It was the 1990s, grunge was king, and Jonathan Whitley was living his dream as the owner of Thunderdome, a club in Hull, Quebec. But all grunge things came to an end and he went back to his hometown across the river, where he booked bands at Zaphod Beeblebrox, Ottawa’s seminal indie club that was owned by his mentor, Eugene Haslan.
Jonathan moved to Toronto to represent Zaphod’s nascent record label, a position he held until 1999, at the dawn of digital and the death of many labels. After working at the Silver Dollar, he seized an opportunity when he realized you couldn’t get a Guinness on College Street and so he opened the Cloak & Dagger pub at College and Bathurst.
Located on DuPont Street, this no frills coffee shop is a welcome addition to the neighbourhood. The aesthetic is minimalist ̶ nothing fancy here, but nor does there need to be. It’s clear that what the owner finds important in building a good coffee shop is good coffee. He uses the freshest, locally roasted beans to create simple and delicious drinks.