The Best Coffee Shops in Toronto
Toronto has no shortage of places pulling a good shot, but these ten stand out for the coffee itself: careful sourcing, skilled baristas, and drinks worth going out of your way for. Some are longtime names that built the city’s reputation for specialty coffee in the first place, others are newer arrivals that have earned their spot fast, but all ten hold up on the strength of what’s in the cup. A few of them happen to come with something extra on the side, a pottery wheel, a knife counter, a hidden alley, but that’s a bonus, not the reason to visit. Consider this a working list for anyone who wants to drink well across the city, one neighbourhood at a time.
Sam James Coffee Bar - Harbord
Toronto’s coffee roaster since 2009, and still one of the standards the rest of the city gets measured against. The espresso is exceptional and the cold brew is consistently ranked among the best in the city. The Harbord Street original set the tone with its minimalist aesthetic, and the PATH network location takes it underground, a full espresso bar built into the downtown lunch rush.
Toronto
Rooms | 17 Baldwin
Three locations, three genuinely different rooms, all with a strong matcha program and coffee that holds up next to it. Owner Nigel Wang treats each address as its own space rather than a repeated concept, so Dupont, Baldwin, and Ossington each have their own layout and pace. Vinyl and a listening-bar sensibility run through all three, and Ossington hides a basement lounge behind a plain white storefront.
Toronto
Larry’s Back Pocket
A two-barstool coffee bar on Dundas West with coffee roasted under owner Stephen Schweighardt’s own label, Larry’s Coffee Company, out of Prince Edward County. The cortado is the one to order, and the butter tarts, baked from a family recipe, might be the best in the city. The 1940s-meets-Wild-West interior is worth a look on its own.
Toronto
Forno Cultura
An Italian bakery with a coffee program that holds its own against the pastries, a rotating pour-over roaster and a strong espresso built on Forno’s own Riserva beans. The Queen Street location took over an old truck rental shop and turned it into arches and vaulted windows, with an open kitchen where you can watch the bakers work.
Toronto
Boxcar Social Laneway
Excellent pour-over and a rotating single-origin selection served on a hand-built Kees Van der Westen espresso machine. It’s tucked at the end of a graffiti-covered alley off Markham Street, designed around the Japanese audiophile scene, with vinyl playing through the space. Most passersby never know it’s there.
Toronto
Contra Café
A neighbourhood café near Bloor and Ossington where the coffee is consistent enough that the barista learns your order within a few visits. There’s a pastry chef working in-house and a wraparound patio that makes it easy to stay a while.
Toronto
KNIFE
A slow coffee bar with a genuinely serious pour-over program, run with the same attention to detail as the shop’s other business: hand-forged Japanese knives. Browse blades and watch staff sharpen them between pulling shots.
Toronto
Milky's Coffee
Specialty coffee paired with daily baked croissants and cookies, and seasonal drinks that change with the weather. The crema-coloured interior was designed by Batay-Csorba Architects, with hardwood diamonds laid across every surface, and the shelves double as a small shop for locally made ceramics and art toys.
Toronto
Ratelier
A specialty coffee bar built around the idea that coffee is a sensory experience, with a rotating selection of bean roasts and a genuinely thoughtful bar setup. The same Trinity Bellwoods space runs a perfumery and a rotating art gallery upstairs.
Toronto
TigerBaby Coffee and Clay
Korean-inspired specialty drinks from a barista with eight years of experience, in Toronto’s newest west-end café. It’s also the city’s first pottery café, with a working ceramics studio where you can shape your own mug while you sip.
Toronto
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