What’s on the menu at Good Company, a new Queen West café and cocktail bar (that’s also a barbershop)
For all your bagel tower, beer and buzz cut needs
Name: Good Company
Contact: 498 Queen St. W., goodcompany.setmore.com, @goodcompanyto
Neighbourhood: Queen West
Owners: Mandy Todaro and Eric Buzzeo
Chef: Mandy Todaro
Accessibility: The main-floor café and bar is accessible, but there are stairs to the barbershop
Anyone who finds themselves on Queen West both thirsty and in need of a haircut is in luck. Good Company is the latest in a growing trend of café-by-day, bar-by-night spots opening up across the city. Sometime during the middle of the pandemic, Mandy Todaro and her partner, Eric Buzzeo, decided to turn their love of hosting dinner parties into a business for when the world opened up again. After a few hurdles, they were finally able to open the café and barbershop portion of Good Company this past July, and they launched their cocktail bar menu in late November.
During the day, Todaro serves up coffee-based beverages and brunchy plates. Meanwhile, Buzzeo, a barber with 15 years of experience, works upstairs. When the sun sets, the space transforms into a chill bar, with snacks and cocktails available until 2 a.m.
The food
Although she has a background in bartending, Todaro has always loved cooking, so she came up with all the menus. The daytime menu means mile-high mortadella sandwiches, an amped-up take on avocado toast and three-tier bagel towers. The nighttime bar menu features shareable snacks, like burrata with toasted sourdough, steak tartare and spiedini.
The drinks
The focus here is coffee and coffee-based drinks made with De Mello beans—including some boozy ones, like an espresso martini or the tequila-based Filthy Chai. Or go all out with a mimosa bottle. During bar hours, guests can enjoy a rotating selection of small-batch wine from Traynor Vineyard, beer, or a selection of classic and signature cocktails. The Nonno Peppe, named after Todaro’s grandfather, is a blend of Cynar, Amaro Montenegro and coffee, and it’s served on an Italian playing card in place of a coaster. “My nonno could barely speak English, but we always played cards together,” Todaro says. Zero-proof cocktails are also available upon request.
The space
The two-floor space is Todaro’s Pinterest board brought to life. From the DIY limewash walls to the light woods and black accents, it’s a calming place to work in during the day. At night, it’s a buzzy bar with a DJ spinning until 2 a.m. The space can also be booked for private parties of up to 75 people. The street-facing garage door at the front will open up to a sidewalk patio during the summer.
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