Cafe: El Cafecito
Address: 3 Westmoreland Ave.
Phone: 416-623-7752
Store Hours: Mon-Fri 8 AM - 5 PM, Sat-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?: Only almond
- Roasted coffee beans from Classic Gourmet and Bona Fide Bean
- Offers iced latte in the summer
- Offers cortado
- 25 cents discount if you bring your own mug/cup
Food - Vegan/Vegetarian/Gluten-Free Options?: Yes to all
- Offers empanadas and sandwiches
- Baked goods from Circles and Squares
- Offers a selection of ice cream, limited in the winter time
- Offers affogato, ice cream with espresso
Single Shot Latte Macchiato, $2.85
Review
Drink of Choice: Double Caffe Latte, $3.80
The first time I was at El Cafecito, I wasn't all too impressed. I remembered a number of dead wasps or flies on the windowsill beside me. Ever since then, I dreaded going back. It was not pleasant being in a cafe that wasn't so clean (chilling with the wasps, does that sound like a good cafe experience to you?).
But second time was the charm when I came in, impressed with how full the cafe was. The previous year I went, there were a lot fewer customers. However, despite being full, the cafe was quiet as people worked away or kept their nose behind the newspaper. And no more bugs on the windowsill! Yayy!
To get in touch with its Latin American roots, El Cafecito offers dancing lessons after the cafe closes down and changes the place into a dance floor. They have tango every Wednesday and salsa every Thursday between 7 PM to 10/11 PM. So if you are looking for something new to try, why not with some fun dance lessons to bring out your inner dancing queen/king? With some coffee on the side of course.
Overall, I think this is a sweet place for people who would like to study or work in peace but still be surrounded by people (does that make sense?). It's one of the reasons why I whole-heartedly love cafes: in order to work with an environment full of people. Despite it being full, for this trip and the one I did after, it was as quiet as the library, except for the light instrumental music in the background.
