Last March, the windows at 1680 Kingston Road were papered over in brown. Two small cutouts carried handmade decals inviting people on the sidewalk to "look at how beautiful I am." If you leaned in, you saw yourself in a mirror. A lower cutout gave kids the same message. The Change Made reported that fresh fingerprints showed up on the glass every morning.
Inside, Daniel Naraine was building the bar shelves himself with a power saw. His own paintings were stacked against the walls next to empty fridges. Bodega by City Cottage opened on Saturday, May 16, 2026.
Most of Birch Cliff has probably walked past it by now. Fewer people know how the building came to hold it, or that the arrangement has an end date. This storefront came from a group of neighbors who bought a building so they could choose what went into it. The lease they offered runs out before the building is redeveloped. The Bodega's first winter is the start of a short, deliberate run.
The Purchase Came Before The Bodega
Daniel and Liana Naraine opened City Cottage Market on Kingston Road during the pandemic. The idea was to support local food makers and sell groceries that were mostly sourced nearby. Beach Metro Community News reported that 95 per cent of the market's products came from local suppliers.
Then some longtime customers bought the building at 1680 Kingston Road, where the Birchcliff Coffee Bar used to be. In January, Daniel explained the buyers' reasons to Beach Metro Community News:
"Their goal was simple and rare: preserve the integrity of the block, protect walkability, and ensure the space became something that truly served the neighbourhood – rather than a business that didn't align with the community."
blogTO's profile of the Bodega put it more directly. It says the buyers wanted to keep a prospective big box chain from moving in, and the Naraines were the first people they called. The owners then asked the couple to pitch a business for the space. Streets of Toronto described the same order of events: the building was bought to protect the block's walkability and character, and the tenant was chosen afterward.
Retail streets usually go the other way. A building sells, the new owner finds whoever pays the rent, and the neighborhood finds out what it got when the sign goes up. At 1680 Kingston, the neighbors picked the tenant before anyone else could.
The Lease Has A Clock On It
According to blogTO's January report, the owners offered the Naraines what Daniel called an almost "too good to be true" deal. It was a two-and-a-half-year lease for the new concept before the building is redeveloped, plus the option to return to the new retail space once construction is finished.
The Bodega is the first use of a property whose owners have already planned its next version, with this tenant written into that future. The patio, the shelves Daniel built by hand and the art on the walls are all on a set schedule, and the leaseholders know it.
The same blogTO story said the Bodega was slated to open in mid-March. It actually opened May 16, so some of the time on that lease went to the build.
What Fills The Building Now
blogTO tells you to follow the raccoons spray-painted on the sidewalk to the electric aqua front. The local grocery side of the business moved here from the original shop. Inside, the building is shared among several small Toronto businesses:
- Pantry shelves with tinned fish, chili crisp, honey, olive oil, Toronto-themed apparel and the occasional custom-scented candle, all under walls hung with Daniel's own art.
- Prepared foods developed with Freebird Market.
- Sandwiches from Elm Street Deli and Johnson Family Bakery, to eat at the indoor tables or on the patio.
- Fridges of locally brewed beer and cocktails plus Ontario wines, with casual bar service.
- Brett's Ice Cream, set at the end of a driveway along the patio's south edge. The rotating flavors have included chocolate cherry cheesecake, crème brûlée and a dairy-free avocado lime.
Brett's matters here because it has moved a lot. blogTO's May story was about the Scarborough ice cream business finally landing somewhere after years of back-and-forth. It opened at 1680 Kingston the same day as the Bodega. A business that had trouble finding a permanent home ended up in a building whose owners are choosing their tenants on purpose.
Daniel has an artist identity too. The Change Made reports that he paints as Art Wobbly and has shown in gallery spaces including The Local. He keeps the art and the business deliberately separate. His canvases still make up a large share of what you see when you walk in.
Three Doors On One Stretch Of Kingston Road
The Bodega is part of a short run of food businesses that now reads as one stop:
| Address | Business | What it is right now |
|---|---|---|
| 1666 Kingston Rd. | City Cottage's original shop | Becoming a café with more seating now that the grocery has moved to the Bodega |
| 1670 Kingston Rd. | Corbin Catering & Foods | Chef Corbin Tomaszeski's catering company and storefront for prepared food |
| 1680 Kingston Rd. | Bodega by City Cottage and Brett's Ice Cream | Local grocery, bar, patio and events |
Corbin Tomaszeski moved his full catering business to Birch Cliff Village in 2019. During the pandemic he switched to online ordering and comfort food, according to a September Beach Metro profile. The same profile describes the shop as smelling of freshly made dinners, lunches, snacks and pastries. His Fall Harvest à la carte menu for 2026 has soups, salads, entrées, sides and desserts. Two examples are Chef's Famous Braised Beef Bourguignon at $20 and All Beef & Ricotta Lasagna at $25.
As winter comes, the useful thing about this stretch is that a weeknight dinner, the pantry, coffee and a drink with neighbors are all within a few doors of each other.
The First Cold Season
Over the summer, the Bodega turned into an events venue. blogTO lists live music, comedy and drag brunches since it opened. The comedy series Scarborough's Got Jokes brought Jason Allen and Dan Duvall in on Saturday, October 17. The event listing billed it as their first appearances in Scarborough and "our last show at the Bodega for the season."
Daniel described the longer plan to blogTO in January: "whether it's going to be Christmas markets, farmers markets, pop-up dinners, comedy shows, all that kind of stuff is going to be housed in this building that's going to serve as a multi-purpose destination for the entire East End." He also told Beach Metro that the indoor and outdoor spaces were meant for outdoor winter markets alongside live music and stand-up.
Its hours and seasonal programming change, so the most reliable place to check before you go is the Bodega's Instagram account.
The lease puts a time limit on all of this. A business that a group of neighbors cleared space for has a couple of winters in its current form. Then the building gets rebuilt, and the Naraines have the option to come back into the new storefront.
Kingston Road properties near this block will feel the effect of what happens at 1680 over the next few years. If you own a home nearby and want to know how changes on this stretch of Birch Cliff affect what your house is worth, Derek Ladouceur can walk the street with you and put together a free home valuation. You can also book a showing on any listing within a short walk of the Bodega's patio.
