% Arabica Opens First Downtown Toronto Location at Union Station [Photos]

Japanese coffee brand % Arabica has opened its first downtown Toronto location at Union Station. It’s the second Canadian location for the company.

The Union Station location is in the Bay Street Promenade of the Downtown Toronto transit hub, making the location accessible to commuters of the TTC, VIA Rail and Go Transit. The storefront is across the hall from Sephora, TD Bank, Decathlon, and LCBO.

The opening comes off the December 2022 Canadian launch of % Arabica at Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre, which saw the store take over the former DavidsTEA location. This location was originally part of the 2012 luxury wing expansion, debuting beside the Nissan Design Lab (now Alo Yoga).

The next opening for % Arabica in Canada will be in Whistler, BC.

% Arabica Toronto Union Station (Image: % Arabica)

Founded by Kenneth Shoji in 2013, % Arabica is an independent coffee brand based in Kyoto, Japan with 155 stores globally.

“After a successful first launch into the Canadian market last year at Yorkdale Shopping Centre, we are thrilled to bring our first Downtown Toronto location to the core of the city at Union Station ” says % Arabica partner. “We are proud to provide an enhanced coffee experience whether living in, arriving, or leaving the city, starting with the beautiful design of this location. When you step foot into the thoughtfully designed % Arabica, you’ll feel your coffee experience has been up-leveled with a space that allows you to enjoy the moment with the world’s best coffee.”

Michael Betel of Cushman & Wakefield represents % Arabica for its real estate selection in Canada.

Designed in collaboration with Tacklebox Architecture under the leadership of Jeremy Barbour, the Union Station locations’ design is inspired by the geological and glacial formation of the surrounding landscape.

“Drawing inspiration from the layered beauty of glacial ice, folded rock, and the strata of the underlying bedrock, this space is defined by a floor-to-ceiling, faceted wall terrain. This monolithic surface is comprised of 172 faceted blocks that have been meticulously carved from 3,452 layers of stacked gypsum wall board– a ubiquitous building material commonly sourced in the region but used here in a unique and extraordinary way,” shared the brand.

“This crisp, white geometric surface is punctuated at intervals by 24 powder-coated steel niches that house bulk coffee bags and merchandise on display. A continuous white corian surface folds and carves space to form front and back service counters where visitors gather to receive % Arabica’s finest coffees sourced from around the globe.”

Toronto Union Station (Image: Dustin Fuhs)

The Union Station % Arabica opening coincides with a summer of openings at the complex, which included the opening of Union Market which houses a wide range of retailers and food vendors including:

Patties Express
The Alley
MyOlive
Lena’s Floral Designs
Manotas Organics
Kibo Market
Chocolatta.

Pop-ups for Virtue Vintage and Collective Arts are among the tenants. Construction hoarding has also recently been installed for Nespresso, The Source, #DESI, and Hazukido at Union Station.