Balzac's Coffee
When I'm in the Distillery District, chances are I'll swing by Balzac's for a snack. It's one of my favourite cafe's in the city. In the winter, it's a good place to curl up with the weekend paper over a coffee and energy cookie on the comfy chairs upstairs. When the weather is nice, there are plenty of outdoor options including an expanse of picnic tables on the south side of the building.
Balzac's is a progressive cafe, meaning that unlike, say, Tim Horton's, they offer up soy milk, chai and wheat free snacks. More photos:
Inside the cafe. The lower level where all the action happens. This photo is taken from upstairs which offers a nice reprieve from the bustle below.
A package of their house blend.
Outside the cafe, at the south end of the Distillery District.
Balzac's Coffee, 55 Mill Street in the Distillery District
Discussion
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I recall the days when "progressive" referred to real politics, not to bicycling and fad diets. Sigh.
Sigh...we can't all be Dooney's. I thought progressive meant moving towards better conditions, better ideas, better methods. I'd say that a diet conscious shop is a start - transportation and diet have an awful lot to do with "real politics".
Wow, a coffee shop that has soy and chai. I've never heard of that before. I bet Starbucks would never do that, they're just so evil!
As for Dooney's, it is the absolute worst restaurant on its strip of Bloor. The service at the Brunny is light years ahead of the lackadaisical, coked up airheads that occassionally meander around to see if you're still there. I'm not a fan of message businesses, but the important thing to do is to excel at your business, then do politics. Doing the reverse is a bad idea, hence why they're doing all sorts of things to try to actually make money, rather than serve as a deficit laden haven for faux commies with million dollar real estate portfolios.
Balzac's runs a coffee shop first and foremost. They also happen to buy/sell fair trade coffee beans as opposed to many chain shops who buy rotten reject beans, roast the hell out of them and hope no one notices.
I don't understand where the argument is. A coffee shop that buys/sells fair trade beans, offers alternatives to dairy, is a haven for cyclists, etc - is more progressive than Tim Hortons or Starbucks anyday.
Perhaps Balzac's is not Alternative Grounds... yet. But for goodness sakes, we need more businesses moving towards these ideas. Let's help them instead of being so negative and critical.
Why so down on Blazac's - because of it's in the trendy distillery district?
Follow up - must give a shout-out for their croissants as well which they bring in fresh from Clafouti.
Overrated, taste like piss coffee.
Latte review: Crema was slightly disappointing. Too much milk. Integration of coffee and milk horrible - shows lack of skill with barista. Coffee blend lack depth and aroma.
However, this is still a step up for most cafes in Toronto
Have you seen their roaster!!! Its like racing in today's F1 with a car from the 50s. Most people focus on the beans when the roasting equipment actually plays an equally important role in the quality of coffee you cup.
Balzac's coffee is horrible. Fantastic space, great owner but retched coffee.
the coffee is terrible. it tastes burnt. the tables are always filthy and the service is terrible. you can get a better cup of coffee with better service elsewhere in the city. it's only due to the location. and don't bother complaining to the management nor the owner because they both a bitter attitude like their coffee.
It looks like some people don't like Balzac's coffee. Simple solution: don't go there and don't buy and drink their coffee.
As for their coffee being burnt, awful, or whatever, such comments are OPINION. In my opinion, their coffee is fresh and tasty, and the roasters (each location has its own) are in fact new technology.
Having been a regular at the original Stratford location since its opening in 1996, I can attest that it is busy year round, with locals and tourists alike coming back time and time again.
Are you critics suggesting that we are wrong? By all means, enjoy your Starbucks (bitter and overpriced in MY opinion), Second Cup or Tim Hortons.
I'll stick with Balzac's.
Oh, and I've never found Diana to be anything but friendly and polite. Then again, I've never gone up to her and told her that her coffee's terrible and burnt.
Oh, and it would appear to be the case that the New York Times' food critic thinks it's not so bad:
http://travel.nytimes.com/travel/guides/north-america/canada/ontario/toronto/attraction-detail.html?vid=1194774501800
Someone know what theyre talking about here. Im sorry, but that coffee is horrible. Love the space though!
I have been looking for the "hours of operation" everywhere. What time does it open??
We went there for the first time and we simply loved the place. We thought that their coffee was delicious and the ambiance is so worth it. A definite stop at the district!
There coffee not memorable. Sorry and this is the coffee shop I usually go to when I am there but coffee or latte leaves no distinct impression.
However I love the interior there. I prefer the upstairs area way more chill with great seating a view. Cool place to just chill if your in Distillaries.
Service there although busy is not that bad.
It's true, their coffee is awful.
it's true, their coffee is awesome.
Just depends on who you ask. That's the thing about personal taste - it's personal. Some people realize that and don't assume that everyone else has their tastes.
Personally, I love their coffee, and sometimes bring bags of it on visits to my home town to share with my friends, who also love it.
I can not say enough great things about Balzacs (both Stratford and Toronto locations). My ONLY comment remotely negative is that the lattes are served in tall glasses rather than mugs and at times it's just a wee bit too hot to carry - but I forget all about that when I take my first sip. One of thee best lattes in the city!
For those who dislike Balzacs coffee, its great to see that Toronto has some people who know the difference.
For those who like it? You have obviously never had a good cup of coffee before.
Grabbing a good espresso, capp or latte etc in this city is not easy but once you find it you will never return to places like Balzacs.
ie.
Darkhorse 1&2
Lit
Bisogno
Manic
Sam James
If youre not too too picky you can also try the following which will still be leaps and bounds ahead of Balzac although sometimes inconsistent
Mercury
Crema
Aside from those shops, toronto has a serious problem producing good quality beverages. Hopefully this is something that those handful of shops can change.
As for Clafoutis croissants.... Pathetic!
It takes more than wheat-free cookies and fair trade coffee to make a business "progressive". Progressive is both an objective comment, as in "Balzac's is progressive, because it only uses fair trade coffee." as well as a relative comment, "Balzac's is progressive compared to Tim Horton's, because it offers wheat-free products."
But whereas using fair trade coffee and offering wheat-free products used to be a milestone in progressive thinking, it is no longer unique, original or charting new territory. Many (most?) independent cafés use fair trade coffee and offer healthy products to cater to their customers' varied tastes, from lactose-free and soy milk to wheat and gluten-free pastries and organic or locally-inspired fare. To promote progress and expand progressive thinking, Balzac's would need to do more.
Moreover, why is any independent café that offers wheat-free cookies deemed progressive, while a multinational coffee chain that donates millions of dollars each year to help disadvantaged children labeled something less? If the proper calculus of whether a business is progressive or not takes into account the socially-beneficial actions of a business (use of fair trade coffee, support of community groups, etc.), less the socially-regressive aspects of a business (pollution, promotion of poor dietary choices, etc.), I doubt most indie cafés would qualify.
Its not a great cup of coffee - but its a great space and thus a decent spot to enjoy a reasonable cup of coffee.