by MARK SLUTSKY

When the beautiful old pharmacy at the corner of St-Viateur and St-Laurent closed a couple of years ago, many locals worried that the distinctive look of the place, with its wooden shelving and high ceilings harking back to an almost-vanished era, would be lost forever. Rumours swirled about what would fill the space; for a while people spoke in fearful tones about an impending Subway franchise. Luckily, that never happened. Instead, a French restaurant moved in, gussied up the place a bunch, and proceeded to close down for renovations every couple of weeks. That didn't last long, and late last winter the space opened again in its newest incarnation, the Pharmacie Esperanza.

Thank goodness something worth spending time in has finally opened there; it's a beautiful space, with huge windows on both corner walls admitting a steady wash of sunlight. Some of the architectural details of the original pharmacy are intact, and now the great wooden shelves covering most of the walls contain a variety of amusing knick-knacks: antique tricycles, wooden bowling pins, dolls, weird old shoes and other curios. It's an eminently enjoyable space to while away an afternoon in, reading, eating and sipping tea.

And the food's good too. Esperanza offers an extensive vegetarian and vegan-friendly menu, with much of the dishes made with fair-trade or organic foodstuffs. I'm personally addicted to the breakfast burrito ($5.25), an egg, bean, cheese and tortilla concoction served with a green salad, homemade salsa and sour cream. Other offerings in the burrito department include black bean and rice ($4.25, $6.25 with salad) and black bean and veggie ($5.25, $6.75 with salad).

If you're still on the breakfast tip, though, you might want to try a thick smoothie ($3), or a "bio-bagel" with cream cheese or butter ($3). There's also that vegan breakfast classic, the tofu scramble ($4.75), which you can also get rolled up in burrito form.

If it's later in the day, you can sample one of Esperanza's tasty sandwiches ($5 and up), most made with organic sourdough bread. The brie, tomato, and peppers sammy is always a winner, as is the chevre/olive/artichoke. Other options include veggie pâté and spinach, and the BBQ tofu wrap.

Esperanza's drinks and sweets are also worthy of a mention. There always seems to be a pot of the café's delicious trademark hibiscus, ginger and cinnamon tea steeping on the counter. It's ruby-red in colour, making it an appropriate aesthetic companion to the beet-based "mélange rouge" salad ($3–$5.50). There are a bunch of other teas, both black and herbal, available, as well an assortment of fresh fruit juices. Esperanza also sells booze at very reasonable prices, and it's open late enough to function as a bar.

On the sweet side of things, there's an assortment of cookies and cakes (my personal favourite is the peanut butter cookie), as well as hand-made lollipops in various exotic flavours and caramels to calm your sweet tooth.

One of the space's aims is to create a community-friendly zone akin to the "salons" of the past. To that end, Esperanza's back room (dubbed La Salle d'Attente) will be used as a venue for a bunch of cool activities, as it's an extension of Mile-End community arts space Elle Corazon. The café-based University of the Streets discussion group meets the second Thursday of every month, and more events are planned. The front room also hosts bluegrass tunes on Sundays, courtesy of locals Lake of Stew. Also to be noted: the Pharmacie's been open for a few months now, but an official opening party is planned for this Saturday, Sept. 6 at 9 p.m. if you want to check it out in style. And check it out you should - it's a pleasant, neighbourhoody spot, with friendly staff and a relaxed atmosphere.

Pharmacie Esperanza
ADDRESS: 5490 St-Laurent (at the corner of St-Viateur)
PHONE: 948-3303
HOURS: Mon–Wed 9AM–10PM, Thurs–Sun 9AM–1AM
BEST FEATURES: Sunny, beautiful surroundings with good cheap eats and drinks
ALCOHOL: Yes
VEGETARIAN FRIENDLY: Very
CREDIT CARDS: No
WHEELCHAIR ACCESS: Yes
NO-SMOKING SECTION: Yes
PRICE: $5–$12 per person before tip
Rating: *** out of ****