Cafes
Jimmy's Coffee
Jimmy's Coffee is a cozy little spot that serves as a refreshing hideaway from the more trendy joints found on King West.
10 year coffee veteran Ashleigh "Max" Waters, formerly of Hank's doesn't want you to order off the menu board above the counter. At Jimmy's customer satisfaction is king, so just tell her what you're in the mood for and she works her magic behind a puff of milk steam.
Under the black and white gazes of famous "Jimmy's" (Carter, Hendrix, Morrison et. al), the space evokes a very relaxed, general store attitude. There is lots of seating, arm chairs, bar stools and tables, and a a patio under construction in the back. In addition to sweet offerings from Circles and Squares, lunch-goers can enjoy a soup and scone special for $6.75 (tax included).
At Jimmy's, you don't pay by the size of the drink -- you pay for a single or double shot ($1.67-$2.14) in a cup size of choice. Kids in tow? No problem, Jimmy's charges "kid friendly" prices for smaller versions of their (obviously) non-caffeinated drinks. For the tea lover, a vast selection means you should be able to find something to suit your tastes. While none of Jimmy's coffee's and teas are fair trade, they purchase beans from micro-lot growers, with an eye toward strict quality control.
There's also a community oriented vibe to be found at Jimmy's. The cafe recently held a silent auction of works by local artists with the proceeds going to Doctors Without Borders.
Jimmy's is open Monday to Friday, 7-6, and 8-6 on the weekends.
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this kind of place is for everything chains are not
Excellent coffee here. The baristas are great.
I will be checking it out shortly!
they're all yours.
@madalinaa
duhlicious.com
Will be interesting to see what kind of a crowd they get in the spring/summer. The local Starbucks also runs fairly short hours and only really gets evening business Fri/Sat from 905ers and during the summer. King W locals are either working in the evenings or drinking, no serious demand for coffee after 6.
Taste is very unique at La Merceria.
My admittedly biased opinion is that this is the finest cafe "Max" has ever helmed.
I think if your in the customer service business and particularly the resto business, you need to be open after 6pm in order to compete with other establishments. I only get home after 6pm and being able to stop in for a nice treat and coffee would be wonderful.
very disappointing because the coffee is very good! Spicesafar thankfully stays open after 6, but I like variety.
I watched the morning crowd roll in and I hope it continues to grow.
Max is down to earth. We talked shop because I'd like to be in the biz and get into coffee more than the average coffee lover. We very much see things - barista championships, brightness of a lot of coffee in TO, approach to the coffee biz generally - the same way. Max is exactly the kind of person who should be doing what she's doing. And she's super friendly.
The shot she pulled for me didn't wow, which isn't a knock on the coffee or her skills, but it was good. It was a blend of quite a few beans. I forget how many. It was a medium bodied coffee with a satisfying chocolatey taste and no bitterness or brightness. As for espresso wowing, as we discussed, That's not so easy to get but it doesn't stop a skilled barista from making a satisfying cup as long as she's working with good coffee and equipment.
This is a nice little spot, physically. I could go without the tv screen, since they are invariably turned on to a sports channel. If you want to kill the vibe of a coffee shop for me, have a tv inside, turned on to a sports channel. Doesn't anyone get sick of sports all the time?! Okay, I still like Jimmy's and forgive Max, since we could ignore the tv whose volume was off.
I also like this nabe. It's not intense but it's happening. It's a great place to bring friends or family, walk around, pick a spot to eat and make your way to Jimmy's. It's 2 minutes from either the King or Queen streetcars. I wish Jimmy's many years of good luck and fun and happiness. The tv not so much. But I guess I'm in a minority on that one.
I would agree that Max is hitting her groove helming Jimmy's. =D
I love the personalized "touches" in the baked goods labels, knit cup holders (eco-friendly!) and willingness to craft a drink when you can't decide what you want!
(& If you want them to stay open after 6pm, may I suggest that you offer your services & take the late shift? lol...)
Other than that, Jimmy's is wonderful.
In this instance, if we put a hot beverage into an organic cup, made of corn and meant for cold beverages, it would have melted and fallen apart. It is more than a cup concern. It was a concern for the flavour and quality of your beverage.
We tried to get the opportunity to remake it, but you walked out without allowing us to explain the reason.
We love our customers and wish everyone the best coffee and experience at Jimmy's.
It's the kind of place you only bring a date to if it's serious. you don't bring flings here. they will not be able to stay away and then you'll have to run into them there drinking wonderful coffee and chatting up your favourite sassy barista.
maybe thats what happened here. Maybe you changed your order during peak time because the heat of your coffee reminded you that you had been burned by love before and the heartache was too much. But the staff at Jimmy's knows better. they not only make great coffee, they pay attention to their customers and kno just what you need. I bet that sassy barista saw the sad glimmer of rememberance in your eye and decided not to let you put your heart and your coffee on ice.
or maybe they were just busy making everyone elses drinks that didn't change their orders
I don't see any in the pics but it mentions in the write up.
Most reviews are from friends/staff. Especially Yelp on the new location.
They don't make/bake anything on site... baked goods are from the pastry/bakery shop whole sale supply factory that sells mass produced garbage.
I have seen the owner and manager in other cafe's in the area snooping around to see what everyone else is making and selling.
Nothing but copy cat bullshit with attitude.
Stop passing everything off as your own.
FYI. Way better coffee places out there.