In a time when travel feels increasingly turbulent: flights getting pricier, advisories piling up, and headlines scaring off some of the braver jet setters, Torontonians continue to provide, offering the locals a softer landing of sorts. If you’ve found yourself daydreaming at work about escaping one of the endless snowstorms this exceptionally sleet-filled winter season, FlyMood Cafe offers you the chance to get away without the passport.
Located at 533 Bloor St. West in the Annex, FlyMood Cafe, the newest concept to hit the food scene here in Toronto has finally landed. The airplane-themed cafe and cocktail lounge leans into the fantasy of travel sans the logistics. After the closing of space-travel themed bar, Offworld Bar, only six short months ago, the team behind FlyMood is filling a high demand gap. While Offworld transported guests to another world, FlyMood keeps it closer to earth but still firmly up in the clouds.
Officially opened this past month, the cafe leans into my favourite one of Toronto’s strengths: the ability to travel the world in just a few city blocks. If, like me, you’re accustomed to flying to coach you may be asking yourself ‘why would anyone want to replicate airplane cuisine?’ FlyMood Cafe however steers clear of the realities of sky high menus, but rather centres theirs around global flavours and destinations.
The drink menu reads like a world tour. First stop Japan, where passengers can sip on matcha lattes: including those of the strawberry, lavender, earl grey variety. Next stop: Italy — the country that brings coffee and indulgence and isn’t afraid to pair them together. With tiramisu lattes and espresso con-panna, the Italians know how to spend their mornings. Looking for more than flavour in your travels? Opt for the traditional Turkish sand-brewed coffee. Don’t just taste your travels, experience is through a centuries-old method where finely ground coffee is heated upon hot sand, producing a thick, velvety cup topped with foam.
The food menu follows in the same globe-trotting footsteps, featuring Middle Eastern sweets like Kanefeh and stuffed dates, pistachio and berry cheesecakes, Turkish baklava, Dubai chocolate stuffed croissants and that’s just the beginning. The stand out menu item that’s quickly become a must try treat is a chocolate mousse teddy bear cake shaped exactly how it sounds. Mark my words now, I believe we’re in the early days of Toronto’s soon-to-be next big social media moment.
While the menu originally began as strictly cafe, the team has just as quickly expanded their offerings. Just two days ago they launched their extended menu that now includes breakfast items, shareable plates and cocktail lounge fare positioning FlyMood as a full day-to-night destination. Dishes like rigatoni in Cherry tomato sauce topped with a full burrata or the grilled halloumi signal a shift towards something more restaurant adjacent without losing the cafe’s novelty factor.
Above all else, the space itself is what seals the deal. The long narrow room dimly lights their domed ceiling mimicking that of a cabin-like experience upon an aircraft. Video screens line the walls like airplane windows, looping aerial footage of cloudscapes and sky-high views.
Open daily from 11 a.m. to 11:30 p.m., FlyMood blurs the line between cafe and cocktail lounge, making it just as viable for a midday caffeine stop as it is for late-night drinks and dessert.
