Coffee Shops of The World: Toronto
The love between a member of The Attic and our caffeine is perhaps unparalleled. It comforts us and sustains us, and at home nothing gets us going faster in the mornings or brings more easy enjoyment with friends. Traveling, we seek it out religiously, to save us from jet lag and submerge us within the local energy, becoming a home away from home — a place where we gather with friends or fellow travelers and stop to recharge between sights. In this series, we are sharing our favorite independent coffee shops at home and around the world.
Photo courtesy of Lauren Olmeda. All others courtesy of Maria-Lise Dobri.
I didn’t drink coffee until I worked in a café. Even then, I held out for about a year. I can’t remember what it was that made me drink that first cup, but since then, coffee has been a daily staple and cafés have been my usual haunts. Over the years, they’ve become one of my favourite ways to explore Toronto. I’ve visited dozens in my surrounding neighbourhoods and I haven’t even made a dent in the sheer number of them in the city.
Sometime between that first cup and now, coffee has turned into a special ritual for me. Every day that I don’t have class, I head out to a café. I do schoolwork, I write, I just spend hours being around people without having to be with people. When I moved back to the city in the fall, I gave the owners of the café in my hometown that I’d been going to every day a thank you card. Establishing this routine for myself has been a massive help — not just for schoolwork and productivity, but also my mental health — and it’s one that I plan on continuing. I’ve included a few of my favorites here, as well as tips on favorite treats and accessibility should you ever be in the area. If you’ve spent time in Toronto, particularly downtown, you’re likely familiar with how inaccessible certain places can be. While some stores have made attempts to remove physical barriers, it is very common for washrooms to be down a flight of stairs.
Fika
28 Kensington Ave. Toronto ON M5T 2J9
Fika.ca
The first thing you should do when you get to Fika is go past the tables at the front and the counter, into the back room. There’s a big table to work at, but that’s not why I’m sending you back there — it’s the wall covered in pages from old books. Even if you’re someone who hates the idea of ripping up books, it’s just so very aesthetically pleasing. I’ve never had something that I’ve disliked at Fika, although I’m partial to their “Swedish” cardamom buns (considering I grew up seeing the same kind of pastry on my Finnish grandmother’s table, they’re Finnish to me). In terms of their drinks, I go for the elderflower lemonade that they serve in the warmer months, and in the winter, it’s their cardamom spice latte. There’s seating and Wifi but it’s rare for a table to stay open for long, so if you’re planning to go and camp out, go early!
Accessibility: There’s a flight of stairs to get in and once inside, there’s not much room to maneuver. Washrooms are downstairs.
Rooster
568 Jarvis St. Toronto ON M4Y 0A9
roostercoffeehouse.com
Rooster is a local chain with a few locations around the city, but this particular one is my favourite. Unassuming from the outside, the inside is wide open with high ceilings and there’s a balcony with more seating. I like perching at the bar up there with my books and a mocha (and maybe a cookie or cinnamon bun) and having a bird’s eye view of everyone coming and going. It’s pretty popular among U of T students, as one would expect from a place just off campus with coffee, plugs, and Wifi, but there’s plenty of variety in the customers. It isn’t a quiet space, so if you can’t work with noise, this might not be the spot for you. If you can get it, there’s a table tucked under the stairs that’s a little quieter, but it’s a popular seat.
Accessibility: The ground floor is fully accessible, with automatic doors and a flat entrance. The washroom is on the main floor, but you need to ask at the counter for access.
Field Trip
3 Westmoreland Ave. Toronto ON M6H
When you think of the current café trends, you think of a place like Field Trip. Plants all over the place, white tiled walls, chairs right out of a middle school gym, exposed lights, and big front windows that let in a lot of natural light. I feel like I’ve walked into an Instagram account when I go, but in a good way. There’s bar style seating on two walls as well, with plenty of plugs available. There are signs throughout the café telling you that there are lockers downstairs, just get a key from the counter. In a city that has months of winter weather, it’s handy to be able to put your coat away. All that plus the Wifi makes it an attractive place to work.
Accessibility: There are no steps at the entrance, but washrooms are downstairs with the lockers. They’re entirely cashless, so keep that in mind if your bank charges you per transaction.
