Great coffee in Toronto's west end

[ksilk]

Hi Everyone,

I'd like recommendations for a good coffee joint in the west end - downtown please: Bloor or south, Bathurst or west. No further west than Etobicoke, please!

thanks,
K.

[Sui_Mai]

Capital Espresso in Parkdale (used to run out of Blondies) has a great vibe and coffee is good.

[eatravel]

Holy Oak on Bloor between Dufferin and Lansdowne. Their americano is really rich and almost chocolatey. They sell homemade baked goods as well.

[piccola]

Love this place. Good coffee, friendly staff, delicious brunch.

[jamesm]

Is that where the VICE offices used to be?

[Sui_Mai]

Yup. I think I just noticed that blogto just did a write up.

Capital is exactly what the neighbourhood needs. Hopefully a good wine bar isn't too far behind.

[Food Tourist]

You don't like Cafe Taste wine bar?

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Cafe Taste
1330 Queen St W, Toronto, ON M6K, CA

[Food Tourist]

I like Capital Espresso. Decent amount of seating and they let me eat my Roti Lady takeout in store.

[mangolassi]

Check out The Bell Jar at Dundas and Howard Park. Just opened in the spring.
Great coffee and fresh sandwiches. Very kid friendly too....

[dutchfoodie]

I just tried the coffee at Red Bean Espresso + Market which just opened at High Park and Bloor and loved it.

[Food Tourist]

What previous business space did they take over?

[Atwood]

Has anyone heard of a coffee shop called "The Good Neighbor"? Does anyone know where it is? Definitely in the Junction, and I think it might be on Annette.

[Lazar]

Have never been, but I did hear it was on Annette at Quebec. May even be right on the corner.

[Lazar]

On the way home from the service centre this morning, I needed to avoid the construction on St.Clair, and decided on Annette as an alternate route. Then spied "The Good Neighbour". So I just had to stop over and give them a try.

In short, I liked it a lot. It is very similar to Crema (which is up the street at Quebec & Dundas). The coffee is from Intelligencia (same as Manic) and Oliver, the barrista, is obviously very passionate about the caffinated arts. The latte I ordered was fantastic, although next time I will ask him to make it a little hotter.

They have only been open a couple of weeks. Currently they offer, pastries from Jules Patisserie, as well as cookies, butter tarts and the like from a local bakery (the name escapes me right now). Soon they will be offering grilled panini's (by soon, I believe that it will be within a couple weeks).

What I like about it was the "openness" of it. While Crema is good, when it is packed you really have to squeeze by the seated patrons. At "TGN", while capacity may be less, I wouln't think that you would be bumping into people that seated, as you walk to the end of the bar to pick up your order. Although to be fair, they only seemed to be at about 50% capacity. The only critic I have about their layout, is that cream/sugar, etc, is at the opposite end of their espresso machine near the entrance, so if they are backed up with excess orders, then I could see the potential for bottlenecks.

All that aside, the location makes "The Good Neighbour" a true neighbourhood spot (IMHO). Being on Annette it is a little off the beaten path, and seems like a great place to stop if you are just walking about the area (reminds me of the way Mitzi's is situated on Sauraren).

And if you need to know, they do offer free WiFi.

[Sarah Cat]

You had me at "reminds me of Mitzi's"!!!

[Lazar]

Sarah Cat, just to impress upon you, when I said it reminds me of Mitzi's, that only referred to their location relative the neighbouring residences. I do not profess that the establishments themselves are similar to one another in either cuisine or service.....damn, I should have been a lawyer.....

[Sarah Cat]

Hahaha, I know. I just have a real soft spot for that Mitzi's!

[Giulia_F]

Hi there, one of my favourites is Aroma Espresso Bar, located at 500 Bloor Street West, near Bathurst. I am really picky about my coffee, and their java is awesome! This Israeli coffee house has great coffee, tea, pastries, and salads. Plus, when ordering any type of coffee, you get a free chocolate, too - nice little touch.

[Lazar]

Not sure if this counts, it is West of Bathurst but North of Bloor.

Whenever I go to Pain Perdu I always get a cup of their drip. It is always excellent. Not sure what their capps, lattes, etc are like. But if you are looking for a consistently good cup of coffee, Pain Perdu has it.

Also, if you plan on going to the Green Barn on Wychwood, the is an organic outfit there that is also good. Unfortunately I can never remember their name.

[piccola]

Not really a coffee shop, but Hoof Café makes great coffee.

[jlunar]

Yes, their french press coffee from 49th in Van is really lovely.

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http://www.foodpr0n.com/ -- food. is. love.

[dave_s8]

Sam James at Harbord and Clinton is fantastic! Wish I knew where he got his beans.

[tree25]

He gets his bean from a roaster called Toi, Moi & Cafe in Montreal.

