13 cafe rooms in Toronto we have eaten in, sorted by editor score. All cuisines in Toronto | Cafe across every city.
Sam James Coffee Bar Harbord ★ 4.7
the-annex · 297 Harbord Street, Toronto, ON M6G 1G7
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.
Sam James Coffee Bar Ossington ★ 4.4
ossington · 141 Ossington Avenue, Toronto, ON M6J 2Z6
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.
Pilot Coffee Roasters Te Aro ★ 4.6
leslieville · 983 Queen Street E, Toronto, ON M4M 1K2
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.
Boxcar Social Summerhill ★ 4.5
yorkville · 1208 Yonge Street, Toronto, ON M4T 1W1
Boxcar Social Summerhill on Yonge runs third-wave coffee mornings into natural-wine and craft-beer evenings, a hybrid cafe-bar room since 2014.
Dineen Coffee Company ★ 4.3
financial-district · 140 Yonge Street, Toronto, ON M5C 1X6
Dineen Coffee on Yonge at Temperance occupies the 1897 Dineen heritage building, the city's reference financial-district espresso bar with restored Edwardian.
De Mello Coffee Yonge ★ 4.2
yorkville · 2489 Yonge Street, Toronto, ON M4P 2H6
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.
Balzac's Coffee Distillery District ★ 4.1
distillery-district · 1 Trinity Street, Building 60, Toronto, ON M5A 3C4
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.
Fahrenheit Coffee ★ 4.3
financial-district · 120 Lombard Street, Toronto, ON M5C 1M5
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.
Soluna ★ 4.1
kensington-market · 180 Augusta Avenue, Toronto, ON M5T 2L4
Soluna in Kensington Market is chef Suzanne Barr's all-day bakery cafe on Augusta since 2022, sourdough focaccia, Caribbean-influenced pastries and Pilot.
White Squirrel Coffee Shop ★ 4.0
queen-west · 907 Queen Street W, Toronto, ON M6J 1G5
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.
Lit Espresso Bar ★ 4.0
little-italy · 221 Roncesvalles Avenue, Toronto, ON M6R 2L5
Lit Espresso Bar on Roncesvalles is one of three Toronto branches, third-wave coffee with Manic Coffee and Cup of Excellence single-origins.
Early Bird Espresso and Brew Bar ★ 3.9
queen-west · 613 Queen Street W, Toronto, ON M5V 2B7
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.
Quantum Coffee at The Well ★ 4.4
king-west · 482 Front Street W, Toronto, ON M5V 0V2
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.