While the Annex is always a worthy area to visit - a book-shopping afternoon at BMV, brunch at The Green Room, late night troublemaking at Lee’s Palace - there are few spots that will leave you gaping in awe. Concrete and cement are what you will see - a Kwik Kopy, Shoppers Drug Mart, and a truck-load of cafés - while the flashing, impatient lighting of the UofT stadium is a constant reminder of the area demographic. Post-games hooligans lay down their Stanley blades here, donning smiley face t-shirts and embracing each other in bars - Sweet. It’s all good fun. But for everyone else, the key is to somehow let yourself be a part of the never-ending flow of visual data around you. Have a cup of coffee at any of the places (that aren’t a Starbucks), grab a movie at the Bloor Cinema, and grab a bite at any of the local eateries.

It won’t be at Mel's Diner, however, as that little local fave unexpectedly shuttered a few months ago. A bit of surprise - not because it was so exceptional in any particular way, but because, well, we kind of just expected it to exist forever. Due to a mix of round-the-clock service, longevity, and affordability, it had achieved the status of Annex student hangout institutionalization, whether deserved or not. Now that the shock of its closure has partially subsided, someone has swooped up the vacant Bloor and Bathurst space, and, as it turns out, it's a familiar face: Hey Lucy Café.

Hey Lucy has existed forever on King Street, but due to its location within a huge, barely spaced-out chunk of downtown, touristy restaurants, it has been easy to miss. Still, its signature mix of casual atmosphere and affordable cuisine has already proved to be a hit on Bloor Street. Not too much of a surprise, considering the unbeatable Martini Wednesday specials ($3.99 for any martini!), which also seems to work out well for The Labyrinth. Coinciding with the opening, both locations of Hey Lucy has launched new menus, but still featuring the classic Wood-burning pizzas.

Wood-burning oven comfort fare is the mot juste for the patrons in their late teens to mid-60s at this second location, with the underlying motive being to spurn die-cast stylishness for budget prices and fun drinks. HL features the likes of calzones, pastas and paninis, but the main draw, as is at the other location, the wood fired pizza. With a stealth pizza selection that takes us from the Margherita with sliced bocconcini ($12) and the pesto chili sausage ($15) to the smoked bacon pesto with roasted red peppers ($16) and the flat iron steak and balsamic onion pizza ($16) the house has covered all bases. Best bet, however is to ask for Mr. White (roast chicken pizza with mushrooms, sliced potato with a rosemary garlic oil and a serious dose of mozzarella). - M.P.