As hustle culture and overconsumption become less and less appealing, Toronto's cafés and coffee shops are a natural choice to ground the city's movement towards third spaces. There's a growing desire for places where communities can gather outside of their homes, without having to drink alcohol, and these Toronto cafés and coffee shops are stepping up to be those neighbourhood pillars.
Rather than acting as a convenient place to inject a hot dose of caffeine before speed-walking to the office, these Toronto cafés and coffee shops offer a warm, welcoming place to pause for a moment and settle in for a slice of comfort. Artfully designed spaces promote relaxation and conversation, while menus run from morning to evening, changing from pastries to salads and sandwiches to snack plates as the day wanes.
Some of these Toronto coffee shops and cafés even have their own alter egos: 915 Dupont is one of the best bars in the city, Coffee by Joy doubles as an art gallery, Understory is a welcoming Toronto wine bar and Bookbar sells an exceptionally curated selection of titles. Each of these Toronto coffee shops and cafés has its own story, community events and reasons to linger a little while longer.
12 Toronto cafés and coffee shops built for community connection
1. Book Bar
600 Markham Street
For those of us who loved hanging out in the library but hated the constant shushing, Book Bar is a dream come true. It’s easy to lose track of time poring over their curated collection of titles in the gorgeous, two-level space. Arching shelves flash the alluring covers of books you can purchase and immediately dive into with a coffee and a pastry — or a cocktail, mocktail or glass of wine and a cheese plate, depending on the time of day. Between the herds of people browsing and a roster of events, from book launches to singles nights, it’s primed for finding community, or a meet-cute.
This liquor-licensed bookstore is bringing back late-night lingering
Part neighbourhood living room, part polished cocktail lounge, Book Bar, Mirvish Village's newest hideaway, makes a compelling case for putting your phone away and staying for another round.
Read more2. Vers Cafe
15 Adrian Avenue
Danielle Lastres
Danielle Lastres
Danielle Lastres
Danielle Lastres
Danielle Lastres
Connection is at the heart of this newly opened third space that’s queer-funded, owned and operated. Founder Ella Webber built much of the space by hand with the goal of bringing people together in a welcoming environment. During the day, the café serves specialty coffee and Italian sodas, vegan treats, sandwiches and weekend barbecue. In the evenings, events run the gamut, from live jazz and book readings to workshops and performances. The food program is expanding to include pop-ups, community dinners and more dietary accommodations, too.
3. Nile Coffee & Bar
1485 Dundas Street West
Neil-Anthony Watson
Neil-Anthony Watson
Neil-Anthony Watson
Neil-Anthony Watson
Neil-Anthony Watson
Neil-Anthony Watson
Toronto’s creative culture is woven into this Black-owned specialty coffee roaster, café and bar in Brockton Village. From drawing club and poetry workshops to listening nights and dance parties, events bring out the creativity of the community and the opportunity to connect in this warm, friendly atmosphere. Their pastries and coffee taste great, too. The beans are grown throughout the African diaspora, traded equitably and slow roasted — and you can sign up for a subscription to have them delivered.
4. 915 Dupont
915 Dupont Street
The essence of the kissa, an old-school Japanese tea house and listening lounge, inspired the design of this space, where warm wood, candlelight and paper lanterns meet a magnificent yet modest stone bar. Vintage speakers and vinyl set the speed. It’s a place meant for lingering and listening, whether over coffee and matcha during the day or the award-winning cocktail program by night, paired with live music and DJ sets. The menu of Japanese bites changes from lunch to dinner service, and runs late into the night to keep the vibes going.
5. Understory Café
505 Church Street
Beneath a canopy of trees, diversity thrives in the forest’s understory, just like it does at this inclusive, trans-owned and operated café in the heart of the Church-Wellesley Village. After facing barriers in the workplace, partners in love and life Rowan Jette Knox and Dani Gaede decided to create a cozy, quiet third space where everyone could feel a sense of belonging. They host queer events and provide opportunities for the community to come together over coffee, tea, pastries and sandwiches by day, and a curated selection of wine, cocktails and mocktails by night.
