A new coffee shop brings fresh-baked croissants (and cheesy bacon rolls) to the Roncey strip

For awhile it seemed like Roncey was in danger of losing its indie-coffeehouse cred, what with the recent closure of Alternative Grounds and the influx of corporate beverage behemoths, like David’s Tea and the much-maligned Timmy’s. Brand-new arrival Extra Butter hopes to prove that there’s still room for small business on the busy strip. “Extra Butter is a shop that the community made,” says co-owner Cassie Germann, who met her business partner, Ian McPhedran, while working down the street at Cherry Bomb. “If you ask for it, we’ll try to find it.”

The cozy shop, which takes its name from a luxuriously oily blend of Dark City coffee, has five tables and a cool, Art Deco aesthetic, with faux-tin wall tiles and a collection of covetable Italian vintage chairs. In addition to standard espresso beverages, the café turns out an enticing lineup of made-in-house pastries, including croissants, breakfast tarts and a savoury spin on the cinnamon roll, stuffed with bacon, cheese and maple-mustard sauce. Smoothies and sandwiches are in the works, as is the shop’s namesake beverage: an experimental coffee-and-coconut butter concoction that’s currently in the development phase.

Extra Butter, 283 Roncesvalles Ave., 647-340-7791, facebook.com