There’s a little something for everyone at Almonak (5659 Almon Street). The north end eatery—which opens today—aims to blend together its kitchen, coffee and bakery into one welcoming space.
“Our unofficial motto for Almonak is: We’re here for you wherever you are in your day,” says Kandace Homer, one of four owners. “Whether you want a coffee in the morning, you need a snack, you want to go out with your mom for lunch, you want to go out for a date at night, you want to go for a cocktail–Almonak’s here for you for whatever you’re feeling in the day or even the evening.”
Floor to ceiling windows fill the space with natural lighting, plug-ins line the walls and the seating plan is designed to accommodate everyone from the solo person working on their laptop with a coffee to a group of pals laughing over dinner. The kitchen is focused on healthy, homemade lunches from Wednesday to Fridays, brunch on the weekends and dinner service with cocktails Wednesday to Sunday.
“It’s a small drink menu but it’s an eclectic menu,” says Almonak GM, Megan Kaufman. Compass Distillers is providing all of its liquors and is supplying kegged cocktails to serve on-tap, alongside Goodmore Kombucha and Planters Ridge bubbly for mimosas.
Homer says they’re trying to source as much as they can from local businesses–even some of their furniture comes from Project 9 on Agricola Street–and they’re passionate about the restaurant being as waste-free as possible. (There’s a water bottle refill station open to the public, people will be encouraged to stay and enjoy their coffee or bring a reusable mug next time they get a cup to go.)
The dinners will be large, family-style, shareable plates for families and groups, and bringing your own reusable containers to take home leftovers is encouraged. “For lunch hour, our real focus is hearty and healthy,” says Kaufman, describing the colourful bowls and salads designed to be keto-friendly, gluten-free and vegan inspired. The brunch menu will hone in on a big eggs Benny selection and healthy twists on classics, like swapping out Clamato juice with in-house beet juice in a Caesar.
When people come into the restaurant, they’re spending their time, their money and their appetite, “so we don’t want anyone to ever leave here regretting any decision,” says Homer. “We want to be that place in the north end that still creates community, where everyone can come and gather.”
This article appears in May 2-8, 2019.
Wow this sounds great! I walked by with my friend just the other day and said, “I hope this resto will be welcoming to all the different types of folks in the neighbourhood and wouldn’t it be great if it was also a place where I could come sit with my laptop? – Bingo!!”