Soluna is a cafe in Kensington Market, Toronto.
Soluna in Kensington Market is chef Suzanne Barr's all-day bakery cafe on Augusta since 2022, sourdough focaccia, Caribbean-influenced pastries and Pilot.
Must order: A focaccia sandwich at the counter with a cortado.
Tip: Closed Mondays. The pastry counter sells out by 14:00 on weekends.
Address: 180 Augusta Avenue, Toronto, ON M5T 2L4
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.
Signature drink: Espresso, baked goods
Order: A latte and a scone on the patio facing the park entrance.
Tip: The patio fills first on warm afternoons. Watch for the white squirrel that gives the cafe its name and lives in Trinity Bellwoods.
Lit Espresso Bar on Roncesvalles is one of three Toronto branches, third-wave coffee with Manic Coffee and Cup of Excellence single-origins.
Signature drink: Espresso, single-origin filter
Order: A flat white pulled with the single-origin espresso of the day.
Tip: Three locations across the west end. Sister Queen West and College locations carry the same menu.
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.
Signature drink: Pour-over, single-origin espresso
Order: The single-origin pour-over and an Early Bird egg-and-cheese bagel.
Tip: Closes at 17:00 sharp. Sit at the window for QSW people-watching; the back room has more laptop seats.
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.
Order: A pour-over from the rotating single-origin selection.
Tip: The Well location replaces the 460 King W original. Wi-fi and tables welcome workers.
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.
Signature drink: Espresso, single origin filter
Order: The cortado and a single-origin filter from the day's rotation.
Tip: No wifi, two chairs, takeaway by design. Over 20 Toronto shops serve Sam James beans; the King West PATH counter is the downtown branch.
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.
Signature drink: Pour-over filter
Order: The pour-over filter or a Mexican cinnamon flat white.
Tip: Sister Harbord location is the original. Walk-up only; cash and card both work.
