This past Friday I got  chance to meet up with some girlfriends for tea and girl talk and we decided to go check out the recently opened Marilyn Monroe Cafe located 35 minutes west of downtown Toronto on Lakeshore in Oakville. This is the first time I’ve ever heard of a cafe/patisserie inspired by an iconic/pop-culture figure and I was dying to see what it was all about.

Have to admit, I was a bit unsure of what to expect from the design and decor…I was under the impression that it was going to have a vintage feel representing the era the renowned actress/model was in her prime. But it couldn’t have been any more different! We walked into an ultra bright, airy and modern multi-floor space with beautiful light chevron wood floors, tufted grey couches, integrated televisions into mirrored booth partitions, where patrons can watch the news while sipping their lattes. On the main floor, customers can find food, bevies and restrooms, second floor is set up as the main seating area – which is immaculate and there is also a third floor with additional seating that somehow did not appear to match the aesthetics caliber of downstairs. It’s as if they ran out of money, time or both when they were at the end of the project. We were a bit disappointed as the third floor has great views of Lakeshore.

The cafe’s owners claim that it is designed to be a place Marilyn would be comfortable in and not a shrine, which was evident as Marilyn’s influence is far from overwhelming – just a few images of her throughout the space as a reference.

Photos courtesy of the Marilyn Monroe Cafe

Although the cafe is not what I exactly what I thought it would look like, it’s still beautiful nonetheless and the menu did not fail to impress. Outside of the obvious cafe and coffee shop fare, they have some items on their menu that are amaze…think iced tuxedo lattes, red velvet lattes, gluten free chocolate torte, oreo dream bar, a collection of exotic teas, out of this world gourmet cupcakes and even Yogurty’s frozen yogurt; my ultimate fave. The prices are very reasonable – roughly $4.50 for signature lattes, $2.50 for premium coffees $1.95 for teas, smoothies ranging from $4.95 to $6.95 and snacks anywhere from $1.95 to $6.75.

You can find the Marilyn Monroe Cafe at 350 Lakeshore Road East. Oakville, ON L6J 1J6 905.844.5800

Visit their website at www.marilynmonroecafe.com

Sunday 7am-10pm

Monday-Thursday 6am-10pm

Friday 6am-11pm

Saturday 7am-11pm

XO,

S