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Food & Drink

Inside Longo’s new fully licensed, 32,000-square-foot Liberty Village location where you can drink while you shop

By Renée Suen| Photography by Renée Suen
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Having recently launched its micro-convenience-market concept in the Path, Longo’s is at it again with a new—much bigger—Liberty Village location. The 23,000-square-foot store at 1110 King West stocks of the usual supermarket supplies, but it also has a pasta counter, a wine bar with an Enomatic dispenser and an on-site brewery courtesy of Toronto’s Amsterdam Brewing Co. There’s a dedicated dine-in area, but as this store is the first grocery store in Canada to be fully licensed, customers who want to multi-task can drink their pint of beer or glass of wine as they shop the aisles.

The entrance is off King West, but there’s also another entryway through the parking garage. Shoppers get two-hours of free parking with a $20 purchase and can get their parking stub validated at the Guest Services desk:

Inside Longo's new fully licensed, 32,000-square-foot Liberty Village location where you can drink while you shop

Prepared offerings like fresh-cut and packaged fruits, vegetables and other grab-and-go snacks are peppered around the store, sometimes integrated with compatible food products (so flavoured grilling oils next to fresh produce, cut veggies next to dips, and blocks of packaged cheese and olives next to fresh grapes).

Inside Longo's new fully licensed, 32,000-square-foot Liberty Village location where you can drink while you shop

There’s a large selection of alternative proteins and carbs…

Inside Longo's new fully licensed, 32,000-square-foot Liberty Village location where you can drink while you shop

… and plenty of Longo’s-branded products, too:

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Inside Longo's new fully licensed, 32,000-square-foot Liberty Village location where you can drink while you shop

The rear section of the store is dedicated to frozen goods, including ready-to-heat meals. It’s also where you can find kitchen tools and seasonal goodies on display:

Inside Longo's new fully licensed, 32,000-square-foot Liberty Village location where you can drink while you shop

Customers will find meat and seasonal seafood, like steamed-to-order lobsters, here:

Inside Longo's new fully licensed, 32,000-square-foot Liberty Village location where you can drink while you shop

Here’s a look at the meat display:

Inside Longo's new fully licensed, 32,000-square-foot Liberty Village location where you can drink while you shop

There are over 400 varieties of cheese, with a current focus on French and English specials, private-label products from Italy, and unique items like a black-lemon gouda that tastes like licorice. The store also does regular tastings:

Inside Longo's new fully licensed, 32,000-square-foot Liberty Village location where you can drink while you shop

The pastry department specializes in Italian pastries, including a number of private-label items imported from Italy, plus fruit-topped cakes, and the brand’s Epic Cookies which are baked daily and served warm:

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Inside Longo's new fully licensed, 32,000-square-foot Liberty Village location where you can drink while you shop

House-made cannoli are piped to order:

Inside Longo's new fully licensed, 32,000-square-foot Liberty Village location where you can drink while you shop

Customers can also find savoury pastries, muffins and danishes in the bread section:

Inside Longo's new fully licensed, 32,000-square-foot Liberty Village location where you can drink while you shop

Jacked Up Coffee’s Liberty Village-based truck is now a fixture inside the market:

Inside Longo's new fully licensed, 32,000-square-foot Liberty Village location where you can drink while you shop

Here’s owner and operator Jack Provan:

Inside Longo's new fully licensed, 32,000-square-foot Liberty Village location where you can drink while you shop

This is a flat white, which can be made with oat milk for a bit extra:

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Inside Longo's new fully licensed, 32,000-square-foot Liberty Village location where you can drink while you shop

The juice bar stocks fresh pressed juice and smoothie bowls:

Inside Longo's new fully licensed, 32,000-square-foot Liberty Village location where you can drink while you shop

The Burger Bar serves made-to-order sandwiches and custom burgers, including the Beyond Beef patty:

Inside Longo's new fully licensed, 32,000-square-foot Liberty Village location where you can drink while you shop

