Cafes
Red Bean Espresso
Red Bean Espresso has been open for two-and-a-half months now with a steady stream of traffic says the chatty barista as I order a latte.
On this day, however, the space is empty. Inside, there are hues of white and green. There are cool grey accents here and there, a couple of photos by local artists hanging on the walls and a decorative, um, slab of wood hanging from the ceiling. But, despite the cafe's colourful name, not a touch of red is to be found in the clean, open-concept space.
After taking a seat, I try their latte ($2.95 for 12oz). The espresso stands up well against the milk, there is a hefty head of microfoam and it is served at the perfect temperature. That said, I wish Red Bean took up latte art, as nothing is more appealing than a beautiful Rosetta or heart design atop any crafted beverage.
Red Bean also sells your regular cafe beverages including Americanos ($1.75 8oz, $2.50 12oz), cappuccinos ($2.64 8oz, $3.65 12oz) and mochas ($3.40 8oz, $3.65 12oz). A single shot of espresso is $1.50 and a double is $2.25 while tea costs $2 for 12oz and $2.25 for 16oz. Soy and almond milk is also available for an absurd price ($.50 8oz, $1.00 12oz, $1.50 16oz).
After my latte, I order a cream cheese filled mini pumpkin loaf ($2.50). The mini loaf is very moist with a crunchy exterior and although the baker could have had a heavier hand with the cream cheese filling, the loaf is delicious. For the most part, Red Bean's pastry case is filled with muffins, mini loaves, cookies and other popular baked goods, prepared and baked in-house except for a few specialty cookies shipped from Europe. For lunch, there is a selection of panini ($5.75) and soups ($3.75) available.
To my surprise, the cafe is closing early on this particular visit so I can't order the espresso shot I want to try. That said, a closed-down espresso machine doesn't stop me from checking out the "market" in the back of the cafe. Aside from a few mason jars of different antipasti and a few paper bags of hard candies and/or marshmallows, this part of the cafe is, well, a little barren.
With WiFi being installed soon (why wait months after opening?) and specialty days throughout the week (Mommy and Me Mondays as well as Toonie Tuesdays), I have a sneaky suspicion Red Bean Espresso could do well, provided it gets its hours of operation in order and does away with the soy milk surcharge.
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Also, I hope their americanos are not $175 for an 8oz. I think there's a decimal point missing there! ;)
Coffee is the great and never seem to walk out of there without a baked good in hand.
Seriously, $1.50 extra??
Maybe it's just my personal tastes, but I don't think this is a place that could unequivocally be called beautiful, and product quality is kind of skipped over in exchange for a run down of all the unbelievably amazing things on offer.
I'll be sticking with Cafe Novo, thanks.
Not sure about the comment "beautiful interior" -- place looks too open and sterile.
Definitely worth checking out!
Red Bean Espresso has been my new coffee place since it opened. Have you tried their Butter Tarts?.....they are the best I have had in a while.
It's hard to understand why people choose to put places down.
Red Bean Espresso has been my new coffee place since it opened. Have you tried their Butter Tarts?.....they are the best I have had in a while.
It's hard to understand why people choose to put places down.
I agree with Claudia, there is no need to put places down... there is more than enough coffee to be served in this city. Let's try and be constructive and mature on this site please!
For what it's worth, I didn't read Carl's review as an advertisement for Red Bean.
I do agree that knocking down the Red Bean in the comments for some of its product and pointing out that Cafe Novo is just a block or two further East is a little offside, since this should be about the Red Bean. That said, the nature of the service industry is that if a customer doesn't agree with an aspect of the product, they'll go elsewhere (and probably tell their friends about it). Sharing that information here isn't immature, it's providing further testimony regarding the Red Bean.
I'm sorry to say that I went into the Red Bean during its first week and was put off by the somewhat bleak interior and a mix-up with my order. I haven't been back, but I walk by on occasion and am glad to see they've come a long way in terms of creating a welcoming atmosphere. I might even consider giving their product another chance if my cafe of choice isn't convenient, or I see a product that isn't on offer there.
