Mulberry Street Coffee House 193 James Street North
We may have wrapped up our official summer leg of the Tour at the end of August with our Stoney Creek day, but up until this particular tour stop, it was technically still summer. Avishka, Jenny, and I wore our summer-edition tour tees one last time and set out to make a proper tour stop of James Street North’s Mulberry Street Coffee House. We had popped into Mulberry during the May and July Art Crawls, but since it gets so packed on those nights, we didn’t get to properly experience its laid back coffee house vibe. It is a really unique space; the big brick building right on the corner of Mulberry with the “Laundromat” sign out front stands out and is very inviting. A neighbourhood coffee house is definitely welcomed edition to the street.
Once again we were confronted with food-related decisions as we stared at the board that listed Mulberry’s delicious-sounding drinks, baked goods, and paninis. Every time we’ve been, we spot the “I ♥ Hamilton” written in chalk up on the board – we love that! In the end, Jenny decided on some juice while Avishka and I both went for the grilled cheese, which I complemented with some coffee. We also couldn’t help but notice that my plate was peacock-coloured, which was perfect!
The decisions didn’t end there – next we had to pick a spot to sit. Appropriately, for the last day of summer, it was quite warm out but there was a cool breeze that carried with it a hint of fall. We contemplated sitting outside on the patio but when we saw a comfy-looking couch (Jenny noting immediately that it reminded her of Central Perk on Friends!) and chairs, with a coffee table between them, we thought that would be suitable for the occasion. And what was the occasion, you ask? Making this tour stop even more exciting, we had the opportunity to do another interview to talk about our Tour. We met up with our friend Jordan who writes for Canadian Family Adventure Magazine to chat and answer his questions.
We had a lot of fun chatting with Jordan (who had previously joined us on another one of our tour stops – the photo shoot with Jay Perry) and reminiscing about our hectic and eventful past four months. It is always difficult to pick favourites but we tried to recap some highlights in terms of food, the different areas of the City we’ve visited, and anything that stood out as being particularly memorable for us. You could ask any of us individually and we would all give you different answers, and even then, as we continue to tour, our favourite spots change all the time. That’s part of the fun.
Going off on many tangents throughout our chat, we all started talking about our McMaster days, and Avishka and I realized we took a class one year with Jordan, though we didn’t know it at the time. We’re quick to point out any full circle moment like this that comes along, because there have been so many!
We really enjoy the atmosphere at Mulberry Street Coffee House, and certainly won’t hesitate to visit again. I’m glad we could return to make it a proper tour stop, giving it the attention it deserves.
After leaving the others, I made a quick stop while I was in the area. Since it was open, I headed to the Farmers’ Market on York Boulevard to check out Cupcake Diner’s brand new stall, the General Store. It is a great addition to the Market, and since the mobile cupcake shop has already proven to be so popular, a stationary fixture seems like a great idea. This time I tried the Caramel Chew, which was delightful.
An afternoon spent at Mulberry was a fun way to finish off the tail end of summer. Stay tuned for more as we transition into fall!
– Kristin
