Momo Cafe & Zomsa Bar

Restaurant: Momo Cafe & Zomsa Bar

Address: 1498 Queen St. W

Phone: 416-551-0997

Operating Hours: Mon-Sun 9 AM - 9:30 PM

Website: www.momocafe.ca

Exterior

Menu

Momo Cafe & Zomsa Bar is a Tibetan takeout place in the heart of Little Tibet and Parkdale. This is where you would go to get your fix if you would like something cheap and yummy! Not to mention, Tibetan food is it's own unique palate in the world of Asian cuisine.

The restaurant specializes in Tibetan momos. What are momos? Momos are stuffed dumplings that are a traditional delicacy in Tibet and Nepal. You can find a variety of different momos at Momo Cafe & Zomsa Bar. You can get their vegetarian and meat-filled momos pan-fried, steamed or fried. If you decide on their fusion with sauces, it varies from Butter Chicken to Sweet and Sour. What if you are not in the mood for momos? Then they have a variety of combo meals that will fill you right up! The restaurant is more of a takeout place, however there are seating inside and plenty of patio seating during the warmer months.

They also do charitable work such as providing free lunch to the homeless and hospital workers within their community. If you are looking to try Tibetan food in Parkdale and love to support businesses that give back, take a look at Momo Cafe & Zomsa Bar!

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The Alternative Cafe

Cafe: The Alternative Cafe
Address: 439 Richmond St. W
Phone: 416-551-7716
Operating Hours: Mon-Fri 7:30 AM - 5:30 PM, Sat-Sun 9 AM - 4 PM
Website: www.thealternativecafe.com

Interior

Menu

Drinks - Soy/Almond/Lactose-Free Options?: Yes to all
- All milks are organic
- Japanese cold brew available
- Nitro cold brew available
- 7 new Frappe flavours to be released soon!
- Roasted coffee beans from Hale Coffee
- Tea from Genuine Tea 
- Station Cold Brew available for purchase
- Flow Water available for purchase


Food - Vegan/Vegetarian/Gluten-Free Options?: Yes to all
- Gluten-free baked goods available
- Most baked goods are made in-house
- Baked goods from Bunner's Bakeshop available

Review

My Order: Pineapple Empanada, $4, and Tumeric Frappe, Price TBD

I always enjoy going back to my roots and reviewing cafes. Salem, the owner of The Alternative Cafe, invited me to check out his Richmond and Spadina cafe. Lined up against other places like Freshii, Yogatree, and Kupfert & Kim, The Alternative Cafe adds to the selection of health-conscious shops along Richmond Street. Almost a year old, this cafe proudly source all of their products locally. For the working nomad, there is WiFi and a limited number of outlets available in the shop for use.

I got a chance to try one of their upcoming Frappes. The Alternative Cafe will be coming out with 7 types of Frappes, flavours including: Natural Chai, Cream of Earl, and Beetroot. I had the Tumeric Frappe since I was recovering from a cold and I loved it. It was a sweet drink that hit the spot for me. I highly recommend trying out a Frappe once they launch at the end of the month. This is perfect for anyone who already enjoy sweet drinks like Starbucks' Frappuccino (minus all the overwhelming amount of sugar). I quite enjoyed the Pineapple Empanada as well, so I do recommend it if you prefer savoury treats. Their cookies are also delightful and generous in size.

Their menu is always changing as they come up with new drinks and food items to serve. The Alternative Cafe is one of the few cafes (potentially the only one in Toronto??) to serve Japanese cold brew, an ancient style of producing cold brew coffee. It can take anywhere from 11 to 17 hours to make! The owner had to piece together multiple sources in order to perfect the process. They also have Nitro cold brew if you are fan of that process too.

If you are near Chinatown/Queen West area and would like a pick-me-up or a new cafe to get your work done, I definitely recommend The Alternative Cafe as your new go-to spot!

Noce

Restaurant: Noce
Address: 875 Queen St. W
Phone: 416-504-3463
Operating Hours: Various operating hours depending on which room you prefer to book, view website for details
Website: www.nocerestaurant.ca

Interior

Menu

Insalata Noce 2.0

Bufala Campana

Olive All'ascolana Tartufate

B.C. Savoury Clams

Pizza Al Baccala

Sausage and Aged Beef Ragout

Torta di Nocciola

Sbrisolona e Zabaglione

Review

Noce is a lovely Italian restaurant in Trinity Bellwoods. I went for Winterlicious this year along with a few of my girlfriends for lunch. At $33, we got to choose from a curated menu of Italian delicacies. They have three rooms for you to dine and wine in: the Queen West Room, the Tuscany Room, and the Octopus Lounge. The Queen West Room is their main dining room, which was the room my friends and I were placed in. You get a nice view of Queen Street West and Trinity Bellwoods Park. The Tuscany Room is more of a relaxed atmosphere to get a bite and the Octopus Lounge allows you to unwind and socialize during late hours.

I thoroughly enjoyed each and every single dish I had at Noce! I ordered the Bufala Campana, B.C. Savoury Clams and Torta di Nocciola. I don't think you can go wrong with any of these dishes. The appetizer and entree were incredibly savoury so I highly recommend the Bufala Campana and B.C. Savoury Clams if you like savoury food. The Torta di Nocciola is perfect for someone who wants gelato with a crunch to their dessert as well.

When I go for Italian food I typically order pasta or pizza because it's normally what I can afford on the menu. But with Noce's Winterlicious menu, I was able to venture out and try items I normally wouldn't get. I am glad to have had the opportunity to try Noce's diverse menu. Our waiter was not only charming but he made sure we were comfortable and provided excellent service. I highly recommend Noce to anyone who loves Italian cuisine or is looking for a nice place to eat lunch or dinner.