Many of you who know me well, know that I absolutely love coffee. Since leaving my full time job in January I have finally gotten to take up my favourite activity. . . going for midday coffee with a friend. Here are my top 8 picks and I definitely recommend you check them out.
1. Saving Gigi (Bloor and Ossington)
This is my all time favourite café. A sister location of the popular brunch place Saving Grace (definitely a spot to check out, with the partner spends the night, or you have a good night out with friends). The owners Christian & Amelia are the coolest and sweetest couple from Winnipeg. They're young, and not afraid to have this cafe fully be an expression of who they are. Often I catch them sneaking a little kiss or two behind the bar. The espresso tends to be on the dark roast, but full of flavour. They have the best vegetarian menu I have seen at a cafe, with sandwiches full of chèvre, avocados, brie, and so much more. Homemade muffins that are always experiments turned into greatness! As well they have an amazing vinyl collection playing great music to sit at their communal tables and chat with someone new. I am often here reading a book for well over 3 hours.
2. Broadview Café (Broadview and Danforth, just north of Danforth)
I discovered this cafe in the fall while doing a lot of advanced yoga teacher training at the Yoga Sanctuary Danforth location. I have to say my first latte I had there rivaled the latte I had while I was in Milan sitting outside the Duomo (the huge and beautiful Gothic church there). I can still taste that latté, and I will continue to say it was the best I stated that in my latte history, that there in Milan I was sipping the best latté I have ever had. Not to raise your expectation of Broadway Cafe, but I bike to the Danforth often for a good sip there. The fun there is that there is always great coffee experiments like a Maple Syrup Soy Latte, yummmmmm. It's a tiny cafe, but why not head there first before shopping at the Big Carrot. There is a great little cafe there as well, but did not make my list.
3. Tango Palace Coffee Company (Queen East & Jones Ave.)
I was recommended this cafe a couple of weeks ago, and took the trek to Leslieville to see what my friend was talking about. I was not disappointed. The moment I walked in I loved the place. It has a very Victorian with a lighter burgundy paisley design. (If you know me, I love the rustic Victorian furniture every since I was a kid. Great animated baristas, with a friendly vibe from families, singles and old folks chatting it up and telling stories. An awesome cappuccino, lighter roast I found. With the warmer weather I will be hoping on my bike instead of driving down there.
4. Lit Espresso Bar (Roncesvalles & Little Italy)
A café one of my closest friends Yvonne worked at for a few years before living to work in Africa. I watched it grow from a cafe just in Roncesvalles, to the opening of a second location at College and Ossington. When I lived in Little Italy this summer I was a big regular. The owner of the college and sister to the owner in Roncesvalles kne me by name and always had friend convos. I love this place because at both location the bar is made from old wood beams, and its very eco-centered, but not over the top. They play a black and white on silent which makes for a great vibe. Great drip coffee featuring coffee from around the world each day, but mainly from Central America. Which is my favourite place for bean growth. I went to this beautiful coffee plantation while I in Guatemala two years ago. Being on College West and facing west on Roncesvalles the sun graces the front of the cafés beautifully. Lots of seats as well.
5. Jet Fuel Coffee Shop (Parliament St. & Carlton St.)
For the past year I have been recommended to go to this coffee shop, and I finally got off my lazy butt this Friday and embraced the beautiful spring day and biked down to Jet Fuel. Knowing that the only way to honour this cafe was to bike from the Annex to Cabbagetown. It's home to Canada's longest running cycling team, and many cyclist have told me about it. There is a certain grunge appeal to this place, which I love. Fitting in with the character of Cabbagetown (an area of this city I have always loved and visited a lot as a kid while living just north of the Danforth in East York). I grabbed myself a large latté, found a seat and spent a good two hours rereading the first sutras of the Yoga Sutras. Lots of characters passed through the shop, and the workers had tons of great energy in their voices. I would love to live in Cabbagetown someday and this would clearly put Saving Gigi in my back pocket. But till then, location plays a role for my regular coffee hang out.
6. Ezra's Pound (Dupont & Spadina)
A great little place in the north Annex. Small and qurkie, but with that vintage feel I love. A pricer place for your cup of joe/espresso. A great roasted beans, with fresh single made drip coffee. If you catch a spot at the few tables that are there, it's a great place to watch the world go by. Defiantly a place I recommend for a 1st or 2nd date.
7. Linux Caffe (Harbord St. & Grace St.)
A little hole in the wall cafe where I tend to indulge in their large assortment of teas rather then there coffee. Actually I think the 4 or 5 times I have been there I have only gotten tea. One thing that I love about this cafe are the picnic tables that sit right at the corner of Harbord and Grace that allow you to sip your Rooibos across from a beautiful big park.
8. La Bohème Café Patisserie (Yonge & Eglinton)
I often find myself in midtown Toronto. As my sister and 2 of my good friends live up there, as well as my restorative/meditation teacher teaches up at Yoga Plus. This cafe has a great little french appeal. I often get a francophone worker and get to practice my bad coffee ordering skills. "Est-ce que j'ai un café latte, avec le crossiant de almond." Their pastries never disappoint, and they have the cutest and most relaxing back patio with cast iron tables and chairs. It has a more modern feel then my other picks, white walls and framed art work, but a friendly and bustling atmosphere, fitting the midtown socialites. I usually head there whenever I teach a free community class at Lululemon Briar Hill.
I often feel as an urban yoga instructor cafés play and important part in the yoga community. Many of yogis are obsessed with tea, and or coffee (This guys is both!). As well you are constantly meeting up with people. Going for interviews, consolations with privates, meeting with friends to catch up, and having a good place to observe people, as well as study. Yogis are true students of yoga and just need a great place where you can grab a warm drink and sit and read and study the teachings.
All these great small cafes are one of my favourite things about the city of Toronto, there are tons of little cafes. These are only 8 cafes that I go to often or have recently found and surpass many other cafe I find myself out. I encourage you to head to one them, or just start exploring the many little cafes that grace our streets.
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