A Toronto Newcomer Called Out The City's Weed Dispensaries For Looking Like 'Cute Cafes'

A newcomer to Toronto is realizing that there may not be as many "cute cafes" in the city as she initially thought. Abbey Sadleir is a New Zealand-born TikToker who recently moved to Toronto from London, England, and she has made some observations about the storefronts in the 6ix.

In a TikTok video, Sadleir pointed out that many of Toronto's weed dispensaries look like trendy coffee shops, and, when you're in search of a cup of joe at 9 a.m., it can be a little misleading, to say the least.

"Every time I think I'm walking past a cute cafe or something in Toronto, [...] it's a godd*mn weed dispensary. Every single time," she said as she makes her way down the street.

"I'm not against it," she continued. "Just like... I want a cute coffee. I don't wanna get high at 9 a.m."

It seems Sadleir is not alone, because many people in the comments share her sentiments. "This happens to me so many times a day lol," one person said.

Another viewer commented, "went into Cookies a couple weeks ago thinking it was a cool cookie shop like Craig's."

"They have to be a front," someone else posted. "Like there’s absolutely NO way there’s that many customers when they outnumber us 5:1."

Sadleir told Narcity that "the branding and aesthetic of the dispensaries here are more elevated than other cities," and while she sees this as a good thing, it also means that it's easy to mistake them for something else.

"Of course, the video was just for fun, [I] definitely wasn't frustrated by any means, because there are also so many fab cafes in Toronto where I can actually get coffee. It's just funny coming form a country where weed is still illegal to have so many cute-looking dispensaries everywhere," she said.

As for her favourite spots to grab coffee, Sadleir shared that she loves any of the Pilot locations, plus Sam James Coffee, Sud Forno, and Forono Cultura.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.