Tim Hortons customers in South Korea can order a Toronto latte
We want what they have
Back in 2023, Tim Hortons announced an expansion into South Korea. Social media dispatches from content creators since then have shown us what we’re missing—soothing interiors, flavoured Iced Capps, thoughtfully plated avocado toast and decadent beverages named after Canadian cities. Our Tim Hortons locations could learn a thing or two.
One intrepid foodie named Sammi recently reviewed the viral Toronto latte in South Korea, served with a maple leaf embossed as latte art. Fancy! (They also have madeleines and Basque cheesecake. We are jealous.)
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Sammi ultimately rated the latte a 6.5 out of 10, saying it was a little too sweet, reminiscent of Betty Crocker frosting but nuttier. Still, she said, it was better than the lattes served by Tim Hortons here.
The Timbits didn’t score well on her taste test either, owing to their absence of glaze.
As pointed out on X, Tim Hortons in South Korea has used Toronto imagery to promote its products, including a scenic shot of the CN Tower, a street scene with Sankofa Square in the distance, and—perhaps less locally beloved—a photo of the Queen streetcar, putting forth a mirage of timeliness and functionality.
Sammi’s final verdict is as follows: regular Korean cafés are the superior option, followed by Tim Hortons Korea, with Tim Hortons Canada as her least preferred.
Canadian Tim Hortons, who do we need to talk to to get some madeleines around here? That would be a good start.
Carly Lewis is a journalist whose work has appeared in the New York Times and the New York Times Magazine, Vanity Fair, Wired, Interview Magazine, Pitchfork, Elle, and Maclean’s, where she is a contributing editor. Her work has been recognized by the National Magazine Awards and the Digital Publishing Awards. She reports on city life, culture—including what people do online—politics, art and crime. She received the Dave Greber Freelance Writers Award for “The Murder of Ashley Wadsworth,” an investigative feature about a Canadian teenager who was killed by a man she met on social media, published by Maclean’s.
