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A1 Bodega and Café open now in the old Two Penny space

One door closes …

The door to A1 Bodega and Café opens.

Which it now has.

The new space in the old Two Penny locale on 1st S.W. has now opened its doors on a whole new dining and food-shopping experience.

Calling themselves “The Beltline’s corner store,” A1 has meals on the go for takeout as well as what you would find in your local New York bodega or larger market.

The ownership group, which also runs sister Beltline eateries Native Tongues Taqueria and Calcutta Cricket Club, promises to “offer local produce, provisions, and whole foods to love wholeheartedly.

“We stock everything you need to make delicious meals at home. Don’t see what you’re after? Let us know and we will do our best to stock it for you.”

As for the cafe, it’s open beginning at 9 a.m. daily with breakfast, aperitivo hour, lunch, dinner and drinks menus throughout the day. There’s also a gorgeous patio at the back of the building.

Some of the fare on tap includes, for the morning, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., Portuguese rolls, and avocado, smoked salmon, tomato or mortadella and gruyere toast, or the “AB” & J Toast, with almond butter, fruit jam and seasonal fruits.

The lunch and dinner menu, which is available from 11 a.m. to close, offers: small plates or snacks such as spiced fried chickpeas, smoked olives, double cream brie, finocchiona and foccacia; flatbreads with tomato and mozzarella or prosciutto with smoked Scamorza, fennel and arugula; plenty of vegetarian options, including roasted cauliflower with adouvan, tahini, lemon, pine nut and herbs, or charred radicchio with anchovy dressing, parmesan and calabria chilli; seafood dishes including octopus and mussels; striploin, cast iron chicken or pork chops for the meat-eaters; while pasta-lovers will enjoy everything from spaghetti with clams and spicy bread crumbs to ricotta gnocchi ; and finally those with a sweet tooth can enjoy burnt honey and buttermilk panna Cotta, “Deep n Delicious” chocolate cake topped with vanilla ice cream, or banana and coconut cream pie with pistachio amaretto crumble.

The aperitivo hour menu, which is dine-in only, and includes one free snack from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. when you order a boozy drink — we’ll get to those — features such things as popcorn, mixed spiced nuts, devilled eggs, mortadella with crostini, pea and pistachio pesto, and mussels Escabeche with potato chip, and hot smoked pimentos.

As for the booze. Yes, please. Along with local craft beer on tap by such breweries as Zero Issue, Cabin and Eighty-Eight Brewing Co., there are also aperitifs, wine by the glass and cocktails such as their special twists on Caesars, margaritas and martinis, as well as the Friesling Slushie, with passion fruit, vodka and lemon, and the A1 Azzurro, with vodka, elderflower, blue liqueur and bitters.

Ultimately A1 Bodega and Café hope to be “a community hub — a place where people can visit several times a week to pick up groceries from the Bodega, grab your morning coffee and toast, celebrate Happy Hour, have casual lunch with colleagues or dinner and drinks with friends.”

For more information and menus, please go to https://www.a1bodegacafe.ca/. Please note, they do not take reservations but work on a first come, first served model.

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