6. Coffee By Joy
163 Sterling Road
There’s more than meets the eye at this minimalist café in the Junction Triangle. Behind a shelf of ceramics that doubles as a proper secret door, Everything Gallery hosts exhibitions and art workshops surrounded by the displays. The creative theme extends to the café, where ceramics and other wares cover the surfaces, and coffee and matcha drinks are designed to look like art. Friday to Sunday, guests can linger over a Scandinavian-inspired brunch in the peaceful atmosphere while they take in the artistic and earthy surroundings.
7. The Matcha Tokyo
139 Ossington Avenue
Scott Walsh
Scott Walsh
Scott Walsh
Scott Walsh
Premium, authentic matcha is the centrepiece of this Japanese-founded and globally expanded café concept. The first Canadian location opened on Ossington this summer, but it isn’t a “North American version.” The team trained in Japan and promises to deliver the same recipes you’d find at their cafés in Tokyo. They grow their own matcha in Japan and make almost everything by hand, with real, natural ingredients. At the minimalist café in Toronto, they whip up matcha and lattes with that signature sweet-umami flavour — no bitterness here.
8. Denovia Cafe
2656 Yonge Street
Coffee culture and wellness have forged a duo as unexpected and beloved as the dog and duck friends on Instagram. Denovia Cafe brings advanced restorative therapies, sound healing, acupuncture and matcha lattes all under one very aesthetic roof. The wellness-focused café takes the coffee ritual to a whole new level, creating a space to slow down and reconnect. Monthly dessert omakase events and guided coffee experiences offer a more structured approach to intentional indulgence for the mind, spirit and body.
9. Ella’s Uncle
916 Dundas Street West
Jennifer Hedley, owner of Ella’s Uncle
After leaving her soulless advertising job behind, Jennifer Hedley fell in love with the “honest work” of cafés acting as third spaces and serving the community. She opened her own coffee shop with a friend who recently had a niece named Ella, and began baking her own goods in-house. It’s been 20 years, and the little café on Dundas West is still going strong with the same coffee supplier, homemade baked goods and heart as day one. The only things that have changed are the neighbourhood and the loyal customers who Hedley has watched grow up over the years.
10. Milky’s
Multiple locations
This string of cozy, comforting cafés takes the coffee experience beyond flavour. Their aesthetically pleasing classics and special drinks, like the famous oat latte with sesame, are crafted with a wide range of milk options; organic, local ingredients; and made-from-scratch syrups. For sit-in, they’re served in handmade ceramics from Japan, or cups that have been made by Milky’s. From the unconventional flavours and the presentation of the drinks to the calming atmosphere that combines work spaces with social areas, everything feels intentional.
11. Skoom Coffee
197 King Street East
Jacob Cote Photography
Jacob Cote Photography
Jacob Cote Photography
Jacob Cote Photography
A place to pause in Old Town Toronto, Skoom Coffee’s spacious interior soothes the senses with undulating dark wood features, exposed brick walls and a minimalist design that aims to be reminiscent of the outdoors. Art pieces add pops of colour, drawing the eyes. The ample seating and cozy nooks offer a third space where guests can slow down and recover from the overstimulation of downtown over Ontario-roasted coffee, fresh pastries, sandwiches, salads and snacks. They host community events like a casual monthly morning run club for anyone who wants to feel like they’ve earned their cuppa.
12. Dineen Coffee Co.
Multiple Locations
It’s no surprise that Dineen has won the hearts of many Toronto coffee lovers with its signature blends and stunning café locations. The OG spot at Yonge and Temperance is set inside the historic Dineen building, one of the oldest structures in the city. Everything in here is worth marvelling at, from the craftsmanship on the ceiling to the elaborate tiled floors and everything in between. Locally sourced bites like pastries, parfaits, sandwiches and salads glitter behind the display. It’s the kind of place that makes you feel like a main character waiting for their big moment.
