This café in Toronto’s Little Portugal lets you work all day

Are you tired of cafés with no laptop tables and timed seating?

Then, you need to check out The Theatre Centre café and bar in Little Portugal.

No, seriously, on its website, the centre proudly encourages you to “spend an hour or the whole day.”

Located at 1115 Queen St. W., this spot offers free Wi-Fi, drip ⁠⁠coffee for $2.50, many well-rated food options and is open every day until 6 p.m. (or later if there are events). Baker-in-residence, Akash Swar, designs a rotating menu of savoury scones and sweet baked goods, made fresh in the kitchen every morning.

If you’re an early bird, you can head there as early as 7:30 a.m. on Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. on Saturdays and 10 a.m. on Sundays.

If you sit by the large windows, you’ll get a full view of Theatre Centre’s garden, which is blooming with native plants and buzzing with pollinators. There’s also a rooftop patio if you want to enjoy the sun.

There’s also a free library, where you can grab your next read and cozy up on the couch.

As the name implies, The Theatre Centre café and bar is attached to The Theatre Centre, a live-arts incubator and community hub.

The theatre has a range of programming, with some events starting at $10 with a sliding scale. Living Hyphen, a collective of racialized storytellers, frequently hosts affordable creative “playshops” around joy, grief and justice. Independent artists can also book the space for free to host cultural programming — so keep an eye out for an event that resonates with you.

Just in time for the summer, the theatre is hosting a free community BBQ on July 17 — it’s a great time to join for free food, live music, get to know the space and check if it’s going to be your next favourite spot.

Curious how we rated the café’s vibes, coziness, affordability and accessibility? Check it out on The Green Line’s Third Spaces Map — then explore more spots to hang out near you!