Toronto cafe to open second location combined with new snack bar

A cafe in one of Toronto’s trendiest neighbourhoods is soon opening a second location, but it has something brand-new tacked on, too.

Fall calls for a steamy latte (both of the pumpkin spice variety and not) inside of a cute cafe, the same way that summertime calls for margaritas on a patio, and, we hate to break it to you, but leaves are already changing colours.

Fall’s approach isn’t an entirely bad thing, though, because it means that it’s time to dust off that list and add some new spots to check out this season.

Lucky for us, William and Carlos Oliveira, the son-and-father duo behind Little Italy’s Café Belém and Mercado in the Castlefield Design District, have something extra special up their sleeves.

Despite only opening their Portuguese cafe (Belém) around a year ago, it’s already an inarguable hit in the neighbourhood. Now, they’re gearing up to open a second location of the cafe in Corso Italia.

Not only will the new location bring Café Belém to a brand-new neighbourhood, but the space will also act as an on-site bakery where the Oliveiras will churn out a selection of Portuguese artisan breads and other staples.

That’s not the only twist the new location will feature, though.

Along with the new Café Belém location, the Oliveiras are joining forces with chefs João Silva and Pedro Santos of Mercado to launch a Portuguese snack bar concept, called Alma Lusa, from the same spacious Corso Italia location.

The team describes Alma Lusa as “a space where [they] can showcase the simpler, everyday eats of Portugal,” which includes, they told us, classic sandwiches like bifana, piri-piri chicken and prego, traditional dishes like rissois and bolos de bacalhau, as well as quick-service lunch options.

“It’s a celebration of Portuguese flavours in a casual, vibrant setting, and we can’t wait to share it with the city,” they say.

While the precise opening date of Café Belém and Alma Lusa has yet to be determined, the team told us that it plans to open in late October or early November.

In the meantime, you can get a taste of what’s to come at Café Belém’s original location at 546 College St.

Café Belém/Alma Lusa will open at 350 Oakwood Ave. in late October to early November 2025.