Hailed Coffee Toronto

Hailed Coffee

Hailed Coffee is a cafe with a nouveau twist on traditional Middle Eastern coffee, where Arabic coffee is served in handless small glasses and coffee is "hailed" with cardamom. Doors down from the beloved Saturday Dinette , Hailed is a welcome addition to Gerrard, a vibrant but mostly unchanging stretch on the border of East Chinatown and Leslieville.

Owner Salim Bamakhrama, an architect by trade with a Masters from UCLA and UofT, pulls inspiration from Scandinavia, with freshly painted white walls, mid-century furniture and trendy maple countertops. Intentionally sticking out like a sky-scraping condo in an old borough, Hailed is self-consciously flashy in a way that boisterously catches attention.

Hailed Coffee Toronto

"We fuse Eastern cultures with Western cultures around coffee. That's the common denominator: quality coffee and quality conversations," says Bamakhrama. Complete with seating area for lingering freelancers and families en-route to Gerrard Square, Hailed is a cultural hub where guests are encouraged to slow down and participate in tradition ritual of coffee.

Hailed Coffee Toronto

Salim insists on the "hailed" cappuccino ($4.00); a classic coffee made with light roast espresso, mixed with an in-house cardamom syrup and steamed milk. Unlike a typical heavy-weight coffee, the "hailed" coffee reigns supreme with extraordinary weightlessness. In Middle Eastern cultures, adding cardamom is a sign of gratitude - a pricier spice, with a unique taste.

Hailed Coffee Toronto

"We're one of the only coffee shops to serve Arabic coffee in Toronto. Commonly confused for Turkish coffee, Arabic coffee is roasted, ground, brewed and served differently. High-grade Yemeni or Ethiopian coffee beans are roasted to a golden colour with nutty undertones. The brewing method takes longer, up to 20 minutes. It is served in a pot with fenjans, small cups," says Bamakhrama.

Hailed Coffee Toronto

Along the counter, traditional sweets like dates ($0.50-$0.75) are on display, including Amber, Safawi, Sukkari, Ajwa, Khodari, and Mabroom (Salim's favourite). In Arabic coffee rituals, the date is slowly chewed while sipping on hot coffee. It's like eating a naturally-sweetened gummy bear, melting in hot coffee.

Hailed Coffee Toronto

Like Fahrenheit Coffee , Hailed has chosen to use a Dalla Corte ; a premium espresso machine that's harder to find in this city. Offering multi-roast coffee, with a classic Italian specialty blend from Rufino Roasters, there's a rotating selection of coffee to try.

On the south side, there's a corresponding brewing station for Arabic coffee, with Dallahs (coffee pots), stove-top and spices like saffron and cloves.

Hailed Coffee Toronto

Serving fresh croissants from Delysees , east enders can indulge in a savoury selection with Roasted Pistachio ($4.95), Hazelnut ($3.95), Butter ($2.65) and Bechamel Gruyere ($2.95).

Hailed Coffee Toronto

>Still in its early days, the menu will continue to expand, as Bamakhrama hints at a "hailed" chocolate chip cookie (still in the works). For now, the community continues to buzz with the scent or Arabic aromas spicing up Gerrard Street East.

Hailed Coffee Toronto

Photos by Hector Vasquez.


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