The world-famous Japanese Kyoto-born luxury coffee brand, % Arabica, is officially opening its first Downtown Toronto location in the heart of the city at Union Station. Despite past reports of opening in January 2022 at Union Station, the brand actually opened its first location in Yorkdale Mall in December of 2021. Also announcing that they were later coming to Union in January of 2022. Sadly for many, those dates didn’t realize but the good news is that they’re set to officially open at Toronto’s Union Station as early as later this month.
Designed by world-renowned architect, Jeremy Barbour, known for his countless award-winning designs of Aesop stores around the world, the new downtown Toronto location is bound to be a spectacle.
First downtown Toronto location of Japanese coffee shop, % Arabica, set to open inside Union Station this month
The chain has gained equal recognition for its coffee as it has for its profound ideology and remarkable aesthetics.
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Besides Japan, % Arabica has locations in Bahrain, China, Morocco, Thailand, France, Indonesia, the UK, the Philippines, Kuwait, and Cambodia, among others.
They’ve even made their way to the United States, setting up shop in New York.
More about % Arabica
Kenneth Shoji, the founder and creative director of % Arabica, was born and raised in Tokyo. It was during his college years in the 1990s, spent in Venice Beach, California, amidst Starbucks’ significant growth, that he developed a deep passion for coffee. Following his endeavours in purchasing a coffee farm in Hawaii, exporting unroasted coffee beans, and distributing roasting and espresso machines, he established the first flagship % Arabica store in Kyoto in 2014.
Coming to a downtown Toronto location near you: % Arabica
Check back in a couple weeks for the inside scoop and a look at their exciting new space. Make sure to make your way in sooner rather than later, because if their Yorkdale opening dictates anything… there are going to be loop around lines here too. Be one of the first to try social media’s most sought-after cups of coffee at % Arabica in downtown Toronto, right here in our own backyard at Toronto’s Union Station this month.
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Hero photo: Courtesy of % Arabica (Yorkdale location rendering)