Have a better day.
I do also agree that it looks much better inside now that it did at first, and that's a stretch of Bloor that could use a bit more going on in it, so hopefully they work out the kinks and stick around.
I guess this article is a lot like the Red Bean -- improving beyond the shaky first impression?
mmm I think it's odd that the author would edit this review so dramatically, you should be able to stand by your own impressions rather than be steered my the "comments" section. Weak.
After reading this review and some of the comments here I was surprised at how different they were from the reality I experienced. That is the key isn't it? comments should be based on factual experience. The piece of wood hanging from the ceiling are actually beautiful stainglass windows. What surprises me more is learning that an author or reviewer would change a review. I've never heard of such a thing, so much for journalistic integrity. Which brings me to another point of what I find to be a disturbing trend among reviewers in this city and on blogs such as this is what inspires the nature of the review or the about face, case in point. One of your reviewers is actually a current barista at cafe novo. I smell something fishy.
At the end of the day what I want and what all customers want is choice, the more competition the better.
I'm not sure what that has to do with this reviewer or his experience at Red Bean.
Obviously we wish Red Bean all the best.
The coffee was great (I had an Americano), and the person working (the owner) was very friendly. The inside is nice, if not a little bare.
Seating is pretty limited, and I didn't see if they had any plugs for laptop users, but that's not a big deal.
I love Cafe Novo, but I'll definitely come here too. Especially in winter, since it's closer to where I live.
Depending on how I feel (or taste), I'll drop by a Cafe Novo, Lit, Coffee Tree, Tinto or even a Red Bean. The Starbucks, Second Cup's, or Timothy's are last resorts (for me).
That's the great thing about living in this city -- WE HAVE OPTIONS!!!
And, the great thing is these 'options' are relatively close by -- SO, EXPLORE!!!
I would recommend frequenting the Red Bean as soon, and as often, as possible. You won't regret it!
I recommend frequenting Red Bean Espresso as soon, and as often, as possible.
I thought she was generous as well, i came home to find extra cupcakes with the cake i ordered.
I thought that was a really nice thing to do for my son's party.
thanks iris!
you are the best!
I hope they add more seating.
The service was also really great! Smiles from ear to ear . We chatted for a bit but we didn't want to leave, it felt like we were talking to an old friend. I also wanted to mention that on our way out she slipped us an extra treat. So sweet! And humble she is all about supporting local business, she recommended we try hula girls and cafe novo
Once an item is sold out it is gone for the day, hence baked fresh daily. I think the fact that she has a whole day dedicated to moms called mommy mondays, not mommy lattes means she is catering to locals. I work in construction and I understand building codes and I have used their bathroom. You can't just add a change table because then it would be a barrier to people in wheelchairs or the hallway because it would block the fire exit. Just remember, the red bean is for everyone not just moms.
They provide a great product and great service. this is just my impression from reading this blog, i think if the cafe down the street was so confident in their product and service you wouldn't have to get friends and family to put the other place down. It just looks really bad, people are turned off by that sort of thing.
Red Bean and Good Neighbour are definitely our favorites and I definitely do not agree with the review in this blog. Iris is a fantastic hostess/owner who is always willing to take the time to have a friendly word with her customers. The espresso coffee is as good as any of the other espresso shops and the goodies (that Iris bakes 100% of from scratch) are extremely tasty. She's now brought in some gelato which I have yet to try but really, what could be better on a hot summer day?
I always have the same coffee (medium vanilla latte) and every single time my drink has been very tasty. The consistency and quality of the drink has not decreased since I first went to the Red Bean and that's definitely not what I can say about other cofeeshops in the general neighbourhood... I won't mention names like other people.
I'm not sure why you, Carl (blog post author), had such a bad experience when he went there in January, but I challenge you to go back there now for another round if you haven't already.