Mitzi’s: The College Years

A new sibling in the Mitzi’s family—Mitzi’s on College—will open at 890 College Street in early July. With Mitzi’s already 13 years old, and its spinoff, Mitzi’s Sister, recently turned six, Leslie Gaynor felt it was time to grow her family of restaurants. The College location is bigger than the Sorauren spot, with seating for 30 on the patio and 35 inside.

Gaynor’s newest kid on the block will serve an under-brunched area. “I think it’s really fun that we’re going to be in that neighbourhood,” she says. “Where else can you really go for breakfast? There’s Boom, Stage Sage West or Starbucks.” She’s also hoping to catch spillover from her own besieged breakfast joint, where line-ups are as common as lattes.

The College menu will cover Mitzi favourites such as french toast, pesto club sandwich and signature oatmeal buttermilk pancakes. New additions include poached eggs on warm cheese and spinach with saffron aioli, black beans with tomatillo salsa, and poached eggs with house-made smoked white fish paté and a Scandinavian mustard drizzle.

As at Mitzi’s Cafe, the decor will be a hodge podge. Casual bench seating from the location’s previous tenant will remain, along with other found furnishings and mismatched dishes. “We describe [the atmosphere] as mitzifying,” Gaynor says. “We want people to feel like the cafe is an extension of their living room.”

Gaynor’s main concern is brand consistency. “I think we’ve found an interesting formula,” she says. “Our buttermilk oatmeal pancakes have been on the menu for 13 years, but you can’t get sick of them because they come with a different topping every week.”