[Boodah]

How about The Green Beanery right at Bloor/Bathurst?

[Sarah Cat]

I love Cherry Bomb. Mitzi's (on Sorauren at Pearson) brews a mean cup of joe. Their muffins are also very yummy. In the Junction, there's a wonderful coffee spot on Dundas West at Québec. I can't remember what it's called but it's super-popular in the neighbourhood — really great coffee. What the heck is it called? This is driving me nuts. It has one of those really expensive giant espresso machines. They cost thousands!

Those are my top three cups of coffee around here!

[poppygirl]

It's called Crema. And yes, I agree that it's excellent.

[Sarah Cat]

Thank you!!

[Sui_Mai]

White Squirrel (across from Bellwoods park on Queen), Manic, Dark Horse on Spadina, Plus there's a really good one on Roncey (not Cherry Bomb, although that's okay too, this one is further up and relatively new - Jet?). Common on Dundas West.

[Food Tourist]

Do you mean Lit on Roncesvalles? I don't recommend their espresso or lattes. Definitely avoid Alternative Grounds. Tinto isn't too bad (they use Birds 'n' Beans beans).

My current addiction is Birds 'n' Beans in Mimico (still in the OP's boundary, not that s/he cares since the post was in 2008). It's on streetcar and bus route.

I finally tried Blondie's in Parkdale a couple of Sundays ago. Pretty decent latte.

[archive]

FT ^- if you are near Birds n' Beans try Big Guys on Lakeshore just west of Islington.

I also recommend Ella's Uncle on Dundas w. of Bathurst

[5andman]

Coffee Tree
2412 Bloor Street West
(East of Jane)

[missmu]

Have to disagree on Coffee Tree. Have only had coffee there twice. First time it was terribly watered down. I didn't hold it against them thinking it was a one off. I went again, picked out one they had on that day, and they made a point of warning me that that one was considered double strength and might be too strong. Turned out to be only a wee bit watered down. Still not great, but at least I got a respectable cup of coffee that time.

[Food Tourist]

The Big Guy's Little Coffee Shop serves terrible coffee and their staff don't even know how to make a latte. What specifically do you like there?

[archive]

I only order the Americano's from Big Guys

[scarberian]

Lit switched to "Stumptown" coffee beans. IMHO amazing coffee. Try the "Hair Bender".

[Food Tourist]

Thanks scarberian for the update. I will retry and report back.

[Food Tourist]

Okay, just to be sure, and at the risk of being too thorough, I did an almost head-to-head comparison - regular latte at Lit on Dec. 23rd afternoon, and a regular latte at Stumptown in NYC (Ace Hotel on 29th Street) yesterday afternoon, both consumed on the premises and not in a disposable cup.

The Lit latte was overall quite bland, a 7/10 at best. Perhaps less milk would allow the flavours to shine but that's a bit doubtful.

The Stumptown NYC latte (8 oz cup) -- made with Hair Bender blend-- was intensely flavoured, with a lighter lemon aftertaste. (Their tasting notes say Hair Bender should yield flavours of milk chocolate, caramel, jasmine, meyer lemon, apricot and pineapple!) I also bought a bag of freshly roasted Holler Mountain (direct trade and organic) beans for home use this week. They claim it will be more syrupy and heavy-bodied with dark toned notes of blackberry, raw tobacco and toffee. I can't wait!

Something obviously gets lost in translation between roasting and final product at Lit. However, I applaud the use of "direct trade" beans as more and more people are realizing "fair trade" isn't all it's cracked up to be.

[scarberian]

I'm just guessing, but it seems that for sure the Stumptown NYC would get it right whereas the baristas at Lit are still learning (?). FWIW my wife and I only buy the beans at Lit and grind it at home when needed. I'll get the wife to buy the Hair Bender beans the next time she's at Lit (if they have any in stock!). Thanks for the comparison!

[Sarah Cat]

I'm not crazy about Alternative Grounds, either. The coffee is weak and I found a hair in my cookie, once. I keep going back because everyone seems to love this place, but I just don't see the attraction. There are so many better options on Roncy!

[Sui_Mai]

Yes Lit (thanks Food Tourist) is the place and I think their espresso is fab. I'm glad less places are using the Intelligentsia beans, it has a dirty rather than sweet taste to the roast (at least the espresso).

Lit had a name for my coffee but it's the same thing I always order: dbl espresso with just foam and a weeny bit of milk (Yes a cappuccino but everyone makes it to milky here). They had another name for it though...

[FoodJourno]

Macchiato?

[Sui_Mai]

You'd think, but no. It did sound Italian though.

[FoodJourno]

Maybe a Cortado? I think it's spanish though.

[Sui_Mai]

Cortado. That's it! thanks. what's the provenence I wonder?

