Messa Bites

Messa Bites has moved to Dundas West. Located in a sweet corner spot formerly home to Model Citizen, this cafe meets cookie emporium will be familiar to fans who flocked to their now-shuttered Mount Pleasant digs for cookies creatively iced with things like flowers, birthday cakes, bunnies, hearts, golf balls, baby bottles (see below) and wedding dresses.

A quick look at their web site shows that I'm just scratching the surface with these examples. What husband and wife team Vera and Michael Costa can do with a cookie is really endless. They're all made with natural ingredients and can be shaped and designed for any occasion. Christmas, Canada Day, a corporate event....I could go on, but I won't. For a more in depth look, check out this three month old post by the team at TasteTO (no relation to blogTO).

But Messa, which opened their doors last Saturday, is more than just cookies. Walking into the new space for the first time a few days ago I could easily have missed the fact they specialize in cookies at all. The only evidence were a variety of already decorated options on a shelf near the front window.

Instead, the new Messa screams cafe. There's coffee, tea, grilled cheese sandwiches, date squares, Portuguese custard tarts, ice cream, fresh-squeezed juices and flourless chocolate cake.

But seating options are limited. There are a few stools to gaze at the streetcars through the big front window. Construction is just starting on a side patio which should be complete sometime later this summer.

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