t is little short of astounding that something this cute can be found hidden in the back of the Gooderham&Worts lots.

Nestled surreptitiously in the wing of Distillery District at Lakeshore and Parliament in the old Pump House (next to where grain ships used to unload) Balzac’s was the first business to open in the new development. To get there, you enter the Distillery parking area marked as 55 Mill Street, and make your way behind the building - to the pump house. It is here that we have Balzac’s Café.

Cute couples in Levis relax over lattés and discuss their day. Gallery dealers sit at French table settings discussing their lazy clients. Owner Diana Olsen - blonde, sweet, and straight out of a Raymond Carver story - takes your orders.

The dark-wood-and-raw-stone interior lends a Paris café ambiance to this hidden in-epic-proportions gem. But in fact, this eclectic spot is very much a product of its surroundings. Stylized posters, in the Toulouse-Lautrec and Cheret realm, grace the walls. One huge chandelier hangs from the ceiling, filling most of the ceiling, offsetting the beautiful wood bar. (Note the stunning Gaggia Cappuccino Machine.)

With its soaring stone walls and French tables and chairs, the Balzac location is contributing to the atmosphere of in-the-know sweetness. With Balzac’s Coffee in the Pump House and the Sandra Ainsley Gallery in the Barrel House, and Mill Street Brewery, Fluid Living and the Jane Corkin Gallery - a hot area is in the making.

It’s strictly coffee here. If you get the munchies, snacks are scarce: at the counter are croissants, cakes, tarts and muffins are supplied from Daniel et Daniel and Dufflet Pastries.

Though Balzac’s is new, watch for this spot become a popular meeting place/hangout for art gallery folk who attend nearby Ainsley Gallery, its setting and coffee draw everyone from neighborhood businesses to young adults flocking here for their caffeine high. - D.E.



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Reader Reviews

Coffee!
Dan Groening, Toronto, ON
Nov 10, 2002
Stumbled onto this place when at a movie shoot down there. Could definately see it being cool as a cafe... but it really should have more eats there. Finally ordered a plain latte and a tart thing. Coffee was supreme, but I want FOOD.


Great Treat
Samantha Y., Toronto, ON
Nov., 24, 2002
Was very happy to read that there ws another Balzac's Cafe. (THere's one n Stratford) It took us a while to find this location, but the cafe is surely one of the cutest in town!