Vers opens as queer-owned café and community hub in Carleton Village

Ella Webber has opened Vers, a café and community gathering space at 15 Adrian Avenue in Carleton Village. Built as a queer-designed, -owned, and -operated business, the space addresses what Webber sees as a gap in Toronto's neighbourhood culture. "Toronto has lost many of its queer spaces over the years, along with the kinds of intergenerational gathering places that help build strong communities," Webber says. "As a queer-built, -designed, -owned and -operated business, we wanted to create a space where everyone feels genuinely welcome."

Vers draws inspiration from European cafés, shifting its offerings throughout the day. Mornings feature specialty coffee, house-made lemonades, frappés and teas. Lunch brings sandwiches and snacks. On Saturdays, when the space stays open later, Vers hosts community events and occasionally rolls out a dinner menu. Webber, who previously worked at Montreal restaurants including Lawrence, Larry's, Foxy and Nora Grey, plans to expand the menu later this fall to offer more complete dining.

"With my background in food, I'm excited to offer a more complete menu later this fall," Webber says. "As it evolves, we plan to accommodate a variety of dietary needs and host pop-ups with a variety of chefs." Future offerings may include house-made pasta, freshly grilled Ontario peaches with soft serve, and a midnight diner experience, all developed through partnerships with local chefs.

The building at 15 Adrian Avenue already houses artists, entrepreneurs, makers, creatives and fitness-focused businesses in studio spaces—a neighbourhood Webber saw as ideal for a community café. "It felt like the perfect place to build a community café that could serve the people already working, creating and gathering in the neighbourhood while also becoming a destination," she says. The space includes banquette seating, communal tables, and a large patio designed to host barbecues, live jazz, face painting, movie nights and literary readings.