Coffee with Monkeys

In some restaurants, the term “kid-friendly” actually means a sheet of paper and a cup of broken crayons. But sometimes it means something completely different.

Two Monkeys Coffee & Tea House in Barrhaven is kid-friendly in the truest sense.

Owners Rob Kay and Jill Sheppard designed Two Monkeys as a place for caregivers and their children to eat, drink and be merry, as well as a place for “regular people” to pick up a coffee and a scone. And it’s all done with a clever division of space.

On first view Two Monkeys looks like many other coffee shops we know, complete with comfy chairs and soft lighting. So where are the bright colours? The toys? The high chairs? The crushed crackers scattered on the floor?

Take a few steps past the cream and sugar and you’ll soon find out. It’s a family room! Leather couches and chairs form a U-shape on one side and a play area on the other, but the main difference between this family room and your own is (a) it’s tidier and (b) you can get a great cup of organic, locally roasted coffee and some yummy home baking to go with it. Oh, and (c) you can wheel your double stroller right inside it.

Rob and Jill’s kids (who range between 17 months and 6 years old) eat here and play here too, so management is very focused on the quality of the food and the quality of the play (right down to the use of safe and effective cleaning products).

We recommend dropping by Two Monkeys at lunchtime. Nearly all of the offerings on the menu are lovingly made by Grandma Naomi, a transplant from Newfoundland (who also happens to be Jill’s mother). She cooks up fresh soups from scratch and does 95% of the baking too.

Eating out won’t break the bank either. The soup and grilled sandwich deal is only $7.95 and it’s a real meal.

Now that’s something we can sink our teeth into.

P.S. Lucky for us, the kind folks at Two Monkeys have agreed to share the recipe of one of Naomi’s favourite soups, also a staple on the menu. Enjoy!

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