[FoodJourno]

Cortar, is spanish "to cut", so as you are cutting the espresso with some milk = Cortado. Another word that sounds really cool in english, which is probably boring in its natural language.

[Sui_Mai]

I just had a cortado at Lit and it just wasn't that great anymore. Maybe they changed the beans? It was prepared (at least the adding the milk part) perfectly, but there was no body or richness to the esspresso.

Just when you think you find a good coffee in this city....

[watt]

Agreed that Crema is fantastic (they've got a Clover too). I live in the Junction, so I was thrilled when they opened! Not technically south of Bloor - but maybe Dundas counts? :)

[Food Tourist]

Is it just me, or has the latte at Crema changed? It's 10 oz so a little heavy on milk for my tastes, but the flavour seems to have decreased overall.

On the bright side, the helpful barista ("Fast-track to Sainthood...tip your barista!") willingly ground my high-quality coffee beans bought elsewhere. Birds 'n' Beans was unwilling to be helpful in that regard with me, a regular customer. Hmph.

[peppermint pate]

I have to say that one of my pet peeves is overly milky lattes and capps as you lose the whole coffee flavour - a lot of these places have the right proportions when you stay in to have your drink but their take-out cups are just too large. I know you can ask for less milk but sometimes I forget. I also hate paying for more than I want to drink. When I went to that place on Broadview, their smallest cup was waaaay big. But I think it's worth remembering on all of these coffee threads that whether you have your drink in-house vs. takeaway can make a big difference.

[Food Tourist]

Agreed. But I have noticed the opposite sometimes, where the dine-in cups are huge! Many places offer a small size take-out cup (e.g. 8 oz at Cherry Bomb and BIrds 'n' Beans). Places like Mercury and Crema only offer one size of latte - and both are too large.

[peppermint pate]

That's true too. I think this point alone may explain some of the discrepancies people have in their coffee tasting experiences at these different places - apart from personal taste (and the barrista that day, etc.), of course - it would be interesting for people to write which way they drank their coffee when posting on these threads. And of course, which coffee drink they had - I find there are WAY more spots to enjoy a good latte than a good americano, the latter being few and far between in this city (so many places just kill the crema, so sad).

[Food Tourist]

Not west end exactly, but Dark Horse on Spadina only offers one size of latte - 12 oz. Way too milky!

[oldthelmarattleshakes]

The Green Beanery, that is.

[ksilk]

Terrific! I'll try it tomorrow morning and report back.

K.

[goodcookiedrift]

If there's one thing you have to try is the coffee from the clover. Its unlike any coffee you'll have tried. Yes they will shoot you dirty looks if you put milk and sugar in it.

[jwhitereview]

I back up Manic. It is a great spot and the owner really knows what he is doing. Cherry Bomb is also one of my newly found favourites. THis place just has a good vibe. Really nice people work there.

[neilfenton]

How much is the clover in Toronto? When I went to Seattle, it was nice being able to get clover coffee for the same price as a regular cup of coffee at Starbucks.

[Pincus]

The Clover is at a premium price here, but worth it. Not super high, but higher (forget the exact price, but under $5.).

[goodcookiedrift]

Manic Manic Manic. It's to coffee what Momofuku's is to Ramen.

[cheesymama]

I third Manic. Once you go few other places will measure up. And it's worth buying Intelligentsia beans for use at home.

[kiwiFRUIT]

I like Manic coffee too, check it out. Also, The Common at College & Gladstone. Excellent coffee.

[DDD]

Cherry Bomb on Roncesvalles just north of Queen makes fantastic coffee....eapecially espresso. v small though, so not really a sit down place.

[detritus]

Cherry Bomb's espresso-based drinks are really hit-and-miss, depending on who's behind the machine. Sometimes great, but sometimes the espresso is poorly extracted and the milk is not properly frothed (too foamy, not real microfoam).

Baked goods are great though.

-Josh

[Wahooty]

Let me be the first of many to say Manic Coffee - College and Bathurst. Just go. It's so damned good.

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Manic
426 College St, Toronto, ON M5T1T3, CA

[foodlovinpooch]

Manic is awesome!!!!

[Wahooty]

I should qualify that I always get something out of the Clover at Manic, and have had consistently good coffee. I can't vouch for lattes and such, which seems to be the direction this thread has gone lately. :) The one time I ordered espresso, it was excellent, but it was shortly after they opened, and the last I saw the woman who made it, she was working at Sam James.

Also, there's a new place on Queen a block east of Ossington (only a few weeks old, I think) called Cloud. Only been once so far and it was right after they opened, but the brewed coffee was very good, and my companion said their latte was also good. They were off to a rough start with their baked goods, but they may have gotten their act together by now. Just about the friendliest staff I've ever run into, as well.