Stella’s Lunch Box: I found this hidden gem near my apartment.

When I first moved to Toronto, I was wide-eyed and breathless. Not much has changed, though. I still feel inundated with the brilliant sights and sounds around me. It’s why I came here. I wanted to see life up close, I wanted to drink in everything, I wanted to come up for air only when I had taken in as much as I could.

I love being surrounded by simple and beautiful things like a warm cup of tea, a rustic table, a vase of white tulips, or a thoughtfully arranged living space. That’s why I felt I had uncovered a gem when my friend invited me for coffee at a café near our apartments.

This little place is called Stella’s Lunch Box and it’s situated off St. Clair Ave West — just to the east of the Corso Italia neighbourhood — on Lauder Ave. It’s on a quiet little side street with a fruit market across the way, and it sits flush against DeSotos restaurant.

They serve simple and fresh sandwiches, but I would still describe it as a café. The smell of freshly baked croissants, which I had the pleasure of eating, and the aroma of coffee beans makes this place a haven for me.

I was lucky enough to visit the café when they had just made a fresh batch of croissants.

Even as a self-identified introvert, I still enjoy hanging out one-on-one with a friend or in small gatherings with new acquaintances. It always amazes me when I see someone sitting solitarily in a café writing on a laptop or quietly reading a book by themselves. I find these acts to be my most intimate experiences and my most cherished; it would be difficult for me to do these things in public. But what I can do is share a quiet moment with a friend and a cup of coffee while we marvel at the world outside.

Stella’s Lunch Box
145 Lauder Ave
Toronto ON M6H 3E4