I have been ecstatic over the influx of Scandinavian cafes and design stores opening up in Toronto. Products too: the other day I found find my all-time favourite Danish liquorice, Lakrids, at McEwan's in the PATH, and today I picked up Mikkeller's Book of Beer (Mikkeller is a fantastic microbrewery based in Copenhagen) which I am so excited to read. With that being said, the first spot I hit up whenever I'm in Kensington Market is FIKA.

FIKA is a beautiful Swedish-inspired cafe located in an old turquoise Victorian duplex on Kensington Avenue. In Sweden, the term fika literally means "to have coffee", and the act of fika is an integral part of Swedish culture. This cafe channels the concept beautifully. Dala horses make many appearances throughout the cafe's decor, a Pippi Longstocking doll sits at the cash, and the smell of cardamom and cinnamon buns - fikabröd - make the cafe feel so quintessentially Swedish it's like I never left Malmö.

My absolute favourite fika treat? Their cardamom-spiced latte with a warm cinnamon bun. The best way to spend a crisp Sunday morning in Kensington Market.

FIKA Cafe
28 Kensington Avenue
Toronto, ON
M5T 2J9

And just like that, summer is over. Personally, I am beyond excited for cooler temperatures and many guilt-free evenings spent on the couch. Below are a few things I got up to over the summer:

The Toronto Mac & Cheese Festival in Liberty Village. I got to experience udon-inspired macaroni and cheese, mac and cheese ice cream, and mac and cheese sushi - a deep fried roll of mac and cheese encrusted with spicy Doritos and topped with a dollop of ketchup and drizzle of Sriracha. Too good.