Toasted Oat Café Opens 2nd Location: Now in Newington & Canton

In an endless sea of Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks, it’s always refreshing to stop by a local cafe for breakfast and a cup of coffee. Combine with that a charming spot on Main Street and you have a recipe for a quintessential Connecticut morning – and that’s exactly what we found at Toasted OAT Cafe on Main Street in Newington.

If you’re fond of Toasted OAT Cafe in Canton which first opened its doors in 2018, then you’re in for a treat: a second location in Newington has opened in 2022, bringing their popular Packed Bowl among many other breakfast and lunch favorites to a second location in Connecticut. Just like Canton, the vibes are relaxed and welcoming.

Toasted OAT Cafe (OAT being an acronym for Old Albany Turnpike, the road behind the Canton location) was founded by co-owners Seth Lieberfarb and Lars Rydingsward, who wanted to offer a creative twist on the traditional breakfast. When the original Canton location opened its doors in 2018, they offered sandwiches, burritos, bowls, and scrambles for breakfast, along with sandwiches and salads for lunch. The journey to opening a second location began before COVID, but the pandemic stalled those plans. In 2021 the search resumed, but it was the former 5 and a Dime space in the center of Newington that won them over. Its family-friendly vibes and lively energy won them over, not to mention the plentiful food options within walking distance of Newington Center.

One stark difference between the Canton and Newington locations we noticed right away is seating: while Canton is a popular spot for visitors to relax, grab a seat, and maybe get some work done, the new location in Newington is take-out only (note that there are a few tables out front: perfect for summer!). Seth and Lars pointed out that the take-out option via online ordering has been a particularly great benefit to their customers in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Newington menu, like its Canton sister location, boasts a wide variety of items to choose from, including breakfast sandwiches, bowls, burritos, and waffles, as well as lunch items like salads and sandwiches. 

For our morning trip to Toasted OAT Café, we started off with one of their top-sellers, The #1 Sandwich, which comes with Bacon, sausage, two eggs, American cheese, spinach, red onion, and chipotle mayo on a Portuguese roll. There was a nice kick from the chipotle mayo in every bite, making this a solid breakfast sandwich that will truly wake both yourself and your taste buds! Seth and Lars note that “if you haven’t had a Portuguese muffin you need to come try one, (it) looks like an English muffin except it’s softer and a little sweeter.” The sweeter taste balances wonderfully with the other savory ingredients. Other top selling breakfast items include the Whole Hog Burrito (with two eggs, bacon, ham, cheddar, pepper, grilled onion, hash browns, and chipotle mayo on a white wrap) and the West Coast Sandwich (with bacon, two eggs, cheddar cheese, avocado, tomato, and hash brown on toasted wheat).

We also picked up their Packed Bowls for a non-sandwich option. This unique dish is made with Shaved steak, two eggs, Provolone cheese, kale, mushroom, grilled onions, tater tots, and garlic mayo. The serving size is plentiful, making this a meal that will keep you full as you go about your day.

The stars of the show are their wide selections of food items. If you’re looking for a cup of coffee, however, your options are simple: hot coffee or cold brew. But sometimes, as is the case with Toasted OAT Cafe, less is more: as the temperatures soar this summer, their cold brew (using beans from Equal Exchange) will hit the spot. They also have a selection of hot and cold teas available from Harney and Sons.

For lunch, popular menu options include the Club 44 (with turkey, bacon, cheddar cheese, spinach, tomato, red onion, avocado & garlic mayo on wheat bread) and the Toasted Rachel (with turkey, pastrami, bacon, Swiss, Cole slaw, red onion, spinach and Russian dressing on rye). If you’re looking for a lighter option for summer, you can try the Healthy Salad (with kale, gorgonzola cheese, dried cranberries, grape tomato, red onion, sweet potato tots, avocado & raspberry vinaigrette). And yes, they use potato tots instead of croutons in a few of their salads.

Toasted OAT Café in Newington is open Tuesday through Sunday, 7:00AM - 2:00PM. This location is take-out only, but there are a few tables and chairs out front. You can order online ahead of your visit at ordertoastedoat.com.

Toasted Oat Café

1100 Main St
Newington, CT 06111
860-665-7848

50 Albany Turnpike
Canton, CT 06019
860-352-2818

@toastedoatcafe

@toastednewington