Take a trip throughout Latin America without leaving Queen West at El Almacen. This cafe specializes in mate, a earthy tasting drink made from the yerba mate, a species of holly. The drink, which at El Almacen is served in a gourd and drank through a filter-tipped metal straw called a bombilla, is ubiquitous in

This coffee shop/bakery has been playing retro tunes and baking some of the city’s best oatmeal cookies for over 16 years. Ella’s Uncle oozes cool. When you walk into the vibrant café, the lime green walls and black and white tiles entrance you and make you feel as if you’ve stepped back in time. Wafts

Fast friends since first working together some seven years ago, Rachel Pellett and Heather Mee had long dreamt of opening up their own eatery. The duo officially opened Emma’s Country Kitchen today as something of an ode to Pellett’s grandmother, who ran a restaurant of the same name near Caledon. Keeping things homey and simple, the kitchen serves up fresh baked goods in addition to frozen meals and a weekend brunch.

There’s nothing quite like the delicious taste of a moist and mouth-watering loaf of sourdough bread, and that’s exactly what Emmer is best known for. Before the opening of the bakery, dentist-by-day owner Phillip Haddad was testing out his recipes for years, offering test tastes to anyone who stopped by. Now, though the bakery may

Empire Espresso is a cosy little coffee shop with plenty of sweet treats right in the heart of Little Italy. This queer-owned business is dishing out customizable bean blends and in-house baked goods like gingersnaps, rosemary lemon shortbread cookies, blackberry and lavender biscuits, plus so much more. Empire Espresso has a bright and airy colourful

At Ethica Coffee Roasters, every cup of coffee embodies four integral values that define the essence of the establishment. The first two values, ethics and quality, are interwoven, as Ethica takes great pride in sourcing only delicious, sustainable coffee that has been produced in verifiably safe ways. The coffee is skillfully served by a team

With seven years in the coffee business under his belt and having placed second overall in the Canadian Eastern Regional Barista Championships last year, Sameer Mohamed has got coffee boiled down to a science. And as every good scientist knows, the proof is in the numbers. A major variable in brewing, according to Mohamed, is temperature – hence the name of his new cafe, Fahrenheit Coffee, opened earlier this week on The Esplanade.

These days, Torontonians seem to be paying attention to Denmark’s most recognizable sandwich, the smørrebrød. Bloordale’s Karelia Kitchen is the main player, and earlier this summer Cava did a Denmark-inspired pop-up that showcased the open-faced sandwich. Meanwhile, Fika — a recent, more permanent addition to Kensington’s culinary scene — keeps things classic with its take on the ’wich ($7.50).

Forno Cultura, an authentic Italian bakery, has opened in First Canadian Place. Andrea Mastrandrea established the brand in April 2013 with a large production-and-retail space on King West near Portland.

Forno Cultura is a beautiful, Italian-style bakery on Queen between Dovercourt and Ossington. Each day, bakers whip up freshly made breads and pastries using Italian recipes that have been passed down through generations. Some of the most popular items are the pugliese bread (a rustic loaf similar to a ciabatta) and chocolate-hazelnut biscotti that have

Fuel+ is a healthy food destination that specializes in juices, coffee but, most of all, smoothies. The smoothie menu boasts extensive 20 different flavour combinations, each packed with all the vitamins and nutrients needed for hours’ worth of productive energy. No smoothie has any gluten or added sweeteners and flavours and are served in jars

Full Stop Cafe is a Junction favourite for many reasons. First, a massive back patio that has room for everyone, their friends and their friends’ mothers. Inside, there’s room for even more. But at Full Stop, they won’t mind if you come in on your commute to fuel up some more before you keep going.

Toronto may not be known for being home to coffee snobs the way that cities in South America and Australia might be, but that doesn’t mean we don’t know great coffee when we taste it. And we know Hale Coffee is great coffee. This coffee shop is all about fair trade, directly sourcing beans from

The first North American outpost of the Taiwanese bakery chain, Hazukido specializes in expertly-executed croissants. There are dozens of sweet and savoury flavours available, ranging from hazelnut chocolate to salted egg york and cod roe. High-quality ingredients and a meticulous, 72-hour baking process yield croissants with a light, honeycomb-shaped interior and slight exterior crispiness. An

Himalayan Java is a café straight out of Nepal — literally. Fashioned as the Asian nation’s first gourmet coffeehouse (think a more exotic, better, less ubiquitous version of Starbucks), it’s meant to promote socially responsible brews around the globe.

Torontonians can’t get enough of HotBlack Coffee, known for its bright red exterior and minimalist design. The coffee shop is innovative in using the latest high-tech water and espresso systems to ensure all water going into the coffee is as pure as possible. Made from coffee beans sourced directly from farmers and led by a

Once you check in, you’ll never want to check out. Hotel Gelato has been Forest Hill’s go-to destination for rich and delicious gelato for more than 10 years. Decorated to look like a boutique hotel in Europe, a trip to this gelato destination feels like being transported to another place and time. Regulars that come

Isle of Coffee is a bright and airy cafe serving specialty coffee and dessert in the Eglinton West neighbourhood of Toronto. With stone floors and plants hanging from the many shelves, this comforting and bright space is the perfect spot for an afternoon sip or a day spent catching up on emails. The menu here

A Toronto institution, Jimmy’s Coffee has been preaching the “death before decaf” gospel for over 10 years. But it does have decaf options. Founder Phil Morrison’s initial concept was to a) honour his, mine and your favourite Jimmies, from Jim Henson to Jimi Hendrix, and b) create a warm and familiar setting where high-quality coffee

Just to the side of the central exhibition space at Northern Contemporary, a gallery that specializes in local illustration artists, Koffee Kween rests on a throne of meme-inspired coffee culture. Offering the usual gamut of coffee beverages like flat whites, cappuccinos and lattes, they also make the trendier matcha and chai tea lattes. Of course,