The Commerce Times

A fashionable restaurant open 24 hours/7 days a week?

Rustic meets hipster at 7 West Café. Courtesy of ourfaves.com.

December 1, 2009 0 | By Meaghan Zabinsky

The 24-hour restaurant 7 West could be described as a jack of all trades; as the day progresses it turns from busy breakfast and lunch spot to a great dinner-date restaurant and finally, it becomes a post-bar-crawl destination.

The restaurant, located at 7 Charles St. W, is versatile and maintains a great atmosphere, reasonable prices and friendly staff.

No matter the hour, its decor is homey yet elegant. A typical diner’s fluorescent lighting and plastic chairs are traded for a wood-paneled den and spacious, repurposed church pews. Touches like fresh flowers and themed curtains (sewn by the owner’s mother) compliment chandeliers and floor-to-ceiling windows.

The menu is expansive and free of fried, breaded offerings that are usually found at a 24-hour joint, but that doesn’t quell post-party customers. “It starts around two or three, getting really busy,” said my waitress. “We sober up the city.”

Although the carb-rich comfort foods like the turkey club ($13) or vegetarian chili ($6) will satiate any liquor-induced craving, 7 West shouldn’t be lumped in with its nocturnal, pizza-hawking competitors.

A great lunch destination by day, 7 West offers 18 sandwiches with every possible protein (chicken, turkey, tuna, pulled pork, proscuitto, meatballs, smoked meat and more). Sandwiches are served with a side of “crisps” (salted potato chips) or a house salad. The pita pizzas ($9-$13) and appetizers (highest $12) all look promising, but can’t compete with the lure of a perfect tuna melt. “It’s by far our most popular item,” says the waitress. “People come in, sit down, and just say ‘tuna melt!’ without even looking at a menu.”

Despite the lure of a perfect tuna melt, I opt for the virgin pasta ($12), a medley of sautéed zucchini, peppers, spinach, and onion. Chicken doesn’t come standard, but I get it anyway and it’s melt-in-your-mouth roasted perfection.

The portions are huge, and if you’re a starving student like myself, the leftovers you bring home are just as good the second time around.

The warmly-lit dining room is a perfect respite for those who despise winter. Grab a hot drink and a slice of their most popular desert, banana chocolate cake ($6). The waitress also gushes about the notorious caramel cheesecake ($7). I found that the apple crumble ($6) was a perfect way to end a garlic-rich meal. It’s sweet but not sickly, and substantial enough to leave you content.

Seekers of the ultimate hangover breakfast should definitely sample 7 West’s popular $11 version, complete with everything your pounding head requires: 2 eggs, bacon/ham, potato wedges, 2 sausages and toast.

Overall, 7 West is everything I look for in a restaurant. “We’re a fixture in the neighbourhood,” said my waitress. What she doesn’t know is that they’re now a fixture in my lunch plans. Tuna melt, here I come.