With seven cafes, a juice bar, a CrossFit gym and Diane Keaton visits, it’s safe to say the Junction is at gentrification capacity. Regardless, cafés and specialty shops keep popping up like mushrooms. Last week, Kim Samuelsen opened a one-room, Scandinavian-inspired coffee shop—named Kaffebar—after ditching her corporate financial consulting gig. A shiny La Marzocco espresso machine looms over the six-stool room, formerly a Harley-Davidson service centre. Pilot coffee and Tealish teas conform to the established indie café code; luckily, ubiquitous Circles and Squares baked goods are nowhere in sight—muffins, biscotti, cookies and cardamom-spiced cinnamon buns are all baked by Samuelsen in the little back kitchen.
Kaffebar, 2830 Dundas St. W., 647-388-0188
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Caroline Aksich, a National Magazine Award recipient, is an ex-Montrealer who writes about Toronto’s ever-evolving food scene, real estate and culture for Toronto Life, Fodor’s, Designlines, Canadian Business, Glory Media and Post City. Her work ranges from features on octopus-hunting in the Adriatic to celebrity profiles.