New bar made specifically for book lovers opens in Toronto next week
Gone are the days when you had to choose between staying home with a good book or hitting the town with friends: a new bar opening soon in Toronto wants you to do both.
The food and drink offerings at Toronto's shiny new Mirvish Village development are already getting ample buzz thanks to the recent opening of a new Badiali location earlier this spring, but that's just the beginning.
There's a swath of businesses slated to open, both in The Kitchen, the development's expansive food hall, and elsewhere in the southern block of Bloor West between Bathurst and Markham Streets.
For book lovers (or those on a late-in-the-year endeavour to make good on their New Year's resolutions to read more), the most exciting prospect has been Book Bar.
The name kind of gives it all away: the sleek new spot is an independent bookstore-meets-bar, a self-described "layered third place where great stories and great drinks live side by side."
After comparable concepts have made waves in other major North American city centres, inevitably trickling, as they do, into Toronto, Book Bar is the latest venture in the city that seeks to foster community and conversations over books, sandwiched somewhere between a drop-in book club and social reading night.
During the day, the space serves as a multipurpose spot for patrons to peruse the stacks, read, write and work, supplemented by coffee beverages and light bites, before transitioning to a livelier bar service at night.
Regardless of whether the sun is up or down, the bar's staff are always equipped with a perfect book recommendation or to discuss the novel you're currently working through.
The bar will also host a series of community and cultural events to further cement its place as a local hub, "built around intention, warmth and the belief that connection is created through shared experiences."
For those keen to visit Book Bar, the wait has felt almost as lengthy as when you're waiting for an author to drop the latest installment of your favourite series, but it's almost over.
Book Bar is officially opening to the public next week, hosting its grand opening on Saturday, June 27 and Sunday, June 28. After that, a packed social calendar, including talk series and singles nights, is already waiting to be unleashed.
Book Bar is located at 600 Markham St.: yes, just a few doors down from Badiali. Mirvish Village is on a roll, indeed.
