Finding cafes with character is not an easy task, especially in an unfamiliar city with a high dominance of Starbucks, Balzac, Tim Hortons or any other franchise. Since most of the independent cafes are privately-owned, they are on a tighter budget - and therefore only few make use of websites or other advertisement channels. Instead, they are recommended in a word-of-mouth manner and rely on their regular guests which adds to their unique character.
Hence, even though I have lived in London (Canada) for about three months now, it was not until last week and due to luck that I discovered my first charming shabby cafe of the city: the East Village Coffeehouse.
From the outside the coffeehouse looks quite nondescript, with a big glass front that reveals not much more than the plants that are arranged directly behind it. Inside, however, a rich atmosphere of warmth, creativity and intellectuality welcomes and captures the curious visitor.
Here, coffee lovers meet underneath a bright blue ceiling and have a piece of the vegetarian/vegan pies baked by the friendly owners themselves. Everything in this coffeehouse seems eclectic: there is a table with a chessboard painted on it, bookshelves full of used books for sale and flyers that advertise meetings at the coffeehouse: anything from knitting clubs to political discussions groups.
A small talk with the owners convinced me that they share my love for coffee - and the environment. They try to reduce the use of plastics to a minimum and work with organic produce only. This is a cafe where you can dream, play, think, philosophize, discuss or simply relax - here you are a person, not just a name on a cup.
East Village Coffeehouse
785 Dundas St
London, ON N5W Canada
(519) 266-7584
