This past Tuesday I was invited to attend a special Blogging event at the soon to be opened “Bean and Baker Malt Shop“, to get a sneak peek of all the goodies the public is going get to enjoy on June 2nd!

(Edit: Bean and Baker is NOW OPEN)

I attended with a fellow friend and blogger Irene from Petite Plus Meow.

Vintage malt shop toronto — Out front of Bean and Baker

Petite Plus Meow at Bean and Baker Malt Shop — How adorable is Irene??

Leading up to this event, I did a little fun post on Vintage Malt Shop Images, which you can find HERE.

Now lets talk about my Bean and Baker Malt Shop Experience…..

Official Press Release:

Husband and wife team, Liezel and Brennan Anderson, are proud to announce the opening of Bean and Baker Malt Shop Toronto’s revival of the soda fountain malt shop in Bickford Park. Bean and Baker Malt Shop, located at 326 Harbord Street, Toronto, ON., offers classic sodas, ice cream, coffee, and handcrafted desserts and pastries. They provide premium food and drinks with topnotch quality ingredients while showcasing the retro era malt shop experience.

The 16 seat establishment is clean and decorated in a retro 1950’s style. The menu will feature premium coffee, savoury pies, quiche, pies, cakes, cookies, ice cream, floats and milkshakes. Specializing in handmade sodas made by authentic Soda Jerks, with flavours ranging from Root ‘n Cola, Gramp’s Ginger, Real Orange, and Hibiscus. It features an open concept kitchen and Soda Jerks behind the counter complete with a bowtie and a smile. Customers can sit inside or grab and go. Hours of operation are Tuesday-Saturday:10 am 8 pm, Sunday: 11 am 6 pm, Monday: Closed.

Owner, Liezel Anderson describes her vision for the malt shop, “Our goal is to provide Toronto with an experience that stands out and is unique to every customer. We want to bring the malt shop experience back! We want to give people a unique escape from everyday life. People have the right to know what they’re eating and drinking so we use premium quality ingredients. We aspire to be a neighbourhood hub where many generations of families can enjoy good food and each other’s company.”

Bean and Baker Malt Shop Owners — Liz with the owners: Liezel & Brennan and fellow blogger Irene from Petite Plus Meow

When we arrived we were greeted by Brennan and his fantastic Soda Jerks offering water for us to drink. Why water? Well as we drank the fresh drink we were told that all their products start with the freshest and most filtered water around. Nothing but the best for their customers, starting with us (I like this place already).

As we drank the water we got to take a walk around and see what they have done decor wise. Check it out!

Inside of Bean and Baker Malt Shop — One of the counters inside the shop

Decor of Bean and Baker Malt Shop — Some of the Inside Decor

Bean and Baker Malt Shop toronto — Back of the Shop

Okay time to eat and boy did we get treated with so many wonderful goodies.

First up..Handmade Sodas made by those authentic Soda Jerks.

Handmade Sodas from Bean and Malt — The Friendly Soda Jerk Making my Vanilla Cream Soda (with real Vanilla Beans). YUM!

Then we got to enjoy some of their savouries options:

Wisey’s Mini
Mini Beef and Cheese Pie
Veggie Quiche

Savory foods at Bean and Baker Malt Shop — All so yummy I could not decide what was my fav

And now it was SWEET TIME!! The yummy collection of pure homemade desserts we sampled was:

Warm Cherry Pie Pocket
Dark Chocolate Eclair
Old School PB ad J Pie (MY FAV!)

Sweet Treats at Bean and Baker Malt Shop — Once again, really good.

Now you cannot possible go to a Malt Shop and not have a Malt Milkshake. Our shakes for today were “Burnt Marshmallow (using Ed’s ice cream). I’m not sure if my Soda Jerk read my mind but the only Ice Cream I eat at Ed’s is the Burnt Marshmallow. Just ask my husband, there are 20 other flavours and I don’t even care or even look. SHOW ME THE MARSHMALLOW!! So when I was presented this shake I already KNEW that I was going to love it..and I did.

Burnt Marshmallow malt shake from Bean and Baker Malt Shop — Mini version for today. Yours will come in the traditional way if you eat in.

Time to move aside all that I have eaten so far to make room for the next goodie..Ice Cream Sundaes made anyway we liked and with any kind of Ed’s Ice Cream.

Ice Cream Sundaes from Bean and Baker Malt Shop — Flavour..Burnt Marshmallow..of course.

By now your probably thinking..this must be the end right? WRONG? We were then treated to the making of their Ice Cream Sodas (Hibiscus flavored for the example).

I actually did not try it because I had no more room but from the image you can see below and from all that I mentioned above I know it is going to be amazing when I do try it.

Making of an Ice Cream Sundae Bean and Baker Malt Shop — Best part of an Ice Cream Soda..when it fizzes up!

