Nutbar
Nutbar is a healthy coffee shop in a sleek basement space on Yonge near Summerhill station. They make their own almond, coconut and cashew milks here, all designed to live up to the rigorous standards of pairing with coffee. If you want dairy milk, it’s organic too.
Little facts about nutrition are hung all over the walls on cute clipboards and the owner's brother created an art piece that dominates the cafe on one wall and serves as a design for to-go cups, which is actually a photo of coconut milk with colourful superfood powders sprinkled on top.
Where a pastry case filled with scones and cakes would typically go, there’s a display of energy balls ($3) and bars ($4.75) in flavours like cookie dough and key lime pie.
They do a good job of making the goods here truly tasty in the face of the health factor: case in point, the vanilla smoothie ($9.50) with a shot of espresso. It’s practically iced-capp-esque. They sneak a lot of tasty ingredients into their creations, like the dates and sea salt in this one.
Food at Nutbar is plant-based and designed to fit grab and go standards. The pink chia bowl ($6.50) is hardcore healthy, but it’s a little more palatable than some super gloopy chia bowls, incorporating raspberries whose seeds serve to mirror and offset the chia seeds. The pudding is also made with the house nut milk, and is topped with house granola.
We sample some toasts: they’re small but nutrient-packed. Your typical avocado toast ($6.50) gets punched up with smoked olive oil and nutritional yeast along with honey.
I really love the simple savoury toast ($6) with crunchy watermelon radish and sesame seeds on top of vibrant house cashew butter. The toasts are all served on Prairie Boy bread.
Turmeric lattes ($6) are sinfully rich here, staining fingers and tastebuds with a ton of warm turmeric, pepper, cinnamon and vanilla.
It's a casual to-go concept so the space is mainly designed for flow in and out of the cafe, but there is a bit of bar seating up against the windows and a beautiful wooden table in one corner.
The design brings together organic wooden and plant elements and industrial concrete and minimalism.
Hector Vasquez