Fahrenheit Coffee

Cafe: Fahrenheit Coffee
Address: 120 Lombard St.
Phone: 647-896-1774
Store Hours: Mon-Fri 7 AM - 6 PM, Sat 9 AM - 5 PM, Sun 9 AM - 3 PM
Website: www.fahrenheitcoffee.com

Wi-Fi?: Yes
Study Appropriate?: No
Stamp Cards?: Yes, but a prepaid card

Interior

Menu

Drinks - Soy/Almond/Lactose-Free Options?: Yes to all
- Vanilla syrup available, 50 cents extra
- Packaged coffee beans from Te Aro Coffee Roasters are sold, 1/2 lb for $10

Food - Vegan/Vegetarian/Gluten-Free Options?: Only vegetarian
- $7 paninis
- Vegetarian option for paninis
- Baked goods available but nothing vegan or gluten-free
- Muffin batters from Circles and Squares
- Croissants from La Bamboche

Latte, $3.75

Latte, $3.75

Latte, $3.75

Latte, $3.75

Iced Tea, $2.55

Americano, $2.35

Review

Drink of Choice: Cortado, $3.00

Fahrenheit Coffee is the one cafe I have frequent to the most thus far. This was my fourth visit, which is considered a lot because I am always at a different cafe each time. Sameer, the owner, loves his 90s-00s pop music. So you will definitely hear songs from N'Sync to Backstreet Boys to Justin Timberlake while enjoying a cup of coffee if you do happen to stay for awhile. Fahrenheit Coffee is not meant to be a cafe where you plan to sit down and do your work for hours due to its small space. It's a grab-and-go cafe that you would stop before work, during break or after work to get a snack and/or coffee. 

I wanted to try something new so I asked Sameer to give me a drink of his choice on the menu. I was given a cortado, which was made from Kenyan coffee beans, and I was guided through drinking it. The drink is extremely strong during the initial sip. But eventually becomes sweeter after with the milk once you get adjusted to the taste. However, it wasn't to my taste and Sameer had the barista, Benedictus, to make a complimentary cup of latte for my friend and I. Both of our lattes were adorned with latte art, a bear for me and a butterfly for my friend! You should have seen me squealing when the lattes were placed in front of us. The prettier the latte art, the happier I get.

For the coffee, roasted coffee beans from Te Aro are used. The beans are tweaked specifically for Fahrenheit Coffee and can be bought in 1/2 pound package for $10 in-store. All the drinks are made with high grade coffee beans to ensure for the quality. Muffins and croissants are brought in batters or half baked each morning to make sure that everything is baked fresh for the day. Paninis are made in batches every morning to sell. They usually run out by 2 PM each day. So if you want a panini, better get them early because they don't make them on the order. And for those who are used to stamp cards, you could buy a prepaid card for a set number of drinks ($31.50 for 9 lattes, $27 for 9 cappuccinos, and $18 for 9 americanos).

If you would like a chill cafe to hang out with a friend or a place to grab-and-go, Fahrenheit Coffee is definitely the place. It has amazing service and you can't help but become friends with the owner and baristas the moment you step in! I highly recommend.

Cafe 260

Cafe: Cafe 260
Address: 260 Richmond St. E.
Phone: 416-398-9222
Store Hours: Mon-Fri 6 AM - 7 PM, Sat 8 AM - 2 PM, Sun Closed
Website: www.cafe260.com

Wi-Fi?: Yes
Study Appropriate?: Yes
Stamp Cards?: No

Interior

Menu

Drinks - Soy/Almond/Lactose-Free Options?: Soy and almond
- Skim or 2% milk available
- Nutella and peanut buttercup flavoured latte available!
- Roasted beans from Savoury Grounds and Mountain View

Food - Vegan/Vegetarian/Gluten-Free Options?: Yes to all
- Vegan muffins and cookies
- Gluten-free cookies
- Vegetarian and meat chili available
- Paninis, sandwiches, melts and wraps available

Want the full menu? Download it here: http://www.filedropper.com/menusend

Medium Red Symphony, $4.45

Medium White Chocolate Latte, $3.95

Medium After 8 Flavoured Latte, $3.65

Large Maple Spiced Latte, $4.45

Meat Chili, $6.50 

Egg and Tomato Breggfast Sandwich, $4

Review

Drink of Choice: Medium Pumpkin Flavoured Latte, $3.65

A cafe I always tell people to go to whenever they ask for one located downtown is Cafe 260. Although this was my second visit, the cafe always stuck out in the back of my mind. Why? The first time I had their white chocolate latte, I was in heaven! The selection of coffee and specialty drinks here are absolutely phenomenal! (Take a look at the pictures of the drinks! Not only pretty but delicious as well, each and every one of them!). My friend who came with me could definitely back me up here.

The coffee beans are grind to brew at the moment of purchase, so your drink is always at it's freshest! For decaf drinkers, they use the Swiss water process, which has no chemicals, and has it tasting just like regular coffee. As well, in order to make their delicious lattes, they use the Pacific Barista Series for those who are curious.

Bob, the owner of the cafe, decided to open up Cafe 260 after his retirement in construction. He wanted it to be a place of comfort where people could come back to and enjoy their experiences there shared with friends or alone. Cafe 260 does just that and to add to the touch, sells the art adorned on the walls. One of the most popular series is by the artist Jen Masters (www.jenmasters.ca) called Dressed to the Nines (picture below). The series is a collection of sophisticated girls wearing dresses made out of the number nine! The art pieces definitely stood out to me when I was there the first time because I was contemplating on buying a piece!

