Regent Park’s community living room

Do you ever wish your tiny Toronto apartment was at least big enough to host more than one friend at a time?

I certainly do and recently, the Community Living Room in Regent Park helped me scratch that itch.

Located on the ground floor of Daniels Spectrum at 585 Dundas St. E. and managed by ArtHubs, the space is open year-round, from early morning till late evening — no, really! 9 p.m. on most days — and most importantly, it’s totally free. There’s decent free Wi-Fi, a few power plugs to recharge your devices, washrooms and a water fountain. It’s also quite spacious, with floor-to-ceiling windows that let in all the natural light you need to feel human.

The living room is quiet enough to work during the day and cozy enough to play boardgames with friends in the evening. There’s a big TV for anyone to use; families with young kids often come to watch cartoons together. You also have many seating choices, including couches, barstools, regular chairs and even patio benches in the summer.

Within the space, several local vendors rotate throughout the week behind a snack counter, the Carousel Cafe & Bistro.

Two best friends and Regent Park locals, Halima Farah and Humaira Rahman, co-founded the cafe last year because they wanted to animate the living room.

“In a living room, think about your own home…people connect with food. People want to have a snack, people want to have a quick bite. So, this is why we opened this,” Rahman told The Green Line.

Rather than a set staff and menu, Rahman and Farah decided to offer an affordable space for local food entrepreneurs to sell their snacks. Visitors can buy strong Ethiopian coffee, homemade Ecuadorian empanadas, chai, cookies, cakes — you name it.

The cafe also stocks boardgames for people to play on site, facilitates some social nights, like a Thursday chess club, and partners with ArtHubs to host community-focused programming with reduced fees for Regent Park locals.

You can even apply to host your own event in the space. There are zero fees for free, public events, but you’ll have to pay venue rental, staffing and catering fees for ticketed events. The rates vary, so if you want to learn more, fill out a form via ArtHubs and Daniel Spectrum, or reach out to Carousel Cafe & Bistro (just DM them on Instagram) to get a referral and additional help with your booking.

Check out my rating for the Community Living Room’s vibes, coziness, affordability and transit accessibility on The Green Line’s Third Spaces Map — then explore more spots to hang out near you!