New cafe inside a Toronto mall is going viral and it only opened a week ago
The latest cafe to open inside a busy Toronto mall is getting a ton of buzz since opening last month, but you might end up doing some serious shopping if you stop by for a sip or snack.
You'd be hard-pressed to find a single soul in Toronto, especially with its frigid winters perfectly befitting a floor-length Super Puff parka, who hasn't heard of Aritzia.
Sure, the mirrorless dressing rooms and steep prices get their deserving share of criticism, but this is an Aritzia city, through and through, and the Vancouver-based business's new-and-improved location at the Eaton Centre, which opened to the public on Monday, April 27, serves as a sort of shrine to that undying loyalty.
Spanning a whopping 18,000 sq. ft. on the mall's coveted third floor, the renovated space is equal parts clothing store and experience, boasting personal shopping and an intricately curated floor plan, but, interestingly enough, it's Aritzia Eaton Centre's new A-Ok Cafe that's really stolen the show.
It's not the first Aritzia location to have its own coffee shop — the Yorkville flagship did it first — but the Eaton Centre location is taking the concept to a whole new level, and, judging by the flurry of social media attention it's whipped up, the city's Aritzia girlies are in favour of it.
The cafe's instantaneous popularity didn't come from nowhere, though. The company has partnered up with an impressive lineup of local businesses to ensure a sure-fire path to success.
Upon opening, the cafe, which is the only location in Ontario to offer soft-serve ice cream, joined forces with Matty Matheson's Prime Seafood Palace to offer a decadent chocolate sundae, complete with cookies in the shape of Aritzia's daushaund mascot.
And, though that sundae was a limited-time offering, the cafe's partnerships with local vendors hold strong: the pastry case is lined with treats from Le Beau, while beverages are concocted using locally-sourced ingredients.
The menu is populated with a slew of Instagrammable drinks, from matcha to espresso, in a variety of different forms and flavours, particularly apt to appear in a stylish shopping selfie.
Only time will tell whether A-Ok Cafe and Aritzia have more high-profile collaborations up their sleeves as the store finds its stride in the Eaton Centre, but it's most certainly been a strong start.
