Here Are The Best Hidden Coffee Shops In Toronto Where You Can Study In Peace
There's always new coffee shops setting up shop around Toronto and they're really freaking adorable. It could be their pristine latté art, the bold yet welcoming vibe of the staff, the rustic wood and homestyle interior decor... or it's just a great place to get some work done instead of the office or your Toronto condo.
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Unique coffee shops become especially appreciative this time of year when the leaves are falling from the trees and the air is fresh and brisk. There's nothing more advantageous than sitting in a photogenic coffee shop with your laptop and hot drip coffee in hand. Time to put your oversized sweater and hipster glasses on!
Here are 20 of the best coffee shops to study this fall:
Little Pebbles
Where: 160 Baldwin St, #8
This coffee shop not only features beautiful latté and cappuccino art, but also serves sparkling iced mojitos (virgin, of course) and beautifully coloured hibiscus teas, if you're a tea drinker. Their Japanese café storefront is absolutely adorable and very inviting. The vibe in this shop is quaint and polite, which means you're for sure going to get some work done. Like anything in relation to Japanese culture, their cakes and desserts are adorable too.
Run and Gun Coffee
Where: 1541 Dundas St. W
This eclectic coffee shop in the west end of Toronto is a little more dynamic and great for study group projects. It's not as dynamic as Dark Horse for example, which means it's still a super cool place to work on group projects with your team. The super awesome part is they have lots of exposed greenery and botanical decor in their coffee shop like succulents, cacti, large droopy ferns, 'forever trees' and various flowers. I don't know what it is about the combo of a botanical green + coffee, but it just works! It's super relaxing!
Bulldog Coffee Co (Inside Assembly Chef's Hall)
Where: 111 Richmond St. W
This is one of the many places in Toronto where their extravagant latté art fills your Instagram feed. Their famous hot beverages can be made with rainbow coloured hearts! There tend to be a large variety of people around Assembly Chef's Hall, but they have many seating tables so all you need are a pair of handy headphones for the afternoon.
Quantum Coffee
Where: 460 King St. W
This quality coffee shop serves deliciously roasted hot coffee that will probably heighten your sense of taste and smell. Yes- it smells ridiculously good. The space is definitely smaller, but students and freelancers can be seen working or reading on their minimalistic windowsill.
Wilder
Where: 382 Keele St.
This food and beverage company isn't JUST a coffee shop because they serve actual hot plate meals. However, their interior decor screams rustic coffee shop. They serve snacks like housemade brioche knots filled with garlic, pesto and goat cheese as well as brunch plates like homestead eggs and bacon. This is the perfect spot for a blissful morning with your coffee, croissant and laptop!
Cafe Landwer
Where: 165 University Ave
This is more of a retro Meditteranean café, but students and 9-5 financial district workers can still be seen grabbing hot beverages from their gigantic, high-tech coffee machines. Since its opening in the financial district on University and Adelaide just last month, locals can be found with their laptops and agendas nestled in Café Landwer's vintage 2-seat booths or sitting at a flat table by their bright windows.
Versus Coffee
Where: 70 Adelaide St. E
This bijou little coffee shop is painted all white in the Financial District in downtown Toronto and they're known for their once again, rainbow coloured lattés. You can get a pink hot beverage made with beets, or a bright green one made from organic matcha. Personally, I think this is a perfect coffee shop within the downtown core to do work simply because of its tranquil white interior and untroubled ambience.
Hale Coffee Company
Where: 300 Campbell Ave
This edgy and slightly offbeat coffee shop in The Junction features dark textiles, cold stone brick accents and cleverly engineered black hanging light fixtures. This larger cafe space also features clever intrigues like a foosball table and an expansive merchandise wall. Their roasting process can be visibly seen (and smelled) around the coffee shop using high-tech, astute coffee grinders. It's the perfect backdrop for whatever project you're working on. If you're a true coffee connoisseur, you should go here!
Dineen Coffee
Where: 140 Yonge St & 199 Bay St & 1042 Gerrard St E.
Dineen Coffee is nestled right in the heart of Toronto's Financial District and it's always bustling with businessmen and women smartly dressed in suits. This coffee spot is more interactive and crowded but it's the perfect place for meetings. It's exactly what you'd expect out of a snazzy coffee shop filled with crisp suits and talkative business people.
Neo Coffee Bar
Where: 100- 161 Frederick St.
