5. Walking into Jimmy’s Coffee feels like visiting a quirky friend’s abode, starting with a stroll through the front patio (where departing customers mingle with a chatty barista) and moving inside the chandelier-lit, converted Victorian row house, where hot drinks are served in juice glasses made grippable by knit wool sleeves. 107 Portland St. (at King St. W.), 416-901-2289, coffeeatjimmys.com.
6. After opening just over a year and a half ago in the Beach, Café Florentin is bringing its delectable European baked goods—sweet pies and savoury quiches are among the signatures—to Leslieville this May, testing just how much pastry one area of the city can consume (Upper Crust and Sophie’s are within blocks).
2010 Queen St. E. (at Wheeler Ave.), 647-341-2936, cafeflorentin.com.
7. It’s only a few months old, but the Rooster Coffee House already has a lot to squawk about, having rapidly established a loyal following in the neighbourhood for being both charming and accommodating. Patrons treat the space—with its sumptuous leather club chairs, richly coloured walnut tables and commanding views of the city over Riverdale Park—more like a communal living room than a typical grab-and-go coffee joint.
479 Broadview Ave. (at Riverdale Ave.), 416-995-1530.
8. Voulez-Vous, the first café venture from former stewardess Julie Boulet and her husband, Shawn Lacey, sells more than just coffee: the gently used designer furniture that fills the space can be purchased—discounted from the original sale price, of course.
1560 Queen St. E. (at Ashdale Ave.), 416-801-6685, voulezvouscafe.com.
9. El Almacen is likely the first café in the city to serve the traditional South American drink yerba mate, which comes in a gourd-like vessel with a filter-tipped, metal bombilla straw. Other offerings include empanadas, sandwiches de miga and more typical espresso-based drinks and teas.
1078 Queen St. W. (at Dovercourt Rd.), 416-516-2898.
Good list – you missed a few good ones on Dundas West between Bathurst and Shaw.
April 1, 2010 at 9:23 am | by sevendollarpantssevendollarpants.wordpress.com
Tampered Press across from Trinity-Bellwoods? Research.
April 1, 2010 at 9:50 am | by FrankSecond cup has more than 90 outlets in Toronto. Starbucks has more than 70. How can 14 indie coffee shops be a takeover?
April 1, 2010 at 10:48 am | by MikeGeez, please put the stuff on ONE page.
April 1, 2010 at 10:52 am | by jimGreat spot on Danforth + Main st – GURU COFFEE – located within a solar-powered laundromat!! http://www.gurucoffee.com
April 1, 2010 at 12:15 pm | by GabeI find the dish little booooring!!!!! doen’t offer us very good news… strictly downtown….you should send someone out there and find what’s really new in town than concentrating on ossington !!!!!
April 1, 2010 at 1:16 pm | by didiYou forgot about Crema Coffee’s second location at Yonge and Bloor, which opened a couple weeks ago – ironic considering that you ran a post in January (which I can see under ‘Related Posts’ now) hyping them as one of Toronto’s best coffee shops.
April 1, 2010 at 7:14 pm | by E-SterThen again, maybe it’s just too far north to count :) I would point out in its defense that it’s on the south side of Bloor.
Many cafes serve yerba mate… And you missed Sam Jacobs which arguably has the best coffee in the city.
April 1, 2010 at 8:22 pm | by MaryTrying to read and get enough detail from your website pages is fustrating, and I always find that this is tiresome so I leave the website rather irritated by the experience. If you are going to list new restaurants or coffee shops put the list on one page with brief info with links to your single pages containing full detail including links to the restaurants’ websites. Others have well-designed websites – why not Torontolife?
April 2, 2010 at 9:40 am | by Davidre: Voulez Vous, Julie is still a flight attentdant who still sources beans from around the world on her trips. His name is Sean Lacey and the coffee is amazing. Cool to include them on the list, though.
http://www.yelp.ca/biz/voulez-vous-cafe-toronto
April 3, 2010 at 7:49 am | by Coffe Pr0nistaI’m glad you liked my photo. It would be nice if you’d link to the source, though (or ask permission).
cheers
April 3, 2010 at 10:57 pm | by chelseagirlchelseagirl
Apologies– if you click through, it takes you to my stream. Many thanks!
April 3, 2010 at 11:09 pm | by chelseagirlKnow 2 people who worked at Cloud and got fired for fishy reasons. Black Dog’s coffee is tops anyway…
April 3, 2010 at 11:17 pm | by HamiltonI went to the Bell Jar cafe on opening day. Its nowhere near ossington and Dundas ? It is definitely by itself and great though. Nice to see someone come to our neighbourhood.
April 5, 2010 at 8:34 am | by felixHoward Park & Dundas…closer to Roncesvalles !
Let the indie cafes rule !
And there is another coffeeshop/bistro opening on an even more moribund strip of Gerrard, just east of Logan: Mad Dog Cafe. I am in favour of adding creative, culinary culture to our neighbourhoods and I commend the entrepreneurs for giving it a go. Keep your eyes out for Mad Dog Cafe, coming soon!
April 6, 2010 at 11:09 am | by MJ