A new retro doughnut shop revives the classics

Dear reader,

Last weekend, I saw a (literal) sign that summer is right around the corner: a poster advertising the first garage sale of the year in my neighbourhood. I was raised to take garage sales very seriously. Every Wednesday, I’d scour the notices in our local paper, the wonderfully named Oakville Beaver, circling ones that looked promising (references to books and/or Archie comics for me, antiques for my parents). Come Saturday morning, around 8 a.m., we’d pile into the car with that page and set out.

The first stop, however—and this is where food finally comes in—was always Tim Hortons. There was no time to make breakfast, you see, and this was way more fun. We’d each order our drink of choice (a double-double for Mom, chocolate milk for me and Dad) and a big box of Timbits, heavy on the chocolate glaze and honey dip. We’re talking the late ’80s and early ’90s here—long before the bagel or bacon-and-egg wrap made it onto Tims’ menu. This was back when coffee was served in ceramic mugs and there was a refrigerated carousel chock full of freshly baked cakes, slowly spinning behind the glass. Back when the doughnuts were actually made in house and not just for Instagram.

It turns out I’m not the only one feeling nostalgic: Tims recently brought back some discontinued classics, including the divisive dutchie (raisins complicate everything), and one Toronto man has opened the retro, back-to-basics doughnut shop of his childhood dreams: Better Days Coffee and Donuts. The name says it all.

Two years ago, Dave Fish’s dream doughnut diner was just a sprinkle in his eye. Now, his Dovercourt Village shop—which was inspired by the bakery chains of his youth and serves only drip coffee and classic doughnuts—sells out daily. Here, the story of how Better Days Coffee and Donuts came to be.

Speaking of nostalgia: when Ann Kim, co-owner of Donna’s, isn’t at her west-end café and wine bar, she heads to Thornhill. It’s where she grew up—and where she can still find some of her favourite Korean restaurants. Kim took us on a tour of her go-to spots for gimbap, kimchi stew and raw marinated crab.

Super fizzy and ice cold, highballs are an exercise in simplicity. The drink, made with only three ingredients (a high-quality spirit, soda water and ice), goes down easy but packs a sneaky punch—and it’s popping up on bar menus all over the city.

But don’t go looking for any highballs at Arbequina—the new halal restaurant on Roncesvalles is strictly alcohol-free. Instead, chef Moeen Abuzaid and his wife and business partner, Asma Syed-Abuzaid, serve thoughtful zero-proof cocktails to go with the kitchen’s Levantine dishes.

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