This contemporary cafe makes excellent espressos and drip coffee. They have a clean to-go baked goods section for you to grab loaves, croissants, bagels and breakfast sandwiches. They have small widden tables and plush leather seating that make your overall study experience calm, cool and collected.
Fika Cafe
Where: 28 Kensington Ave
This cafe is for the perfect book-lover. It's a vibe mixture of hipster yet casual yet studious, all in one. It is actually a Swedish inspired cafe which is why the decor is so minimalist and the colours are so neutral and art-adorned. They sell ready-made sandwiches and have a secret back garden on their patio. This is the perfect spot to go to if you want some peace and quiet.
Dark Horse Espresso
Where: 125 John St, 630 Queen E, 215 Spadina #102, 684 Queen St W, 682 Queen E, 416 Front St E
This shop is located below a George Brown residence and it has 6 locations in Toronto (Yep- it's a successful and well-loved spot). The espresso bars usually feature outdoor patios which are great for the summer but during school season, their cozy corner couches and plentiful seating make it a great casual study spot.
Strange Love
Where: 101 Spadina Ave, 627 Queen St
This adorable coffee shop whips up bonbons and deluxe eclairs with your customized cappuccinos. They're known for their vivid pink TORONTO graffiti art outside of their storefront as well as their modern and neutral-coloured graffiti art that wrap the walls inside the shop. This is definitely one of the more fashionable and stylish coffee shops around the city, which is great for sparking creative vision while you work.
Reunion Island
Where: 385 Roncesvalles Ave
This coffee bar in the Roncesvalles neighbourhood gives me an old school, retro LA vibe. It has hanging plants on the walls as well as silver hardware and a cute mosaic floor that spells "Coffee." They display wooden tables around their cafe and also a very cool people-watching bar by the storefront, so make sure to check that out before they close that up for winter!
Early Bird Espresso
Where: 613 Queen St. W
This Queen West shop has free Wi-Fi, a hidden patio and they are all pretty serious about coffee. They serve delicious breakfasts like a pretty slice of avocado toast or eggs benny with a pink beet sauce. This has become a popular IG-spot but it's still a great place to bring your laptop and cozy up in a corner. Their walls are a stony-white brick complimented with dark wooden tables and lush greenery hanging from the ceilings.
Arvo Coffee
Where: 17 Gristmill Lane
Arvo is Aussie slang for 'afternoon' and this lovely space is the unruffled spot in the Distillery District to enjoy a cup of hot coffee and do some work. They serve rainbow lattes and delicious fruits on toast. This coffee shop has dark and homely attributes like their warm-lit lamps, brown coloured brick and wooden accents.
Sorry Coffee
Where: 102 Bloor St W
This spot shares a space with the trendy Kit & Ace in Yorkville and it's pretty much what you'd expect out of any shop in Yorkville: stylish. It features speciality drinks with designer cup art served in chic mugs. This type of spot is very refreshing for the mind as you're not situated in a zone where you stare at blank walls.
Goldstruck Coffee
Where: 130 Cumberland St
This industrial-style chic cafe features organic coffee, house-made pastries, organic smoothies and yummy sandwiches. It's located in glamorous Yorkville and many celebs have actually been seen grabbing a coffee from here (it is a minute walk from the Hazelton). Their interiors are warm and welcoming and they feature long wooden tables, perfect for study groups and gatherings.
Rooster Coffee House
Where: 479 Broadview Ave
Rooster Coffee House has 3 locations in the city, but the original spot located in Broadview is sentimental and nostalgic. If you're looking for a mid-week pick me up, this is the spot. It has snug vintage rugs tucked under your plush sofa seating as well as practical wooden chairs for people in the zone. They have a second floor dedicated to secluded tables and seats for people who really want to focus and a circular coffee bar in the heart of the shop.
Jimmy's Coffee
Where: 191 Baldwin St
There are dozens of Jimmy's Coffee scattered around Toronto but the coffee shop burrowed in Kensington is my favourite. This shop opened in 2013 in the heart of Kensington Market and it is truly unique not only because of the neighbourhood's intimate community, but because it is highlighted by a sweeping back patio and a studious energy within the shop. There's plenty of seating inside that fills up quickly with artists, students and locals!
All of the coffee shops and cafes listed here are quite picturesque and charming. They each have their own individual style, but one common theme that arises is that they love company. These locations across Toronto are much more imaginative study locations compared to your bland kitchen table or a library desk. Time to get the creative juices flowing!