I am working on identifying the coffee shops in Toronto that offer the tastiest brews and the best environments for socializing, reading, and working. Here are a few I have identified, sorted by neighbourhood.
If you know of other places, please suggest them.
The Annex:
1) Green Beanery – 565 Bloor Street West (across from Honest Ed’s)
Very good drip coffee and espresso, coupled with reasonably late hours. They are open until 10pm every day except Sunday, when they are open until 9pm.
There is no WiFi, but that is more of a feature than a bug. It improves a person’s odds of actually reading, rather than just wasting away hours online.
They also sell a beautiful assortment of coffee paraphernalia: coffee machines, French presses, grinders, roasters, etc.
Apparently, the Green Beanery is run by climate change delayers.
The Junction:
1) Crema – 3079 Dundas St W (a few blocks north of the High Park metro stop)
Good coffee and pastries, nice art on the walls. Open until 8pm every day, with WiFi you can steal from the Starbucks across the street.
College Street:
1) Manic Coffee – 426 College Street
Though they close shamefully early (7pm weekdays, 8pm weekends), Manic does have a fair bit of space, good coffee, and a good general environment.
Kensington Market:
1) Ideal Coffee – 84 Nassau St.
Better than you would guess, based on their rudimentary website.
Roncesvalles:
People make fun of my degree of fondness for Roncesvalles Avenue, but it definitely has a real feeling of community and some excellent shops. As far as coffee goes, ‘Alternative Grounds’ at 333 Roncesvalles is the best I’ve found so far. It can easily be reached by the College St streetcar.
It’s also close to ‘A Good Read’ – perhaps Toronto’s best used bookshop.
Last updated: 5 February 2012