This will soon become a steak sandwich:

Inside Longo's new fully licensed, 32,000-square-foot Liberty Village location where you can drink while you shop

Pre-packaged heat-and-eat meals and salads can be found across from the Burger Bar:

Inside Longo's new fully licensed, 32,000-square-foot Liberty Village location where you can drink while you shop

The Just Heat & Eat counter lets guests customize their $6, $8 or $10 meal with one protein (plant-based, fish or meat) and two sides:

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Inside Longo's new fully licensed, 32,000-square-foot Liberty Village location where you can drink while you shop

There are around 50 items at the pay-by-weight, self-serve salad bar:

Inside Longo's new fully licensed, 32,000-square-foot Liberty Village location where you can drink while you shop

The self-serve hot food bar is also priced by weight:

Inside Longo's new fully licensed, 32,000-square-foot Liberty Village location where you can drink while you shop

Diners can design their own pasta dish by choosing a noodle and sauce at the fresh pasta station:

Inside Longo's new fully licensed, 32,000-square-foot Liberty Village location where you can drink while you shop

Here’s the dine-in Community Zone space. Guests can place their order at the bar and have it brought to their table:

Inside Longo's new fully licensed, 32,000-square-foot Liberty Village location where you can drink while you shop

This mural was a collaboration between Longo’s and OCAD artist Jinke Wang and spans one wall of the dining area. The room is multi media–equipped and plays sports games on a large projection screen that drops in front of this wall:

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Inside Longo's new fully licensed, 32,000-square-foot Liberty Village location where you can drink while you shop

At the Mozzarella Bar, fresh cheese is made on-site and sold by the ball or used on the pizzas or boards:

Inside Longo's new fully licensed, 32,000-square-foot Liberty Village location where you can drink while you shop

Here are some of those balls now:

Inside Longo's new fully licensed, 32,000-square-foot Liberty Village location where you can drink while you shop

There are a number of boards to choose from at the Mozzarella Bar, including this charcuterie and cheese platter:

Inside Longo's new fully licensed, 32,000-square-foot Liberty Village location where you can drink while you shop

And this antipasto and prosciutto platter:

Inside Longo's new fully licensed, 32,000-square-foot Liberty Village location where you can drink while you shop

Two pizza types of pizza are made here: Roman and Neapolitan.

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Inside Longo's new fully licensed, 32,000-square-foot Liberty Village location where you can drink while you shop

Corks Beer and Wine serves local craft beers including ones from Amsterdam’s Adventure Series, brewed on-site using ingredients sourced from the store. The first brews will launch in early 2020. Guests can enjoy it with menu items like the Amsterdam Boneshaker short rib agnolotti from the pasta station:

Inside Longo's new fully licensed, 32,000-square-foot Liberty Village location where you can drink while you shop

Rob Mulvihill, Amsterdam’s director of business development and trade, is pictured here pouring a pint:

Inside Longo's new fully licensed, 32,000-square-foot Liberty Village location where you can drink while you shop

Pasta dishes can also be ordered at Corks Beer and Wine Bar:

Inside Longo's new fully licensed, 32,000-square-foot Liberty Village location where you can drink while you shop

And wine is available by the glass (thanks to an Enomatic system), flight or bottle, at Corks:

Inside Longo's new fully licensed, 32,000-square-foot Liberty Village location where you can drink while you shop

Customers can also order prosecco or sparkling wine cocktails, like mimosas:

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Inside Longo's new fully licensed, 32,000-square-foot Liberty Village location where you can drink while you shop

The sushi bar serves made-to-order sushi and poke bowls, as well as warm bowls:

Inside Longo's new fully licensed, 32,000-square-foot Liberty Village location where you can drink while you shop

And the space is fully licensed, which means customers can drink and shop to their hearts’ content—at the same time:

Inside Longo's new fully licensed, 32,000-square-foot Liberty Village location where you can drink while you shop

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