A new listening lounge has landed on Roncesvalles

After one of the west end’s favourite listening bars, Sounds Good, shuttered in February, a new space for coffee lovers and audiophiles has opened on Roncesvalles. Taking over the old Wine Rack, Café Russo is bringing buzzy energy to the neighbourhood.

The owners, Nigerian-born siblings Rakiya and Sulaiman Abdullahii, have given the former bottle shop a vibrant makeover, with mid-century seating to make things cozy and a state-of-the-art vinyl sound system for ambiance.

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“We wanted to open a listening café where music is treated with the same care as the drinks,” says Rakiya. “Music has always been a big part of our culture, so it was a big part of our lives growing up. Living in Toronto, we’ve come to appreciate the city’s diverse food scene, especially its café culture and the way cafés can become meaningful community spaces. Roncesvalles has a really strong sense of community. It’s the kind of place where independent businesses can become part of the neighbourhood, and that was important to us.”

A curated collection of vinyl spans jazz, soul, ’80s hits, some more contemporary releases and classic Afrobeats from dawn to dusk. It’s a largely nostalgia-driven set aimed at creating an immersive escape to slow down and unwind. On weekends, guests are invited to bring their own records to spin.

There’s regular and cold-brew coffee available, but the more interesting caffeine-based creations include a dirty chai, a salted brown-butter oat latte, and iced lattes in flavours like whipped maple sea salt, pistachio and banana bread. The signature drink, the Roncy Classic, is a double espresso with chocolate, steamed milk, vanilla cold foam and a chocolate drizzle.

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For tea drinkers, ceremonial-grade matcha and trendy hojicha lattes come in similar flavour profiles to some of the iced coffees. A small selection of sandwiches, pastries and desserts from popular bakery Circles and Squares and other local collaborators rounds out the menu.

“We want people to come in and feel like they can stay for a while, whether they’re meeting a friend, getting some work done, or just enjoying a coffee and listening to music,” says Rakiya. “At the end of the day, we just want the experience to feel calm, thoughtful and a little nostalgic.”