12 editor picks in Toronto.
12 cafes in Toronto, editor-picked for cafes open sunday. Cafes serving on sundays. All cafes in Toronto.
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.
OrderThe cortado and a single-origin filter from the day's rotation.
TipNo wifi, two chairs, takeaway by design. Over 20 Toronto shops serve Sam James beans; the King West PATH counter is the downtown branch.
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.
OrderA filter coffee from the day's single-origin offering.
TipPilot beans run across 100+ Toronto cafes. The Queen East mothership has indoor seating and a small pastry counter.
Boxcar Social Summerhill on Yonge runs third-wave coffee mornings into natural-wine and craft-beer evenings, a hybrid cafe-bar room since 2014.
OrderA cortado mid-morning; a glass of natural wine after 16:00.
TipThree Boxcar locations; Summerhill the largest. Wine and beer license active from 11:00; the back room takes work-friendly laptops.
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.
OrderThe pour-over filter or a Mexican cinnamon flat white.
TipSister Harbord location is the original. Walk-up only; cash and card both work.
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.
OrderA pour-over from the rotating single-origin selection.
TipThe Well location replaces the 460 King W original. Wi-fi and tables welcome workers.
Dineen Coffee on Yonge at Temperance occupies the 1897 Dineen heritage building, the city's reference financial-district espresso bar with restored Edwardian.
OrderA cappuccino at the marble counter with a kouign-amann.
TipTwo entries, one on Yonge and one on Temperance. Weekday breakfast service heaviest 08:00-10:00.
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.
OrderA nitro cold brew or a single-origin filter from the day's selection.
TipMultiple Toronto branches plus a Seoul outpost. The Yonge location has the most consistent crowd window for laptop work after 14:00.
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.
OrderThe Atwood Blend latte at the mezzanine looking down on the espresso bar.
TipEight Toronto locations; the Distillery building is the largest. Christmas Market season draws hour-long lines.
Soluna in Kensington Market is chef Suzanne Barr's all-day bakery cafe on Augusta since 2022, sourdough focaccia, Caribbean-influenced pastries and Pilot.
OrderA focaccia sandwich at the counter with a cortado.
TipClosed Mondays. The pastry counter sells out by 14:00 on weekends.
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.
OrderA latte and a scone on the patio facing the park entrance.
TipThe 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's Leaside room on Bayview Avenue carries the brand after College and Roncesvalles closed; third-wave espresso, single-origin filters.
OrderA flat white pulled with the single-origin espresso of the day.
TipThe Roncesvalles and College locations are gone; Bayview in Leaside is the one that remains.
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.
OrderThe single-origin pour-over and an Early Bird egg-and-cheese bagel.
TipCloses at 17:00 sharp. Sit at the window for QSW people-watching; the back room has more laptop seats.
