Poop Café opened up in Toronto’s Koreatown last Fall, with lots of fanfare due to its bizarre washroom theme. The café is best known for desserts served in toilet bowls, and poop themed décor. I wanted to check out what all the fuss was about, especially after my daughter told me all her friends had already visited and they loved it. 🙂 The idea of a poop theme was too crazy to ignore!
The Visit
We came into the Poop Café on a Saturday afternoon, and added ourselves to the already-long waitlist. There were a mere 10 names ahead of us!
30-45 minute waiting list!
We were told it would be at least 30 to 45 minutes wait. There was no turning back! We admired the candy-licious front counter.
Candies!
There are cute poop-themed t-shirts on display. There are no price tags. My favourite has to be the unicorn poop shirt!
A few groups go in, so we practically dive onto the now-available red bench. A giant glossy menu is right above our heads. All the desserts look decadent. There is a definite Asian theme, featuring items like “Korean Bingsu”, “Hong Kong Waffles”, and “Thai Milk Tea”. I am already pre-meditating how we might strategically split a few interesting treats, knowing full well we’ll probably never finish it all. I’ve never had any desserts like these before!
Wall menu
The owner, Lien Nguyen, reassures us that it wouldn’t be too long. I think she feels sorry for my younger child who was rapidly transforming into a pumpkin (this usually happens between 4 and 5pm). The kid is sprawled on the bench, cry-asking when we could go in. It’s hard to explain what “patience” means to a 4 year old.
My older kid notices the posters for something called Holy #&^@! She decides she MUST have it. She doesn’t have any idea that there’s a bad word in there, so I don’t burst her bubble. It does look pretty awesome.
Holy #&^@!
After a 45 minute wait, Lien asks whether we’d be willing to take a 2-person table. It’s a no-brainer! So up the steps we go, into the café.
The Poop Experience
At first glance, the café is colourful and quirky. Shiny red lanterns illuminate the emoji-filled chalkboard walls. Two *giant* poop emojis adorn both ends of the space (a girl and a boy).
Cool Ambience
Giant Poop!
Creative wall art!
The three of us cram into our 2-person table, each designating our own toilet seat! The kids press the dual flush buttons, just to see if they actually work.
Toilet Seating
The servers are super busy but friendly. We ‘re brought red toilet-shaped menus (no surprise!). There are tons of choices!
Toilet shaped menu
We order the Holy #&^@!, a cotton candy milkshake, and a matcha milk tea. Can you guess what I get???
Holy #&^@!
Cotton Candy Milk Shake
Matcha Milk Tea
The girls go ballistic on their milkshakes. The drinks are almost forgotten, as they devour gummies, whipped cream, icing and cotton candy. The Holy #&^@! is massive, probably best shared by three adults! Meanwhile, I enjoy the matcha milk tea and test a few pink-frosted pretzels and cotton candy from their milkshakes. So yummy!
After about 30 minutes of gorging, most of the candies are gone, and the kids are approaching max capacity. My older kid is clearly feeling the effects of the Holy #&^@!. She seems to want to pass out. I don’t blame her! I am feeling the sugar-coma myself, even after having only a few “borrowed” sweets . We end up brown-bagging the rest of the candy and milkshakes, which will keep the kids content on sweets for the next few days.
After the Holy #&^@!
The Verdict
Our experience at Poop Café is unique and well worth the wait. The desserts taste great, service is prompt and friendly, and the setting is so creative! The total bill comes to $35 which is reasonable considering the overall experience.
Around the World
As bizarre as this sounds, there are other similar themed restaurants/cafés in various parts of the world:
- Ddong Café (Soeul, South Korea)
- Crazy Toilet Café (Moscow, Russia)
- Modern Toilet Restaurant (Taipei, Taiwan)
