Cacao 70 Distillery

28 Gristmill Lane, Toronto, ON M5A 3C4

Telephone: (416) 216-8686

From café vibes in the morning to a more restaurant feel later in the day, this cozy and unique Montreal-based bistro is located in Toronto’s historic neighbourhood, the Distillery District. Cacao 70 offers a different twist to dining. It is one of the very few dessert-brunch bistros in the city. Their friendly staff, unique dining experience, and remarkable chocolate collection are only a few reasons why Cacao 70 is a popular place to eat!

cacao 70 storefront and entrance

Cacao 70 is most accessible from the Parliament-Mill Street entrance of Distillery, with a continuous brick pavement ramp leading to the entrance. The two-door entrance has an automatic door opener that opens one of the 36 inch wide doors, followed by a large doormat and hardwood floors. The entrance is spacious and clear of obstructions. The incredibly large windows emit lots of natural light, giving the restaurant a warm and welcoming feel.

There are a variety of seating options from chairs with no armrests that are 18 inches high, chairs with armrests that are 19 inches high, and comfy couch-type seats that are also 19 inches high. Tables are around 30 inches in height and the widest routes between tables is 52 inches, other routes may be a tight squeeze. The staff is very friendly and approachable if any accommodations are needed. It was mentioned that Cacao 70 typically gets busier at night (usually around 5 or 6pm) and on weekends, with sometimes a line forming outside and especially when there is an event happening in the Distillery.

cacao seating area

There are separate gender specific washrooms, and an individual accessible washroom. The washrooms are located down a 46-inch wide hallway and through a 34 inch doorframe. The accessible individual washroom is very spacious. The sink is about 32 inches tall and 16 inches wide with handle-type faucets and good clearance below. The soap and automatic hand dryer are both at a height of 41 inches. We were very pleased to see that the washroom also had a mirror that tilted downwards. The toilet includes a diagonal grab bar that is 35 inches in length beside, and another that is 24 inches in length behind. The hook and light switch are both 45 inches from the floor.  

toilet with grab bars

There are a few options for parking at the Distillery District. The closest one to Cacao 70 is Carpark 230, located on 55 Mill St, Toronto, ON M5A 2Y2. If you are heading there by public transit, we got off at St. Andrew’s station (which is wheelchair accessible). You can then take the new, and accessible, 514 Streetcar to the Distillery District stop.

We visited Cacao 70 around 2:30pm and the bistro had a calming presence to it at that time, with quiet music playing in the background. We had the pleasure of trying the Mexico (one of the hot cocoas) and the Moka, and found it very rich and flavourful! Overall, it was a great experience especially for chocolate lovers like us!

Reviewers: Jean McCorkle and Julie Clores

In the mood for some chocolate? Let us know how your experience was in the comments below!