Saving Gigi
859 Bloor St. W. Toronto ON M6G 1M4
savinggigi.com
Someone recently told me that Saving Gigi deserves a spot in the thank you section of her PhD thesis and I believe it. I can’t speak to her reasons for that, but there’s something really homey about Saving Gigi, especially on a rainy day. Between a main communal table and several smaller ones scattered around the edges, there’s a surprising amount of seating for the small space and I’ve never had trouble finding somewhere to sit. Like any café with plugs and WiFi, there’s a lot of people with laptops. They also serve food — made to order — all day, and beer and wine later in the day. As a bonus, Mr. Pen and Hanji are both within walking distance if you find yourself in need of some more stationery. Eweknit, a popular craft supply shop, is just a couple blocks east if you’re into sewing or any kind of needlecraft.
Accessibility: There is no step to enter, but the door is not very wide. Washrooms are downstairs.
Istanbul Café & Espresso Bar
174 Eglinton Ave. E. Toronto ON M4P 1A6
istanbulcafe.ca
More uptown than any of the other cafés that I’ve mentioned, Istanbul Café is just cozy. You can’t see much from the outside (although they open up the front windows in the summer), but once you’re inside there’s all kinds of neat things going on — from the faux-fireplace to the decorative lights and ceiling fans shaped like leaves. It’s got plenty of seating - two seater tables, a couch, a bar, a communal table, and a few armchairs clustered around that faux-fireplace. In addition to the usual café offerings, including food, you can also get wine and beer. The biggest drawback is that the lighting is kept low and it’s comfy enough to make you feel sleepy, but the coffee is delicious.
Accessibility: Two steps up, but once inside it’s a single floor.
Capital Espresso
1349 Queen St. W.
espressocapital.com
Capital Espresso feels surprisingly cosy for how open the space is. Maybe it’s the church pews that serve as one half of the seating, or the worn down wood floors. Or the clock on the wall that’s there to remind you that it’s time to work (instead of numbers, the face simply says work). For some reason, the counter is quite high and at five foot nothing, I feel like a child whenever I order a coffee. Thankfully, the tables don’t have this problem and it’s a pretty comfortable spot to work, complete with Wifi and a backdoor that takes you right into the hair salon next door. In addition to the two person tables, there’s also a big communal table at the back with plenty of hooks for hanging coats and bags, as well as a few stools at the bar. The Workroom — a fabric store where you can rent time on a sewing machine or take classes — is just a few minutes’ walk, as is Paper Plus Cloth — a stationery store that holds classes and meet-ups.
Accessibility: No steps or steep incline at the entrance. The washrooms, however, are downstairs.
Reunion Island
385 Roncesvalles Ave. Toronto ON M6R 2N1
reunioncoffeeroasters.com
Reunion Island has a reputation for being cool. Between the tiles at the front door that spell “coffee”, the sleek fixtures, and the abstract quilts hanging on the walls, there’s good reason for that reputation. They’ve got Wifi and the tables fill up so chances are, if you’re sitting alone, you’ll wind up sharing your table with a stranger. More than once, I’ve seen people come in, see the lack of tables, and turn right around. Make sure to check all the way back though, since there’s a few stools at the bar and some of the tables back there are hidden! If you hang out for a while, tables will open up, so if you need more space, keep an eye out. Plugs are limited, so bring a long cord. Once you’re in though, Reunion Island usually feels worth it.
Accessibility: There’s a ramp at the front, but inside it’s a single level. They’re entirely cashless! They don’t even have a tip jar for cash tips.
Art Gallery of Ontario.
Other (free or cheap) places to go!
Art Gallery of Ontario
317 Dundas St W, Toronto ON M5T 1G4
ago.ca
The AGO, near Fika, now has free admission if you’re under 25 and a new membership price of $35 for the year and The ROM has free admission for students on Tuesdays. Take advantage of this! I once went to the AGO and spent a half hour just looking at a single painting, then left without worrying that I was wasting money.
Toronto Public Library
Multiple Locations
torontopubliclibrary.ca
Fun fact: Toronto has the largest public library system in North America. (Yes, even bigger than New York City!) Libraries, unlike cafés, are entirely free to work in. They have Wifi and many of them have great workspaces available, so take a look at the Toronto Public Library website to find a convenient branch for you. A number of University of Toronto libraries don’t actually require ID to access them and if you are a student there, believe me, there’s a world beyond Robarts.
Whether you like the sleek, Instagram ready aesthetic or the more comfortable vibe, there’s somewhere for you in Toronto (or, if you live here, Trahna). It can be almost overwhelming to decide where to go, there’s so many to try. There’s cafés in tattoo shops and bike shops, in bookstores, in neighbourhoods you’ve never explored. So grab a friend or your schoolwork and just try one.
Maria-Lise Dobri studies information. She likes drinking coffee, baking, and embroidery.
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