Brewing Brokers

3153 Yonge St, Toronto, ON M4N 2K9

Located just south of Lawrence station's north exit, Brewing Brokers offers up modern charm with good coffee and pastry options. Owned by a real estate agency, the atmosphere of the cafe feels very upscale, sleek and clean, which you may find is reflected in their prices. A large TV in the corner will be playing ads for homes in the city for sale and the ambience is certainly a blend between business and casual. Inoffensive music plays in the background of a space that has something for everyone.

There is bar seating, tables where the chairs pull out, and even a few couches, benches and seats nestled into various corners of the café. What makes it special though is that Brewing Brokers has a spacious ramp that leads down to the ordering station. This means you don't have to use the 2 steps that would take you to the main floor. This makes it easy for anyone using a wheelchair or who may have a stroller with them. The 34-inch-wide doors are all automatic and in working order, and there is definitely enough space within the café to manoeuvre around without feeling like you'll bump into anyone or anything.

The space is equipped with an accessible bathroom with a 3 ft wide entrance that is complete with an automatic toilet, sink, and hand dryer. The bathroom is about 6 by 9 ft and there are also 2 grab bars around the toilet, one at 33 inches high and the other at about 40. You'll also find that the hand dryer is lower to the ground than typical, making it easy to use, and the sink's height is about 32 inches from the floor. The space is very clean and well designed, and even has a button to press in case of emergencies. The only thing that may be an issue is that the trash isn’t automatic, and instead requires you to manually press a button.

This is a minor inconvenience when you consider that Brewing Brokers seems tailormade for those who need accessible and clean amenities. It’s a well-lit cafe, with tables only 29 inches from the ground. However, the chairs don’t have arm rests and a carpet at the entrance may be considered a minor annoyance as it could get snagged on a wheelchair.

It's an easy enough location to find, and the 97 Yonge bus will drop you off about 3 minutes away. Keep in mind though that the only accessible exit from Lawrence will be from the south side of the station and isn’t as close as the north exit, which has only a long flight of stairs. Still, Brewing Brokers is one of the better quality cafés in the city, and probably the most accessible cafe in the Uptown/Midtown neighbourhood.