Best Cafes in Toronto – 1

Cafes have become third spaces in our cities. Since Toronto is my new home, I am doing a personal project of visiting around 40 cafes here and shortlisting the best I’ve liked. These are based on the quality and flavour-notes of coffee, long-standing local reputations, unique brews from around the world and cozy ambience. Here is Part – 1 of my list in no particular order.

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FIKA Cafe

21 Kensington Ave, Toronto

In the heart of hippie neighbourhood of Kensington Market, lies FIKA Cafe, named after Fika – the Swedish custom of taking a coffee break. The building is a brightly painted Victorian house, with multiple rooms inside along with a back patio. The most photogenic part of this cafe is the “Wall of Pages” in one of its interior rooms.

I ordered a Flat White, found it creamy and delicate with fruity notes. I also got a smoked salmon and arugula sandwich but this was ok, with the sauce overpowering any other flavours. I have heard good things about their Swedish pastries, though I was too full try any.

Pilot Coffee Roasters

117 Ossington Ave, Toronto

Pilot Coffee Roasters serves coffee in a sleek, modern and minimalistic environment. The space is spacious and laptop-friendly. While there is equipment for pour-overs, the times/hours for that were limited, and unfortunately not available when I was there.

I ordered a Flat White of their special Holiday Blend beans. The flavour had notes of cherry and cinnamon with hints of earthiness. The staff was friendly and we had good conversation about different types of beans.

Coco’s Neighbourhood Coffee Shop

668 College St, Toronto

The interior of this coffee shop looks like an antique store. There are vintage light-hangings, porcelain dish-ware and beautiful tapestries. The panels are coloured in pastel pink and there are lush houseplants by the windows.

I ordered the filter coffee made with a traditional moka-filter. The coffee was light, tart and nutty. I also had the squash-and-sage scone, which contained large chunks of squash and was liberal with butter – one of the best scones I have had so far.

Cherry B0mb Coffee

79 Roncesvalles Ave, Toronto

This is a tiny cafe recognizable from its namesake prop hanging above the entryway. Both their coffee and in-house bakery is popular with the locals and there is generally a line outside.

For coffee, I ordered the light-roast version of their home-brew. It had rich notes of apricot, cocoa and raisins. They also had various types of croissants, baked fresh. I got myself a savoury one with brie cheese and figs. In addition to the wonderful filling, the outer pastry was coated with various herbs and spices. The sit-down space was limited though, but the food and coffee is worth standing.

Mofer Coffee Queen

1025 Queen St W, Toronto

Mofer (named after the Ethiopian word for plow) uses coffee shipped directly from the country. Ethiopia is the birthplace of coffee, from where it went to the Arab cultures who, in turn, introduced it to Europe. The ambiance of this place pays an homage to this history, with various crafts, figurines and other decor from the country.

I ordered the Butter-Coffee, a traditional drink. It was made with country-butter or farm-butter (unprocessed) and had a rich tangy flavour very different from the supermarket version. This balanced the otherwise botanical flavour of the coffee beans. While personally not to my taste, this herbal note is valued among coffee connoisseurs.

Cong Caphe

424 Bloor St W, Toronto

The original branch of this cafe is in a quaint neighbourhood in Hanoi, Vietnam, and this branch in Toronto pays an homage to the city. The walls are decorated with old louvered windows and used books reminiscent of the old quarter. There is traditional Vietnamese furniture, old antiques, and other references to Vietnamese history.

One can get various local types of Vietnamese drinks here, including egg-coffee, salt-coffee and coconut-coffee. I got the coconut coffee. The rich and sweet coconut cream perfectly balanced the strong crisp coffee, making it a perfect drink to level up in energy.

Beatrice Society

511 Richmond St W, Toronto

Beatrice Society has an eclectic ambience that marries a warehouse-style walls with vintage furniture. They have a large repertoire of drinks around tea, coffee or health-juices. There is everything here, from single-bean pour-overs to espresso drinks as well as superfoods to infuse the drink with, such as reishi, ashwagandha or ginseng.

I decided to get a pour-over. A pour-over is prepared over longer time with water that is more gene and the coffee-beans are sifted through manually to prepare a more delicate brew than espresso. If espresso is science, then pour-over is art, and this style is a hallmark of a good barista, as without machines, it brings out their personal mastery of the craft.

The pour-over was served in a carafe with a stone-cup. For a snack, I got a toast with turmeric-hummus spread. Both were amazing. The first pour-over I asked was for Ethiopian beans, and it had grapefruit and medicinal notes, which didn’t suit my taste. The second time, I asked for beans from Central/South America and these, with buttery and nutty notes, was perfect. This is the place I keep going back to multiple times, and highly recommend it to anyone in the city.

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There is a second part of this list coming up with more cafes. Stay tuned.