starbucks reserve toronto

Toronto loses its only Starbucks Reserve cafe

If you live for the drama of Starbucks Reserve, prepare for disappointment, as the only Toronto location of the upscale café has been scrapped, leaving it as indistinct as the chain's other coffee shops.

Located at the CF Shops at Don Mills, the Starbucks Reserve Bar was unveiled in 2018 to highlight the company's exclusive Reserve line.

According to the company's website, the line offers a "selection of the rarest, most extraordinary coffees Starbucks has to offer," giving the team a chance to experiment "with coffee as an art form — brewing, aging, infusing and blending it into imaginative and often surprising creations."

A third Canadian location of the showy café (the first opened in Ottawa in 2016, the second in Vancouver in 2017), the Don Mills outpost offered high-brow coffee, premium menu items, branded merch, and experiences beyond the usual drip pour.

"As a standard practice, we continually evaluate our store portfolio to ensure it meets the needs of our [employees], customers, and the communities we serve," said Starbucks communication manager Leanna Rizzi in an email.

"After careful consideration, we've decided to convert the Starbucks Reserve store at Don Mills to a Starbucks store that will offer the traditional Starbucks menu," she added.

So, while items like Nitro Dirty Chai and Dark Chocolate Mocha will no longer be on offer, caffeine fiends will still find their fix in a number of espresso-based bevvies. Standard snacks and sweets will, thankfully, also still be available.

"Starbucks baristas will be able to help and offer alternatives that customers can find on our traditional menu," adds Rizzi. The store will also, "look virtually the same," she explains, apart from "some signage and the menu boards."

Despite the fact that only one Canadian Starbucks Reserve location remains in Vancouver, Rizzi confirms that the company has no expansion plans to share. 

However, should you be in the mood to travel, the coffee giant's portfolio currently includes colossal Reserve roasteries in cities like Seattle, Chicago, and Toyko.

A number of smaller cafés can be found across the globe from Mexico City to New York to Shanghai.

Photos by

Hector Vasquez


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