Last treat before we slowly moved to the door (and decided to walk home lol) was watching the talented artist Lisa Farrows paint this milkshake container by hand for the shop. Her images can also be seen on the skateboards I posted earlier in the decor portion. It was really cool and the finished product was amazing!

Lisa Farrows Art at Bean and Baker Malt — Lisa Farrows Art

Now it’s really time to go. Thank you to everyone at Bean and Baker for making this event so much fun! And to the readers of this blog post…go and visit their shop (326 Harbord St.)! You will not be disappointed (I was not).

You can find them online here:

See you soon at the Malt Shop!

P.S. How are you loving my new camera? Takes great photos right?!

Liz 🙂

Friends! Let’s take a stroll down malt shop lane and check out some cool images from the 1930’s-1950’s of vintage soda/malt shops and the customers who are enjoying them.

Disclosure: Some of the links on my blog from Etsy , eBay, are Affiliate Links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

Lana Turner in”Slightly Dangerous”, 1943 serving up a ice cream float.

Vintage Malt Shops

Vintage Images 1930’s – 1950’s

HISTORY OF THE MALT SHOP

A Soda shop, also often known as a Malt shop (after malt, a sweet milkshake flavoring), is a business akin to an ice cream parlor and a drugstore soda fountain. Interiors were often furnished with a large mirror behind amarble counter with gooseneck soda spouts, plus spinning stools, round marble-topped tables and wireframe sweetheart chairs.

The counter-service soda fountain was introduced in 1903, and around that same time, drugstores began to attract noontime customers by adding sandwiches and light lunches. The beverage menu at a soda shop usually included ice cream sodas, chocolate malts, fountain colas and milkshakes. A 1915 issue of Soda Fountain magazine stated: “The soda fountain of today is an ally of temperance… Ice cream soda is a greater medium for the cause of temperance than all the sermon ever preached on that subject (source).”

Now, what can we get you?

1950s vintage photo of a soda jerk in a malt shop making a milkshake.

Source: Wikimedia

1950s vintage photo of teens at the malt shop counter enjoying treats.

1950s Malt Shop Soda Shop 1950s Teenagers

Source: Flickr- UNCG Digital Projects

Late 1940s / early 1950s photo of a busy malt shop. All those treats look yummy!

Malt Shops are for hanging out, catching up and also reading as these girls are demonstrating in 1952.

1952 malt shop image featuring teenage girls in 1950s fashiosn hanging out at the counter.

Source: Flickr- File Photo Digital Archive

When grabbing a drink at the counter it’s mandatory that one looks their best, like these very stylish teenagers. Their hats are the BEST! -1940s Photo-

Late 1940s / Early 1950s teenagers at the soda shop

And looking their best for these boys means it’s all about the Plaid. 1950s photo.

1950 teenage boys hanging at the soda shop

After a fun day at the beach a nice refreshing drink will do the trick. And now on a side note, what an amazing photo! The girl swimsuits are stunning as well as the girl’s hair on the right. WOW! -1940s Photo-

1940 girls in swimsuits at the soda counter

1942 Nifty Nook Diner / Malt Shop. Phoenix, Arizona. Super 1940s “teenager” fashions on display in this image.

Source: Etsy

There is that fantastic “counter” style we keep seeing. Another great hat!

1940s woman at a soda counter in 1940s hait and 1940s dress

Even movie stars stopped by for a milkshake or two as seen here in the picture below with Joan Crawford and her editor Alice in 1939. P.S. HAT!

Joan Crawford at Soda Fountain with Editor Alice Thompson, 1939.

Malt Shops are not just for teenagers and movie stars, they are for all ages.

Source: We had faces then

1953 – Mavis sipping a strawberry milkshake in a white milk bar.

1950s little girl at the malt shop counter

Photo by Terrence Spencer//Time Life Pictures/Getty Images

1930s photo of a couple out on date night at the malt shop.

1950s photo of two teenagers enjoying a drink together and some fun conversation. Wonder what they are chatting about?

Shall we have a dance or listen to some music before we leave? -1950s photo-

1950s Teenagers dancing in a soda malt shop

So much to take in here! Saddle shoes, jukebox, plaid skirt, 1940s hairstyles and young men and women enjoying their time at their local malt shop.

1940s teenagers listening to music at the soda shop

Source: Pinterest

Lastly when I was in Memphis the hubby and I stopped in at A.Schwab and had REAL soda’s from their vintage soda counter. Here are a couple of images of that super cool experience.

Read about my trip to Memphis & Nashville HERE.

Mmmmmm real soda pop. Which one to try first?

Now Question Time: Do you have a favorite place to go for vintage sodas? Milkshakes? Maybe you hung out at a Malt shop back in the day? Share anything you want in the comments section below.

FURTHER READING:

Vintage Photo Tuesday-Collection of archived vintage blog posts showing vintage images from the 1920s-1960s

Liz

Month: May 2015

Toronto Has A Vintage Soda Shop-Welcome “Bean and Baker Malt Shop”!