Canada's first-ever 'exotic animal cafe' opens in Toronto this week
The first exotic animal cafe in Canada is gearing up to open in Toronto this week.
While the term "exotic animal cafe" might conjure up images of boa constrictor bubble tea and komodo dragon cafe-au-lait, animal lovers need not fear: the exotic animals themselves aren't on the menu. Instead, they'll be your unconventional coffee dates.
Think of it like a cat cafe, but centred around creatures of the scaly, slithery and slippery persuasions.
Animal cafes of all shapes and sizes are a phenomenon around the world, letting visitors cozy up with their favourite furry (or feathered, or otherwise) friends, but thus far, Toronto has only been home to the varieties with resident cats and, very occasionally, dogs.
Enter Mystik Cafe, Canada's first-ever exotic animal cafe, where you can choose to dine in one of two environments: the Ocean Cafe, an aquarium room, which is free to access with any purchase in the cafe, and the real star of the show, Reptile Jungle.
While Ocean Cafe is open to all, Reptile Jungle will be a separately ticketed experience that allows you to get up close and personal with Mystik's reptilian roster of over 60 animals from 40 different species.
Admission ranges from $16 for a 15-minute session to $36 for an hour-long session that includes a drink, dessert and Polaroid photo.
If chameleons, iguanas, geckos, frogs, snakes and tortoises tickle your fancy, this will be paradise for you. If they give you the heebie-jeebies, hey, what better opportunity for a little exposure therapy?
As for the offerings in the cafe itself, they'll be a fairly standard suite of coffee drinks, baked goods, desserts and refreshers, but let's be honest: we're all here for the animals anyway, aren't we?
Mystik Cafe soft-opens at 56C Kensington Ave. on Sunday, Nov. 16, and will only be open for walk-ins during its soft-opening phase.
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