Cafes
Zaza Espresso Bar
I walk into Zaza Espresso Bar and order my cappuccino ($4.00) to stay. Co-owner Raffaele seems pleased with my choice and announces that he'll make mine extra special (I cross my fingers that this means "never ending"). He laments that the passers-by who order their lattes to go are missing out on the true espresso experience.
This is the brainchild behind Zaza, opened by Raffaele (who just recently moved from Italy) and his cousin. "We want to bring the culture of espresso to Toronto with an authentic Italian espresso bar," he says. It starts with a good product and is enhanced by the social experience. He stresses that in Italy, people take their time - they order a drink and before they know it, they've been sitting for hours. They taste the flavour, they enjoy company.
Toronto is by nature a hustle bustle city, always on the go - not limited to the way most of us drink our espresso. Raffaele crinkles his nose at his paper cups, which distract from the overall flavour of the drink and most of all, eliminate the social aspect he favours.
Coming from Naples ("the city of espresso and pizza," he beams), Raffaele brings his own espresso machine and his special blend, which includes a certain density of cream (an Italian tradition). He says that it's not uncommon for Italian families to boast their own espresso blends. On the menu as well is his own invention, a "latte multistrato", which is multi-layered, and in the summer he'll make espresso granita (iced) as well as gelato. There are a few Italian sweets to choose from, as well as some aperitivi to "cleanse the palate."
Zaza has been open in Yorkville for about a month; their first location opened about 8 months ago at Royal York and Eglinton. They also opened a bigger spot called Bar Mocha at St. Clair and Yonge, which offers more food and a lounge. But if you're ever in the Yorkville area, I can speak from experience - stop in and say hello to Raffaele. He will introduce himself to you and encourage you to stay for awhile - cause when it comes down to it, that's what enjoying an espresso is all about.
Update: Please note that this cafe no longer serves Illy coffee
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$4 for a cappuccino is outrageous.
In my experience, Italians sometimes like to sit for hours in a cafe, but they also enjoy espresso bars where they come in off the street, knock back a shot, then go right out again. Why would you want to linger for hours with an espresso, anyway? It'll get cold after a few minutes and then not be drinkable.
Yorkville definitely needs some authentic Italian kebabs. Its full of Italian bullshit. BTW I thought Starbucks bought the rights to $4 cup o crap.
I don't know why all these authentic Italian places in Toronto don't serve kebabs. Last summer I had kebabs in Italy. There was always a latte & kebab combo. Its like Timmy's bagel & double double but more better.
Like I said, I wouldn't pay $4 for a latte. But $5 for a kebab and latte would be enticing. I even asked a lebanese manning one of these authentic Italian places to make me a kebab. Business was slow so he maid me a pizza-kebab! :)
Also as a request from blogto readers, can you ask Raffaele to put kebabs in the menu? Raffaele if you are reading this can I get kebabs with that latte?
and if the espresso was any good i'd jump ship on my loyalty to urbana and never look back. i've been kind of waiting for a place like this to pop up in the area.
Incredibly enough, the government is looking to ban kebab shops in Italy:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/food_and_drink/article5622156.ece
In in regards to Zaza - I'm looking forward to giving this place a try! Can someone also tell me the exact location of Bar Mocha at Yonge/St. Clair? It's in my neighbourhood, but I've never come across it...
I'm saying the emphasis on quality at Starbucks rates way lower than most independent coffee shops. I'm admitting myself to being a Starbucks barista, not a real one. It's sad but true, maybe one day.
In addition, when people come into Starbucks for a latte, see 4 staff behind the counter, they expect to get their bullshit in a cup and be out the door within 2 minutes (just how Starbucks standards dictates). I feel that if somebody were wandering into a place like Dark Horse, observing the long line and the two staff members, they'd be a little more understanding that quality takes time.
BTW - Gino/a's are a North American product...NOT Italian at all. Not to digress but I do speak from experience being Italian and having worked and lived in Italy.
the more espresso bars in toronto the better :D!
A glass of water served before your espresso is made, just like they do in Italy.
Same price as other places in the areas, but believe me, these people at Zaza know their coffee.
It is a pleasure to visit each day, too bad it is a little smallish by cafe standards, but I'm being a bit too critical.
Raffaele, you are great and I might add it may not only be the illa coffee he uses but all the passion he adds to the way the coffees are made.
Try it you will like it
Voto: 10/10 :)
Thanks Alexa for providing the address of Bar Mocha. Have you been there? What are your thoughts?
Its comments like yours that would inspire me to go to this new hot spot. I have been told by Roman friends of mine that there is a place near the Vatican that serves perhaps the best cappuccino/espresso in all of Rome and ZaZa is the closest thing we will find on this side of the Atlantic. Maybe one day the piazza experience will find us there together.
I will suffer with espresso envy till I get the chance.
Troy
Comunque complimenti Raffaele, spero di conoscerti presto, magari oggi dopo l'Air Show.
Filippo "il fiorentino"!
And they are, in some ways, brutal. I don't see a huge line up of people asking for their money back or for drinks to be corrected, so I wouldn't think that if they fixed my drinks, somehow - the way crappy Starbucks would, without hesitation - I would be making them feel tired of fixing up people's drinks.
They know me. Sometimes, depending on who is around, I get my drink fixed with a smile and genuine friendliness. Everyone there is friendly and they do note that I'm a regular and make a point of asking how I am. So I wouldn't call anyone there unfriendly, but there does seem to be a chilliness to the place, like the staff are just too overworked and underappreciated. I don't know.
As for Zaza, umm, I haven't been in. But I promise to visit. I am a big supporter of indy coffee shops and like to do the crawls and my buddy Shawn at Voulez Vous is always talking to me about shops we can go visit when he can break away from his pretty blue Electra. So, Zaza, sans the Illy, Here we come! Eventually.
Love the indy shops, not chains!
The sad part is, the owner came to the restaurant I work at and told me to come by to Zaza's for an espresso so I came to support his business, but after that, I am never going back. You can be sure that my colleagues heard about this. Worst part is,it's a beautiful place, great owner and good espresso, but I'm turned off. Thanks anyways, Zaza's...