pillow cafe: open!

stopped by the new incarnation of the pillow cafe today for an early lunch/snack. they're still getting things off the ground, but it's looking promising.....the food and drink are just as they were at the original pillow. we got huge hot chocolates:

a muffin:

and a bagel with pesto and fresh mozzarella:

i actually wanted to order a bagel with flavored cream cheese, but they didn't have any. the very sweet counter guy apologetically told me that they didn't have everything quite in place yet, having only been open a little over a week, but that if i'd come back, they would have vegetable, artichoke, and scallion cream cheese. artichoke cream cheese? yes, thank you, i'll be back.

the muffin was chocolate chip and got high points for not having too many chips and being a teeny bit salty, a nice counterpoint to the sweet.

the hot chocolate was as good as it looks. you can get it with whipped cream too, if you're into that sort of thing.

the space, though still a work in progress, is lovely. the front area, with the bar and a bunch of cafe tables, is light-filled and feels bigger than it really is. i am a little nostalgic for the cozy feel of the old pillow cafe, but it's hard to argue with this:

we sat in the area in back of the bar. right now it is mostly open, sparsely furnished with just a few couches and armchairs. but that was actually just fine for our purposes: it was the perfect space for two 2-year olds to run wild without disturbing the rest of the customers:

there was a big velvet curtain over the french doors in the back, masking the disorganization in the yard that will someday house awesome outdoor seating, but one of our little monsters pulled it down.... i'm sure they'll have it fixed by the time you go in.

pillow cafe 505 myrtle ave. @ ryerson and grand