First Look: Saving Gigi

Saving Gigi opened two weeks ago on the south west corner of Bloor and Roxton. This new coffee house is the brainchild of Luigi Gigi Xaini (who used to own the now closed Cafe 163 on Corso Italia) and his partner Monica Grace Miller of Saving Grace fame.

Stopping by today I was impressed how much charm the space has. Big windows infuse it with natural light, and eclectic chairs and tables lend it a contemporary, cozy vibe. It feels like the kind of place I could easily spend a couple of hours with a magazine or laptop and one of their tasty looking lattes, smoothies or home baked muffins.

While the specialty here are their line-up of coffee and juice based drinks, they also have a full menu of sandwiches, frittatas, salads and more; all made fresh each day from Saving Grace and brought over in the morning. Among the top sellers are the cornmeal lime ricotta muffin ($2.50) and the old white cheddar, tomato, avocado, lettuce and bacon sandwich ($7.50).

In the coming months they're looking at opening up a side patio (just waiting for a license from the city), adding gelato to the menu (supplier is still TBD) and taking part in the Big on Bloor festival.

For more photos and a full menu (changes regularly) see below. Hours are 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday (except closed Tuesday) and 9:30am - 5pm on weekends. The address if 859 Bloor Street West.