For all the Starbucks lovers out there, I want you to take this challenge and visit Cafe 260. Then let me know if you have been converted! (Comparing Starbucks's Pumpkin Spiced Latte with Cafe 260's Pumpkin Flavoured Latte, I prefer Cafe 260's 100%!)

Regarding the holidays: The cafe is closed for the holidays and reopening on January 3rd. Also, if you are a regular, stop by this Friday for a drink on the house!

Redline Coffee & Espresso Bar

Cafe: Redline Coffee & Espresso Bar
Address: 354 Queen St. E
Phone: 647-344-3865
Store Hours: Mon-Fri 7 AM - 6 PM, Sat 8 AM - 5 PM, Sun  9 AM - 5 PM
Website: N/A

Wi-Fi?: Yes
Study Appropriate?: Yes
Stamp Cards?: Yes

Interior

Menu

Drinks - Soy/Almond/Lactose-Free Options?: Yes to all
- Offers syrup made from scratch for 50 cents extra; different types of syrups are available each visit (ex. gingerbread, coconut, and eggnog!)
- All fair-trade organic coffee
- Offers a selection of David's Tea
- Ghetto Mocca: dripped coffee with no-name chocolate syrup

Food - Vegan/Vegetarian/Gluten-Free Options?: Yes to all
- Gluten-free and vegan double chocolate brownies baked fresh every morning
- Gluten-free and vegan coconut chocolate blondies
- Kuinoa bars
- Snacks from Embrace Foods and Cravings Gone Clean
- Vegetarian and meat options available for sandwiches

Double-Shot Latte, $3.57

Regular Toasted Marshmallow Flavoured Latte, $3.60

Review

Drink of Choice: Regular David's Tea, Chocolate Rocket, $2

Redline Coffee & Espresso Bar is an art gallery cafe east of downtown Toronto with the cutest menu boards ever! I absolutely love the variety of specialty coffee they serve, with awesome names to boot! Such as their hit drink Ghetto Mocca (dripped coffee with no-name chocolate syrup) and "Hawt" Chocolate. Now, isn't that fun? It always make a cafe more memorable with little quirks like that.

What made me really happy was when they offered David's Tea for Indie Coffee Passport holders. I personally never had David's Tea except for the little samples, so this was a great opportunity to try it out. Despite always ordering lattes from the cafes I hit up, I am a huge tea lover. With the numerous David's Tea options offered, I had the barista, Amanda, help me narrow down my choice. I chose Chocolate Rocket (doesn't the name itself make you want some??) and drank it happily with no additional sugar that I would usually add if I had coffee. 

I really enjoyed sitting and working at the front of the cafe's windows. The overall atmosphere was really nice, especially later on in the day. I was disappointed that they didn't open beyond 6 PM during the weekdays, because it's one of those cafes you can sit through the night.

A lot of cafes have art up for sale but Redline is an art gallery where artists can have openings if they wish. The art changes up about once every month. The cafe also sells $10 mug cuffs (picture below)!

I will definitely re-visit Redline Coffee & Espresso Bar sometime in the future! 

i deal coffee (Kensington)

Cafe: i deal coffee (Kensington)
Address: 84 Nassau St.
Phone: 416-364-7700
Store Hours: Mon-Sun 9 AM - 7 PM
Website: www.idealcoffee.ca

Wi-Fi?: Yes
Study Appropriate?: Yes
Stamp Cards?: No

Interior

Menu

Same menu from i deal coffee (Ossington) review

Drinks - Soy/Almond/Lactose-Free Options?: Soy and Almond
- No syrups offered
- Extra 25 cents for paper cup to go
- i deal coffee roasts their own coffee for sale
- $8.50/half pound of coffee and $9 for coffee of the week
- $16/pound of coffee and $18 for coffee of the week

Food - Vegan/Vegetarian/Gluten-Free Options?: Vegan and Gluten-Free
- Gluten-free macaroons
- Muffins, scones, and squares
- All baked goods from Desmond and Beatrice

Latte, $3.75

Regular Cafe Mocha, $4.25 

Regular Rooibos Masala Chai Tea, $2.25

Review

Drink of Choice: Latte, $3.75

I mentioned briefly in my previous review for i deal coffee (Ossington) that I preferred that location over this one. I take that back.

During my previous experience when this i deal coffee was the FIRST cafe I had ever been to in Toronto, I wasn't fond of it at the time. This day, I arrived around 4 PM, when the winter night arrived much sooner. The two previous visits I had with the cafe, it was during the day. So when I got inside the cafe, the atmosphere was much more different than I last remembered. The inside was illuminated in red and had such an intimate atmosphere. I actually wanted to stay and experience the ambience because it was so nice.  Unfortunately, it was incredibly packed and had absolutely no available seats (except for a couple of stools, but there was not enough space for me to sit and study). I was disappointed that I didn't get the chance to immerse myself at this location to fully re-evaluate my opinions on it.

The popularity of i deal coffee could definitely be seen with the mad rush I experienced. It took maybe ten minutes before I had the chance to quickly talk to the barista, Stefania, about the cafe.

The food and drinks served are the same at both this and the Ossington's location. This is the first location out of the three in Toronto (with Yonge and Lawrence as the third) to be opened about seven years ago. About a couple of months ago, this location decided to post art pieces from local Toronto artists on the walls. They change it up about once every month and have up whatever images they feel fit with the cafe's environment.

This location has a front patio with benches and seats, some made out of tree trunks. Despite winter dawning, there were a few people that still sat outside in front of the cafe and enjoyed their coffee.