Best of Toronto
The Best Cappuccino in Toronto
The best cappuccino in Toronto is the result of a contest with brutally narrow parameters - marrying an espresso pull to a head of milk froth is the test of a barista, and the result tells you everything you need to know about the people working behind the counter. Pretty patterns carved into the foam are an elaboration that says a lot about the skill of the barista, but adds nothing to the taste. Still, the proliferation of foam and crema flowers, hearts and heraldic flourishes says a lot about the baroque state of the current coffee market.
Perched midway between the bracing and austere espresso shot and the milky overkill of the latte, the cappuccino is probably the perfect coffee drink, mulling down the bitter punch of the bean with air and dairy foam, and a contest for the best cappuccinos in the city provides a ranking of coffee shops in general.
Here are the 12 best cappuccinos in Toronto as voted by readers of this site.
Sam James Coffee Bar
Sam James takes his coffee seriously. He has been called a “celebrity barista” but the term “coffee geek” would do just as well, with no offense intended - the man truly loves his coffee, and he’s become the standard bearer for coffee geeks in their java boutiques all across the city. More »
Crema Coffee
The Junction favourite expanded to a second location this past year next to Freshii at Yonge and Bloor. Airy foam and dark espresso makes for a dramatic drink, like Tim Burton’s Hamlet. More »
Dark Horse Espresso Bar
Bring your laptop, ignore your neighbour at the big communal tables, and call it city living, one decade into the 21st century. With two locations and counting, Dark Horse makes a smooth, sweet cappuccino with a velvety froth, all the better to fuel the staycationers and telecommuters. More »
Te Aro
Another forthrightly geeky coffee house that offers cuppings to educate regulars on the mysteries of the bean. Under the foam art the froth is consistent, almost like a souffle, while the shot has a pleasant bitterness that almost disappears with a bit of sugar. More »
Manic Coffee
In most cappuccino the coffee is the low note; this College St. cafe manages to do this with the milk - some sort of violation of the laws of physics, I’m sure, thanks to an espresso pull with only the faintest bitterness. More »
Mercury Espresso
The airiest foam so far sits on top of an espresso shot with a hint of bitterness that disappears with the second sip. This cafe, near the edge of where Riverside turns into Leslieville, has an edgy reputation, but their cappuccino has a fleeting aftertaste that goes from cup to memory with only the briefest hesitation. More »
Jet Fuel
Locals are fiercely loyal to this Cabbagetown institution, and the place can feel like a caffeinated Cheers most of the time. Jet Fuel predates the T.O. coffee craze by many years, and it shows - no milk foam artwork here, just a pillow of milky foam with a bead of coffee punched through the middle, with Jet Fuel’s signature punchy espresso singing through. More »
Cherry Bomb
Paper cups and line-ups – locals know what to expect from this Roncy Village favorite. Yes, the baked goods are amazing, but don’t let that distract from one of the most consistently satisfying coffee shops in the city. Foam art in a paper cup might seem like a waste, but let’s just call it art for art’s sake. More »
Bulldog Coffee
“I call it a scorpion tail,” the barista tells me as he hands me what was probably the most complex bit of cappuccino foam art on the list. The espresso pull has mere traces of bitter tang, the milk is so airy it’s hard to see how it supports the artwork etched on top - a perfect summer cappuccino, in other words. More »
The Common
You can play spot the indie star in this cafe hangout smack in the middle of the city’s west end musician’s enclave. Or you can enjoy the massive flavour of their cappuccino, which is dominated by a big major seventh chord of espresso, which only harmonizes with the milk after a dash of sugar intervenes. More »
Seb's Cappuccino
Finally, a truly old school coffee joint, with a pool table in the back and soccer on the TV, in Toronto’s often-overlooked east end Italian enclave. No foam frescos here either - just a neat, potent shot with a thick head of milky foam. The owners blend their espresso from three different brands, but it’s the sort of effort that’s happily obscured in a place that prides itself on its effortlessness. More »
Discussion
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Side note: the pictures above are basically crema porn.
