19 coffee roasters worth the trip across Canada, editor-ranked by TableJourney. All Canada guides.
Revolver ★ 4.7 · Vancouver
gastown · 325 Cambie Street, Vancouver, BC V6B 2N4
Revolver on Cambie in Gastown is Vancouver's reference third-wave roaster and cafe since 2010, the espresso flight format and a rotating guest-roaster bar.
Tip: The espresso flight pairs three roasters side by side at the bar; whole-bean retail for guest roasters too.
49th Parallel Coffee Roasters ★ 4.6 · Vancouver
mount-pleasant · 2152 West 4th Avenue, Vancouver, BC V6K 1N6
49th Parallel Coffee Roasters is Vancouver's longest-running specialty roaster since 2004, three city cafes plus Lucky's Doughnuts attached at each branch.
Tip: The West 4th flagship is the reference seat; the Main Street cafe has the calmer counter.
Nemesis Coffee Roastery ★ 4.6 · Vancouver
strathcona · 1502 Triumph Street, Vancouver, BC V5L 1K7
Nemesis Coffee Roastery on Triumph Street is the design-forward East Van roastery with a cafe and bakery counter, two more city branches including Gastown.
Tip: The Triumph roastery has the larger pastry counter and outdoor seating; Saturday cuppings open to the public 10:00.
Cafe Saint-Henri ★ 4.5 · Montreal
saint-henri · 3632 Rue Notre-Dame Ouest, Montreal, QC H4C 1P4
Cafe Saint-Henri is one of Montreal's pioneering micro-roasters, roasting for its own cafes from a Notre-Dame Ouest flagship in its namesake neighbourhood.
Tip: The Notre-Dame flagship is the one to visit; ask what single-origin is on filter that week.
Pilot Coffee Roasters ★ 4.5 · Toronto
leslieville · 983 Queen Street E, Toronto, ON M4M 1K2
Pilot Coffee Roasters has run the Toronto third-wave canon since 2009, the Queen East cafe-roastery the flagship, beans across 100+ Toronto cafes and retail.
Tip: Cafes citywide carry the beans; the Queen East roastery is where you taste the cuppings. Subscription delivery available.
Sam James Coffee Bar ★ 4.5 · Toronto
the-annex · 297 Harbord Street, Toronto, ON M6G 1G7
Sam James roasts in a small Toronto facility since 2009, Harbord original the flagship cafe, beans across 20+ Toronto shops plus an online subscription.
Tip: Sam James trained much of Toronto's third-wave bench; cafes citywide carry the beans. Five Sam James locations across the GTA.
Matchstick Coffee Roasters ★ 4.5 · Vancouver
mount-pleasant · 639 East 15th Avenue, Vancouver, BC V5T 0E5
Matchstick Coffee Roasters' Riley Park roastery on East 15th since 2013 is a third-wave roaster with five Vancouver cafes and an in-house bakery program.
Tip: The roastery sells beans direct from the warehouse; subscriptions ship every 2 weeks.
De Mello Coffee Roasters ★ 4.4 · Toronto
yorkville · 824 St Clair Avenue W, Toronto, ON M6C 1C1
De Mello roasts on St Clair West since 2014, an award-winning Toronto specialty roaster serving six Toronto cafes plus a Seoul retail outpost.
Tip: St Clair address is the roastery; cafes at 2489 Yonge, 21 Spadina and elsewhere serve retail. Public tours by appointment.
Pallet Coffee Roasters ★ 4.4 · Vancouver
mount-pleasant · 323 West Broadway, Vancouver, BC V5Y 1P8
Pallet Coffee Roasters on West Broadway since 2014 is a third-wave roaster with three Vancouver cafes, the in-house pastry program and a slow bar at each.
Tip: The Hastings Sunrise branch has the dedicated tasting flight bar and a Saturday cupping at 10:00.
