Coffee shops, bakeries with seats and the places Toronto lingers in over a cortado.
13 places
Order The cortado and a single-origin filter from the day's rotation.
Sam James Coffee Bar's Harbord original since 2009 is the city's third-wave reference counter, the espresso bar that trained much of Toronto's baristas.
Order The pour-over filter or a Mexican cinnamon flat white.
Sam James on Ossington is the strip's reference takeaway counter, a small room with a Slayer espresso machine and rotating Sam James single-origin beans.
Order A filter coffee from the day's single-origin offering.
Pilot Coffee Roasters Te Aro on Queen East opened 2009 as the flagship third-wave roastery cafe, named for a Wellington suburb, wood-fronted bar.
2 of the cafés on this list are in Queen West. So are these tours and tastings.
Order A cortado mid-morning; a glass of natural wine after 16:00.
Boxcar Social Summerhill on Yonge runs third-wave coffee mornings into natural-wine and craft-beer evenings, a hybrid cafe-bar room since 2014.
Order A cappuccino at the marble counter with a kouign-amann.
Dineen Coffee on Yonge at Temperance occupies the 1897 Dineen heritage building, the city's reference financial-district espresso bar with restored Edwardian.
Order A nitro cold brew or a single-origin filter from the day's selection.
De Mello Coffee on Yonge near Lawrence is the award-winning Toronto roaster's flagship cafe, single-origin filters and a cold-brew tap on bar.
Order The Atwood Blend latte at the mezzanine looking down on the espresso bar.
Balzac's flagship in the Distillery District is the brand's heritage building cafe since 2002, a two-storey Victorian space named for Honore de Balzac.
Order A traditional macchiato pulled tight.
Fahrenheit on Lombard is owner Vahe Tcheulian's tiny espresso counter in the financial district since 2010, a six-stool room with the Toronto-roasted Manic.
Order A focaccia sandwich at the counter with a cortado.
Soluna in Kensington Market is chef Suzanne Barr's all-day bakery cafe on Augusta since 2022, sourdough focaccia, Caribbean-influenced pastries and Pilot.
Order A latte and a scone on the patio facing the park entrance.
White Squirrel on Queen West backs onto Trinity Bellwoods Park, the city's reference park-side patio cafe with Reunion Island beans and a baked-goods counter.
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Order A flat white pulled with the single-origin espresso of the day.
Lit Espresso Bar's Leaside room on Bayview Avenue carries the brand after College and Roncesvalles closed; third-wave espresso, single-origin filters.
Order The single-origin pour-over and an Early Bird egg-and-cheese bagel.
Early Bird Espresso on Queen West has run a multi-roaster cafe since 2014, rotating Toronto roasters on bar plus a small all-day breakfast menu of sandwiches.
Order A pour-over from the rotating single-origin selection.
Quantum Coffee reopened at The Well in 2023 as a science-themed bar, locally roasted single-origins and flat whites for the Front West office crowd.
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