Everyone knows that Toronto is growing to be a hub for smaller coffee shops and chains. Now, smaller cafés are often found as frequently as Starbucks and Tim Hortons. While it may seem fun to hit up every café in town, we don’t have eight years (ok maybe I exaggerate). But everyone needs coffee, so we’ve found five of Toronto’s best cafés where you can enjoy anything from a latte and croissant to a beer and cheese board.
With a new location on King Street East to make two spots in the city, Rooster Coffee House gives a cozy, home-like feel that many coffee places today are missing. The baristas are friendly and co-owners Shawn and Dave are often found in the middle of it all. Classics like the Americano and Toasty Almond Latte are perfect for warming up during cold Toronto months (aka most of the year) and a range of fresh squeezed juices and lemonades are just what you need to cool down this summer. Also for the summer are new and unique cold brews. Enjoy salads, pastries and gluten-free goodies with your drink and take some time to hang out and try your hand at the daily crossword.
With multiple cafés across the city, including Te Aro on Queen East and Crafted on Ossington, Pilot Coffee works hard to serve quality beverages by going straight to the bean farmers themselves. For those curious, customers can swing by the Tasting Bar on Wagstaff to see how their coffee is made, from harvesting to cup. At the cafes, customers can enjoy Americanos and scones for breakfast and fresh sandwiches for lunch. Online, customers can purchase blends like Big Bro and Little Bro, pick from a variety of teas or get subscriptions to favourites like the Elevens Coffee Subscription or the Pilot Coffee Subscription, where two different flavours are sent every month.
Dark Horse is that cool and trendy espresso house that makes you feel like you are at home, thanks to the large communal tables at each of their 4 locations, which are meant to start conversation between strangers. Dark Horse is known for it's espresso, but they’re hot chocolate is wonderful too, and they also offer a good selection of teas and seriously delicious baked goods like butter tarts, brownies and a must-try banana chocolate chip muffin. Dark Horse has also recently jumped on the cold-pressed juice bandwagon by offering a selection of Fresh's line of flavour-packed juices.
Portland Variety is a café by day and savvy tapas restaurant by night. Opened by the owners of Le Gourmand, people were interested to see what they had to offer beyond yummy baked goods. Their menu offers tapas with a Mediterranean flair and notable influences from North Africa, Greece and France. Check out our full review of Portland Variety.
Check out our full review of Portland Variety.
With two locations, one in Summerhill and one in Riverside, BoxCar Social also offers wine, craft beer and whiskies. The two stories in their Summerhill location offers a cozy spot for chatting with friends or getting some work done (free Wi-Fi is always an added bonus). Espressos and lattes range from $3-$4, and their coffee is made from a rotating list of beans from roasters from outside of Toronto, like Calgary, Edmonton and Portland. Croissants, pop tarts and different charcuterie boards offer a tasty compliment to any beverage. If you don’t know what you want to drink, try the tasting flight, where customers can sample three different flavours or blends so they don’t miss out on anything and the larger Riverside location offers a slow bar for customers who want to sit and indulge.
