Toronto’s five best cafés
The city’s top spots for lingering over a latte and laptop
1. Rooster coffee house
This out-of-the-way spot overlooking Riverdale Park achieves café perfection. The room radiates homey elegance with a massive tree-trunk table (ideal for Scrabble tourneys) and comfy leather chairs. The baristas are full of scruffy charisma, chatting up customers as they pull espressos smooth enough to compete with the best in town (we’re talking to you, Sam James). 479 Broadview Ave. (at Riverdale Ave.), 416-995-1530.
2. Balzac’s café
This restored 1890s warehouse—a Distillery District icon for the past nine years—looks like it was airlifted in from the set of Amélie. While there’s usually a lineup downstairs, the open second-floor loft has a clandestine atmosphere, making you feel as though you’re squirrelled away in an Old World garret, suffering for your art. Balzac’s custom-roasted beans make distinctive, nutty-sweet coffee. 55 Mill St. (at Parliament St.), Bldg. 60, 416-207-1709; 43 Hanna Ave. (at Liberty St.), 416-534-7372.
3. Dark Horse espresso bar
The Spadina location of this Queen East original is the brightest café in the city; massive windows looking out onto Chinatown let in cascades of light. Communal tables made from old bowling lanes provide room to unfold the paper. The richly bitter lattes are excellent. 682 Queen St. E. (at Broadview), 647-436-3460; 215 Spadina Ave. (at Sullivan St.), 416-979-1200; 684 Queen Street W (at Euclide Ave.)
4. Belljar Café
The decor at this drowsy Dundas West shop is straight-up mid-century modern (as the early ’60s name suggests), including a credenza with built-in record player, Royal typewriter and working rotary phone. Laptoppers, fret not: there are plenty of 21st-century electrical outlets dotted around the room. 2072 Dundas St. W. (at Howard Park Ave.), 416-535-0777.
5. The Common
This Dufferin Grove shop is pared down to a degree of humility that would horrify Starbucks loyalists: there’s only one espresso machine (no drip), the church pew seats are tough on the tush, and the room is rough-edged (a scrawny hanging plant clings to life). All of this, along with the owner who remembers regulars by their drinks, makes for an ideally no-frills space in which to toil over the crossword. 1071 College St. (at Gladstone Ave.), 416-546-7789.
(Homepage image: Andrzej Wrotek)
 and comfy leather chairs. The baristas are full of scruffy charisma, chatting up customers as they pull espressos smooth enough to compete with the best in town (we’re talking to you, Sam James). 479 Broadview Ave. (at Riverdale Ave.), 416-995-1530.
2. Balzac’s café
This restored 1890s warehouse—a Distillery District icon for the past nine years—looks like it was airlifted in from the set of Amélie. While there’s usually a lineup downstairs, the open second-floor loft has a clandestine atmosphere, making you feel as though you’re squirrelled away in an Old World garret, suffering for your art. Balzac’s custom-roasted beans make distinctive, nutty-sweet coffee. 55 Mill St. (at Parliament St.), Bldg. 60, 416-207-1709; 43 Hanna Ave. (at Liberty St.), 416-534-7372.
3. Dark Horse espresso bar
The Spadina location of this Queen East original is the brightest café in the city; massive windows looking out onto Chinatown let in cascades of light. Communal tables made from old bowling lanes provide room to unfold the paper. The richly bitter lattes are excellent. 682 Queen St. E. (at Broadview), 647-436-3460; 215 Spadina Ave. (at Sullivan St.), 416-979-1200; 684 Queen Street W (at Euclide Ave.)
4. Belljar Café
The decor at this drowsy Dundas West shop is straight-up mid-century modern (as the early ’60s name suggests), including a credenza with built-in record player, Royal typewriter and working rotary phone. Laptoppers, fret not: there are plenty of 21st-century electrical outlets dotted around the room. 2072 Dundas St. W. (at Howard Park Ave.), 416-535-0777.
5. The Common
This Dufferin Grove shop is pared down to a degree of humility that would horrify Starbucks loyalists: there’s only one espresso machine (no drip), the church pew seats are tough on the tush, and the room is rough-edged (a scrawny hanging plant clings to life). All of this, along with the owner who remembers regulars by their drinks, makes for an ideally no-frills space in which to toil over the crossword. 1071 College St. (at Gladstone Ave.), 416-546-7789.
(Homepage image: Andrzej Wrotek)){kind=link}
all great choices…….wish it described the great tasting coffe though in theses spaces.
The Common is best in the city, hands down!!!!
Good choices but I have to say Broadview espresso should 100% be up there…. http://broadviewespresso.com/
I think the Rooster (RCH) has the best location…across the park, patio seating, great coffee, cool baristas and just absolutely a wonderful place to hang out.
The Good Neighbour deserves an honourable mention
sam james should be #1 as per your own comment, rooster is great, I love it there. balzac’s, super location but coffee all tastes the same it is so dark, my vote is for dark horse. sam james not being on the list – is he just not advertising with TL right now?
This is a sort of weird list. It seems more along the lines of “Here are randomly chosen five cafes that are also in Toronto.”
would not be surprised of TL choose these coffee shops if they carried copies of TL in their baskets for patrons to read…EH?! but dark horse rules!!!
Helpful. I no longer have to stumble aimlessly around this void city wondering where I can find both milky beverage and abundance of wall outlets.
good spots but all ‘below the belt’. life in Toronto does exist elsewhere in the city. Hotel Gelato is one that I can think of above Toronto’s belt line but I am sure there are many equal to the ones listed all below Bloor. Toronto Life, the city limits extend a bit farther that you think.
Broadview Espresso should absolutely be on this list…as should Bulldog as well…no question!!! Well, they both seem to be doing just fine without your list so that’s okay then. Broaden your scope (and outlook) a bit there Toronto Life. Not just with coffee shops either…………….
Its not even worth following these stupid posts. As espresso bar should be rated based on its espresso.
A cafe is ” the best” because they are consistent with the quality of there product ( which Dark Horse lacks). They have friendly and attentive staff and they have a cool vibe. If you were looking for either of these three things you would have included Lit Espresso Bar to your list or Mercury?
Toronto Life has the same people in there lists all the time, I don’t even have to look I already know!
Retarded responses. This is only a handful of the cages in T.O. There are so many places now to choose from. I also think the consistency of service and product in all these places is consistent. Ki have to agree that Mercury being left off is a shame. But nice to see Rooster And Belljarcafe added. I will now travel to both to check them out.
Add to these, Quaff on Queen West (at Euclid) and the Communal Mule on Dundas West at Bellwoods.
(p.s. Jimmy, maybe find a new word other than “retarded” to use when you want to criticize. Thanks.)
All excellent coffee joints – I’d add Cherry Bomb to the list as well, it tends to get overlooked.
Adding The Lazy Daisy’s Cafe on 1515 Gerrard Street East, a little chic cafe that is fully organic – they get all the ingredients from local Ontario farms, all the way to the tables that have been made of barn wood as I have been told by the owner. Very friendly atmosphere. But the spot I’m five days a week would be definitely be the Dark Horse , glad it made it to the top 5.