she says, with regulars and new customers alike flocking — no pun intended — to the cafe in its first few weeks since opening.

"We hope to get the message out about coffee and sustainability and hope for a better future," she adds.

As for further expansion, I wouldn't hold your breath for the near future, but it's not entirely out of the question.

"It's not in our plans right now to open an additional location," Adriana tells me. "In our wishes, yes."

You can experience Birds and Beans Cafe for yourself at their original location at 2413 Lake Shore Blvd. W. or their new digs at 160 Marine Parade Dr.