Met a family member who has a gym membership here and frequents the cafe. I had a gym membership years ago ... can't remember a thing except that it's paid parking, which made it much less attractive for the membership.
I also find the parking and access situation not so user friendly. You can start parking almost as soon as you pull in off Lawrence Avenue, but then you're left wondering where on earth to access the facilities, which consist of a number of services including the athletic facilities, the banquet hall/conference centre, the Foundation, the cafe, and last but sort of least, the old age home, which is affiliated and located behind the centre, but has its own parking lot off Playfair Avenue parallel to Lawrence. I basically took an entire tour around the complex before locating the athletic entrance, from which I then found the cafe.
We met in the cafe, which has a more upscale atmosphere than I remembered and/or expected. There are so many food and beverage options available, many that I hadn't seen before anywhere else. For take home items, you can get Stella brand bags of Espresso, and, get this, pizza dough to bring home to make your own pizza. There were so many items, I couldn't remember and list them all. The cookies and baked goods all looked plump and fresh. They offer ice cream, various coffee based beverages, and meal options. My cousin insisted on getting the coffee, which I declined for myself during this visit. She's happy with it and the cafe in general so, I will take her up next time and try the coffee and one of the tempting items offered.
While the entrance to the cafe looks deceptively narrow, the interior is actually quite spacious. The seating options are a little less comfy than I prefer, all being standalone tables and chairs that make it a little difficult to deal with your winter clothing and any bags you might have. Apart from that, the ambiance is quite nice with European flair decor, and lots of windows through which you can see the statuary and green space grounds.
If it weren't for the paid parking and awkward entrance access, I'd be coming here more often. read more