*Wilder Food is now permanently closed*
Wilder Food is located at 382 Keele St, near the intersection of Keele & Dundas. The café is open 6 days a week (closed Mondays); its hours are Tuesday-Friday 8:30am–2:30pm and Saturday/Sunday 9:30am-3:30pm.
MENU
The café is popular for its brunch fare with a menu that has something for everyone – vegetarians, vegans, keto-followers, gluten-sensitives, and the list goes on.
Their menu is vast meaning even the pickiest eater could easily visit time and time again without wanting to order the same thing twice. Many of the food options are also healthy, which is an added bonus. The cherry on top of all of this? The café is affordable! Most of the menu is $10 and under, and beverages range from $2.50-$4.50
During my visit, I ordered the “mini” coconut mushroom soup served with grilled cheese. Why the quotations? Because look at it, the meal was BIG!
As for my coffee, I ordered a Bulletproof: espresso blended with butter and coconut oil. The drink is a popular keto beverage that is very creamy and has a strong coconut flavour. When visiting cafés, I typically like to order the most unique beverage on the menu, but this drink wasn’t for me.
The café serves Pilot coffee, a great Toronto roaster, so I don’t blame my dislike of the beverage on the café, just personal taste. In the future, for myself and for anyone reading this, I’d recommend the café’s chai latte. Wilder makes their own chai in-house, and the drink is the most popular beverage on their menu (as told by one of the baristas).
ATMOSPHERE
There are 26 seats in the café, including one communal table that seats 8, and a counter with stools that seats 4. I visited on a Sunday around 12pm/1pm and seats were still available, which is refreshing for a bunch spot in Toronto.
If you’re looking to order ahead of time or get it to-go, you can find the café on Ritual and Ribbitt. That being said, I’ll always favour eating in because a café’s ambience makes or breaks the experience for me. Wilder Food’s ambience is homey. The café’s brick walls, string lights hanging from the ceiling, use of utensils & coffee cups as décor, aroma of warm food wafting through the air… The space makes guests feel relaxed.
Other small touches that add to the café’s atmosphere: cute (fake) succulents on each table, free wifi, and Above Ground’s Public Sketchbook Project.
The café is more of a place to sit and share a meal verses sit on your computer for hours and work. Wilder is the perfect spot to catch up with an old friend in a setting that is low-pressure and stress-free.
Its affordability and menu with something for everyone makes the café a safe bet in choosing where to go in the city. The only minor downside is that service is a little slow because all of Wilder’s food offerings are made from scratch. Honestly, I believe that this just adds onto the overall low-key, relaxed vibe of the café. After all, there shouldn’t be a rush on your coffee date, just a focus on one another and the experience you’re sharing.
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