I know Mercury has great coffee but the service is pretentious and offensive. I cant bring myself to go back.
I'm pretty impressed with the spadina location of darkhorse, they've managed to keep up the quality while dealing with alot of volume.
Of the 12 on the list, I've tried 8 of them and I'd definitely say it ranks 1) Sam James 2) Mercury 3) Cherry Bomb. I feel like Alex from Blondie's should be on there as well. Dude can pull a mean shot.
My least fav from the list is Manic Coffee. Their service was pretty much the opposite of Dark Horse- confusing line ups and unpleasant staff. I didn't even get a coffee there because the service was so bad we ended up just leaving. Too bad, because I was really looking forward to trying out their coffee!
service professionals are not here to be your friend. if you can't handle that your barista has a bad day and their bosses allow this, go to a starbucks/second cup/any place that has a manual on how to behave. and find nicer friends.
Blondie's
Grinder
Lit
Communal Mule
I don't care if the barista is friendly or not. Like you said, I don't want to be their friend. I'm happy with efficient, impersonal service. Rudeness or attitude is another matter.
Oh, and I can't stand the service at Mercury, way to cool for school. I realize the barrista's are not supposed to cater to my every whim but please... I don't need my cup of Joe served with a thick slice of pretentious attitude. I live in Leslieville but chose not to give them my business.
Whoever did this list must have tipped back a few.
Joe :)
Sorry, I can't stand Mercury due to the intolerable Matt. His reputation precedes him. He should not be in the service industry - at least not out front.
I travel the whole city, and I drink a lot of cappucino.
The best:
1) Full of Beans (not fancy, when its good HOLY CRAP is it good)
2) Merchants of Green (should be #1 overall, but Full of Beans knocked me out a few times more)
3) Mercury (like the new beans)
3) TAN...yes TAN
4) the late Communal Mule with Origin. RIP Mule
5) Sam James
7) Queensway Islington (pick a spot)
8) St Clair (pick a spot)
9) Capitol Espresso
10) Rocket Fuel
Worst (overrated/disappointing or shitty):
1) Ideal (much better lately though)
2) Balzaks
3) Pamenar
4) Ezras Pound
5) Ellas Uncle (bitter every time)
6) Mascot ...just change the beans please
7) Tampered Press ...just change the beans PLEASE
8) MANIC you are stuck in a rut
9) THOR that machine deserves real beans
10) Moon Beam - hire a barista
WORST!
7/11 machine
Starbucks
Second Cup
Ideal
Timothys
A million places
Since then, though, I have also been roaming as many Cappuccino bars as I can. I also attended the recent Central Canada Barista Championships.
The results at the Championships were consistent with my experience, which was refreshing.
Of the top four Central Canada winners that move onto the Canadian Barista championships, two were from Fahrenheit Coffee (120 Lombard at Jarvis) and one from Darkhorse. The other was from outside TO.
I would also give an honorable mention to:
1. F'Coffee
2. R Squared
F'Coffee is ~ a block from Darkhorse Queen East. Just the name alone should be enough of an appeal.
R Squared is a couple of doors down from Darkhorse Queen West.
Both Fahrenheit and R Squared are new, and likely were not around when this list was put together.
With respect to the different Darkhorse locations, they are not the same. My preference would be Spadina #1, Queen East #2, Queen West #3, and John #4. Hopefully they can make it a more uniform experience. The 'big table' at each location is great, though.
Having tried all of the others on the list, these five (Fahrenheit, R-Squared, Darkhorse * 2, F'Coffee) are now my regulars.
Nothing like good, nearby competition to improve the options.
Pay them a visit sometime. Their other drinks are also interesting, although if you are a cappuccino aficionado, their maple bacon latte may turn you off a bit. ;)
Their baked goods are also amazing. They have chocolate bombs, which have a thin crust on the outside and a pudding-like chocolatey middle. Their chocolate souffles are heavenly and airy and their cookies are gigantic and delicious.
They sell out of their baked goods pretty quickly but the coffee is always there. They also have light fare like soups, salads and sandwiches as well as some italian foods and chocolates.