ll that territory past the sexy part of College Street could easily fade into a distant memory of lumberyards, 7-11s, and Portuguese residency; but thanks in part to a meek, little café, it will not go gently into that good night.

Anywhere Lounge is working the bistro thing to the hilt, a somewhat uneventful trend that's swept the restaurant scene with relative degrees of success. But at these prices, in this area, there is no argument: Anywhere is a step up, albeit a light, airy and a bit noisy one.

Anywhere Lounge offers a warm-hued, rustic, nostalgic mood for local loft-dwellers, young families, and music fans, too. The plain café frontage is not much to grab your interest, but the space inside has such a lived-in and loved-in feeling that it's never cold or impersonal.

And the food--pastas, salads, and sandwiches as well as the daily fish specials --tastes like someone with a true love for food is working toward some vision in that tiny kitchen. Resourceful offerings like the seafood linguine classic, with mussels, scallops, hunks of sweet white onions, and piles of crunchy shrimp, is spicy, well sauced, and cooked to cheese-bubbling perfection.

Straightforward, dependable grilled fish is available too; the dover sole is a good example. basically, Anywhere is a staple for busy people who want some quick food, and move on their merry way.

Drinks seemed like light pours at times and took a little longer to be delivered, but the overall experience here is consistently good. The loungers, diners and revelers alike can take advantage of the patio bar as well as the indoor bar. Live music on weekends. European championship soccer shown on one giant-screen TV and two smaller TVs on the weekends.

Anywhere Lounge is, at heart, just a simple café. As other neighbourhoods plod blindly onward with established restaurants and clubs fumbling to survive in the up-and-down economy, Anywhere Lounge engineers its rebirth quietly and steadily, like a well-oiled machine. - Brad Jamieson



Reader Reviews

Popeye types
Randy Harrington, Toronto, ON
Nov 1, 2002
The pastas here will fix any Popeye types, and the chicken is more than enough.. A word to you watch-watchers: Don't come to anywhere if you're in a hurry. For the most part, meals took quite a while. Ih well. Some things are worth the wait.


No Dunkin Donuts
A. Welsher., Toronto,ON
Nov. 21, 2001
Well, in a nutshell, Anywhere surprised the hell out of me. And I don't surprise easily. The Neat little room is just the thing to get you going. Great coffee always pouring. I thought I was going to the equivalent to Dunkin Donuts, but ended up with a new favorite spot.