Butter Bodega brings Big Apple flavour to the Coast.
Butter Bodega brings Big Apple flavour to the Coast.
Get excited lovers of exceptional sandwiches and Insta-worthy sips, there’s a new kid in town and you’ll want to make your way to Labrador quick smart to sample everything in sight.
It’s called Butter Bodega, a New York style bodega (convenience store) found on Marine Parade in Labrador and it’s serving up some very tasty takeaway treats as well as offering grocery store goodies for your one-stop shop pleasure.
The newbie is the work of husband and wife duo Ivan and Monique, lovers of great food and good style. Convenience stores run in the family with Ivan’s parents owning the 7/11 in the same space for the previous 20 years. Butter Bodega is unlike any convenience store you’ve ever seen before.
To start with, she’s a beauty. Glossy green tiles adorn the outside wall and inside it’s all black and white checked tiles, perfectly arranged shelves, a shiny silver basketball hoop and a photo wall with images of the spaces’ progress and one of Seinfeld which you’ll want to hear the story about next time you’re in. The interior was designed by Bridgette Ford and it’s everything you’d expect from a NYC-inspired store (but also better).
To eat there are sandwiches and as you may know, it can be tough to find a good sandwich on the Coast. Or it was, until now.
Butter Bodega boasts many mouthwatering flavours, and they change often, but on any given day you can expect combinations like Smoked Mortadella with cultured butter, Dijon mustard, provolone and mayonnaise on a milk bun or (wait for it) Black Truffle Squid Ink Salami with honey and cultured butter on a seeded baguette. There’s also a Bangalow Ham sandwich on a baguette and Spiced Beef Pastrami with Russian dressing, Swiss cheese, pickles, sauerkraut and jalapenos on New York Rye.
The sandwiches are made with the highest quality deli meats and the freshest of bread and they are the result of many months of trials at Ivan and Monique’s home.
There’s coffee, of course, served in New York lookalike cups that have been around since the 1960s. If you’re after something a little bit special why not try the Biscoff Latte, Pumpkin Space Matcha or a Strawberry Matcha?
Soon there’ll be the option to order school lunches for the kids and sandwich/cheese platters to be enjoyed on the waterfront just a few steps away.
The intention behind Butter Bodega was to create a warm and welcoming, family-owned grocery store and café and that is exactly what they’ve done. The passion and adoration for everything happening inside is obvious and it is indeed the perfect addition to the Northern Gold Coast’s culinary lineup.
Oh, and once a month there’s set to be an exclusive vintage designer popup store with pieces on offer that Monique herself has curated. It will be held within the bodega in a space called The Cold Room and there will be champagne. Keep an eye out on socials because tickets will be limited.
Good times all round. Get in there and check it out for yourself.
Where: Shop 15, 300 Marine Pde, Labrador
When: 6am to 2pm daily for coffee and sandwiches and 2pm to 7pm for groceries