Moja Coffee Roasters ★ 4.4 · Vancouver
commercial-drive · 1102 Commercial Drive, Vancouver, BC V5L 3X1
Moja Coffee on Commercial Drive is the Korean-roaster's Vancouver branch since 2018 plus the North Van flagship from 2014, a Specialty Coffee Association.
Tip: The Korean-influenced syrups (yuzu, condensed milk) are the bar's calling card; bean retail at the till.
Dispatch Coffee ★ 4.3 · Montreal
mile-end · 4021 Boulevard Saint-Laurent, Montreal, QC H2W 1Y4
Dispatch Coffee roasts light, modern coffee for its Montreal cafes, its Saint-Laurent flagship pairing a bright espresso bar with a busy retail bean counter.
Tip: The Saint-Laurent cafe is the roastery flagship; the subscription is a good way to take the beans home.
Propeller Coffee Co ★ 4.3 · Toronto
the-junction · 50 Wade Avenue, Toronto, ON M6H 1P6
Propeller Coffee on Wade Avenue in the Junction Triangle is roaster Chris Kessel and Geoff Polci's specialty cafe-roastery since 2014, single-origin focused.
Tip: Saturday morning cupping is free and open to the public. The retail counter sells micro-lot 250g bags.
Fahrenheit Coffee ★ 4.3 · Toronto
financial-district · 120 Lombard Street, Toronto, ON M5C 1M5
Fahrenheit Coffee on Lombard is Vahe Tcheulian's espresso bar and roaster since 2010, La Marzocco machines and a small-batch Toronto-roasted house line.
Tip: Closed weekends. Six-stool room; most regulars order takeaway. The roastery is at a separate Toronto location.
Milano Coffee Roasters ★ 4.3 · Vancouver
mount-pleasant · 156 West 8th Avenue, Vancouver, BC V5Y 1N2
Milano Coffee on West 8th since 1985 is Vancouver's Italian-Canadian roaster, the city's oldest specialty coffee bar still owner-run by Linda Vincent.
Tip: Italian-roast espresso is the house style; the West 8th branch has the larger sit-down room.
Cafe Pista ★ 4.2 · Montreal
rosemont · 500 Rue Beaubien Est, Montreal, QC H2S 1S5
Cafe Pista grew from a bike-borne espresso cart into a Rosemont roastery cafe in Montreal, known for nitro cold brew and its lemonade-coffee Cafelimo.
Tip: The Beaubien roastery cafe is the hub; try the Cafelimo in summer and the cold brew on tap year-round.
Zab Cafe ★ 4.2 · Montreal
rosemont · 6201 Rue Saint-Denis, Montreal, QC H2S 2R8
Zab Cafe is a Petite-Patrie roaster in Montreal that shares roasting duties with Paquebot, pouring bright single-origins from a snug Saint-Denis cafe.
Tip: The Saint-Denis cafe is small and calm; a good spot for a pour-over and a bag of beans to go.
Paquebot ★ 4.2 · Montreal
old-montreal · 520 Boulevard Saint-Laurent, Montreal, QC H2Y 2Y9
Paquebot is a specialty coffee brand born from a partnership with Zab in Montreal, running a string of cafes and pioneering nitro cold brew.
Tip: The Old Montreal cafe on Saint-Laurent is central; try the Cafelimo in summer and grab beans to go.
Reunion Island Coffee ★ 4.1 · Toronto
queen-west · 385 The West Mall, Toronto, ON M9C 1E7
Reunion Island has roasted in Etobicoke since 1995, a wholesale-first Toronto roaster supplying restaurants and offices across Ontario and Quebec.
Tip: Mostly wholesale and online retail; not a cafe. Sister brand Lit Espresso Bar pulls these beans.
Cafe Larue & Fils ★ 4.0 · Montreal
villeray · 244 Rue de Castelnau Est, Montreal, QC H2R 1P5
Cafe Larue & Fils roasts its own beans for a small family of Villeray cafes in Montreal, a welcoming neighbourhood roaster near the Jean-Talon Market.
Tip: The Castelnau cafe near Jean-Talon is the flagship; the house roast is sold by the bag at the counter.