The Mad Bean Coffee House

Cafe: The Mad Bean Coffee House
Address: 519 Eglinton Ave. W.
Phone: 647-235-2456
Store Hours: Mon-Fri 7 AM - 5 PM,  Sat-Sun 8:30 AM - 5 PM
Website: www.themadbean.com

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

Interior

Menu

Drinks - Soy/Almond/Lactose-Free Options?: Soy and lactose-free
- Offers rice milk
- Offers speciality drinks created by customers!: Anikoccino, Jenaccino, Liory's Latte and Ella-Misto
- Roasted coffee beans from Reunion Island and Velvet Sunrise Coffee Roasters
- Sells Reunion Island beans, tailored specifically for The Mad Bean Coffee House, $14.95/3/4 lb
- Sells The Mad Bean's Steampunk Coffee beans, $14.95/3/4 lb

Food - Vegan/Vegetarian/Gluten-Free Options?: Gluten-free only
- Offers gluten-free brownies and other baked goods
- Offers bagels
- Offers tuna and omelette sandwiches

View the full menu at: www.themadbean.com/OurMenu.html

Crimson Rooibos Tea, $2.25

Review

Drink of Choice: Ella-Misto, $3

The Indie Coffee Passport added a couple of new cafes this year that are further up north. The Mad Bean Coffee House was one of the two I first visited. Owned by a lovely family, I got to meet Brian, Lisa, and their son, Cody (I wish I have a cafe under my name!). Brian was more than happy to answer my questions regarding his cafe. He drew my attention to the fact that his clientèle was different compared to the cafes downtown and the surrounding areas. Therefore, there are no vegan or vegetarian options on the menu because there is no demand for it.

One of the exciting things that would happen at the cafe once in awhile is a drink-making contest! Customers could come in and create their own drink. The winner would have their drink become a specialty for The Mad Bean Coffee House and it would be named after them (check menu above)! This is pretty awesome! I liked how the cafe did this to change things up to make it fun for the customers.

The cafe hosts multitude of events, in which the space could be rented out for anything. There are local musicians that come in at noon every weekend. Since it's so popular, there is a waiting list for the performances. There are also readings that happen then and there. One event that the cafe was rented out for was a chocolate workshop! And like many other cafes, it sells local artwork along with handmade jewellery (which I sadly only noticed when the cafe was closing because I wanted to look through them).

One of the drinks available for the Indie Coffee Passport holders is the Ella-Misto, a specialty drink made by a customer! I got to try it and to be honest, I don't recall much about the actual drink. I went to so many cafes after this one before I got around to the actual review. From what I could remember, I think it was decent but a bit strong for my usual latte tongue (if you couldn't tell, I'm for the cafe than the actual drink most of the time).

I personally really enjoyed this cafe because it is owned by such a sweet family. They immediately checked out my blog after I told them about it! I would definitely love to visit again when I get the chance. I recommend this cafe for those living in the area!