{"id":413605,"date":"2026-01-16T17:54:10","date_gmt":"2026-01-16T17:54:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/413605\/"},"modified":"2026-01-16T17:54:10","modified_gmt":"2026-01-16T17:54:10","slug":"canadas-first-reptile-cafe-opens-in-toronto","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/413605\/","title":{"rendered":"Canada\u2019s first \u2018reptile caf\u00e9\u2019 opens in Toronto"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\n\t\t\t\tMystik Caf\u00e9 offers customers the chance to get up close to snakes, lizards and tortoises\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Mystik Caf\u00e9 offers customers the chance to get up close to snakes, lizards and tortoises<\/p>\n

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Would you have a cappuccino with a chameleon? Or a sweet treat with a snake?<\/p>\n

One of Toronto\u2019s newest caf\u00e9s invites customers to see \u2013 and even touch \u2013 lizards, frogs, snakes and other reptiles alongside their lattes. <\/p>\n

Mystik Caf\u00e9<\/a>, which houses its exotic animals in one enclosed area and serves reptile-themed snacks and beverages in another, opened in November, 2025, in Toronto\u2019s Kensington Market.<\/p>\n

Sixty animals across 40 different species live on one side of a dividing wall, including frogs, lizards, geckos, tortoises, bearded dragons, chameleons and axolotls. On the other side, you\u2019ll find standard caf\u00e9 fare, including flavoured lattes, tea-based \u201crefreshers\u201d and an array of pastries provided by Circles & Squares Bakery. <\/p>\n

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Prior to paying the animals a visit, guests are walked through a mandatory informational session and a run-down of the house rules. They then choose between a 15 or 30-minute self-guided look-around for $15.99 or $29.99 per person, respectively, or a one-hour guided tour with an \u201canimal ambassador,\u201d which includes a beverage for $30.99 per person.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s also a one-hour VIP interactive experience where they can hold some of the animals for $35.99, which includes a free drink and printed photo.<\/p>\n

Co-founder Millie Tang says her longtime friend-turned-business partner Jackie Lin, a serial entrepreneur and exotic animal enthusiast, came up with the idea after visiting a reptile caf\u00e9 in Japan.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe just saw that in Canada and North America there is a gap between [reptile] education, wellbeing and social spaces,\u201d says Ms. Tang, who previously worked in product management and investment banking.<\/p>\n

While the idea is inspired by similar establishments across Asia, Ms. Tang says Mystik Caf\u00e9 is distinct for several practical reasons.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere, you\u2019ll be drinking coffee with a lizard or snake by your side, and [here] we created something that\u2019s quite different, focused on display and education,\u201d she says. \u201cWith these animals there\u2019s a lot of fear and a lot of sensationalism, and at Mystik we want to reframe the conversation through science, care and respect.\u201d<\/p>\n

Outside of its regular caf\u00e9 offerings Mystik also hosts workshops, school groups and private events.<\/p>\n

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\u201cFor example, we just did a collaboration with another small business called Ecovine Studio to host a \u2018Build Your Own Terrarium\u2019 workshop, and we did another one with Natasha von Richter, who started the reptile exhibit at Ripley\u2019s Aquarium,\u201d
Ms. Tang says. <\/p>\n

Having a rotating roster of unique events and experiences will be key to building a regular customer base, according to Brad Poulos, a serial entrepreneur, author and lecturer at the Ted Rogers School of Management.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne potential challenge is repeat business,\u201d he says. \u201cIt’s the kind of thing where people come, they try it, but it’s like, \u2018Oh yeah, that was fun, but I’m not really going to go back.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr. Poulos says having new events and exhibits gives guests a reason to return, while having a prime downtown location can help maintain a steady stream of curious first timers.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIf you\u2019re going to try something like this, Kensington Market is the right place to do it,\u201d he says. \u201cYou\u2019re in the big city, it\u2019s easy to get to, and you’re going to get lots of foot traffic, because people treat it as a destination.\u201d<\/p>\n

The other key to introducing a novel business to a new market is a robust branding and social media strategy. That, Ms. Tang says, is well underway, especially since Mystik introduced its new mascot, \u201cBrick\u201d the Uromastyx, a spiny-tailed type of lizard.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was able to reach out to a local artist to design some artwork of Brick,\u201d she says. \u201cNow we have holiday cards and postcards featuring the Uromastyx, and we\u2019ll be coming out with more merchandise and art designs featuring our animals.\u201d<\/p>\n

Though the business is unlike anything Toronto has seen before, Ms. Tang believes it\u2019s exactly what the city needed.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of people in Toronto are looking for a place to relax, slow down and create special memories, where they can put down their phones and engage,\u201d she says. \u201cPeople who are a little bit skeptical and don’t know what to expect, once they\u2019re here they have the best experience, and it\u2019s great to see how much they enjoy themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Mystik Caf\u00e9 offers customers the chance to get up close to snakes, lizards and tortoises Mystik Caf\u00e9 offers…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":413606,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[1397,49,48,81686,44,2922,173927],"class_list":["post-413605","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-canada","tag-appwebview","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-hidenewsletterblock","tag-news","tag-noastack","tag-ordid3910303838te"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/413605","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=413605"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/413605\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/413606"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=413605"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=413605"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=413605"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}