If you live or work downtown, chances are you already know the Commune Cafe (1002 Seymour St.) makes a mean cappuccino and boasts some of the city’s best brownies.
But what you may not know is that this hotspot for coffee, baked goods and sandwiches is now open for dinner. And the prices are pretty damn reasonable.
Sunday nights, for example, you can get a roast beef dinner – complete with Yorkshire pudding, a veggie side dish, five-star gravy and mashed potatoes – for 12 bucks. On Mondays, the special is bottomless homemade soup for $6.
From the main menu, the Berkshire pork belly ($13) – which is served with braised red cabbage, applesauce and a baked potato on the side – is a definite standout. Think of this layered and decadent flavour explosion as the tiramisu of pork dishes: Heavy, but so worth every fatty calorie.
And for the herbivore set, there’s the sweet potato gnocchi, which is flavoured lightly to perfection with broccoli florets, cherry tomatoes, almonds and sage butter ($12).
As for the ambiance, they warm it up at night with candles on the big communal table, as well as on the handful of individual booths that surround the restaurant. But it’s still pretty casual, so you wouldn’t necessarily make a night of dining at the Commune Cafe. However, it’s a perfect place for grabbing a topnotch bite to eat on a wintry weeknight. It’s also great if you’re looking for somewhere to pop by when you’re downtown for an event or simply in the midst of a non-stop shopping marathon.
For dessert, there’s a huge selection of sweets. At the end of the day, however, you just can’t go wrong with their classic, hall-of-fame brownie.
