Coffee In The Hood

Toronto’s coffee shops reflect the ambiance of their neighbourhoods: from posh to edgy, from nostalgic to ultra-modern, from hip to homey. Part of being an agent that specializes in Central Toronto is knowing the café culture, and knowing what it means about life in that part of the city. It’s about indulging in localism by finding a spot that exists only in that one place.

And I’ll admit, coffee is one of my passions. I’m always on the hunt for the freshest, richest brew. I look for coffee purveyors who take care with their craft, to produce a coffee that’s distinct and serve it up in a setting I’ll remember.

Here, I’ll share some of my favourite neighborhood cafés. I’ll tell you what’s great about the atmosphere, the brews, and why you might want to check one out as part of your new neighbourhood hunt.

The Company We Keep

03.19.2025

The Company We Keep: A Cozy Retreat in St. Clair West Village

Boxcar Social

01.8.2019 - Mark Lebovits

On this balmy January morning, after stopping at my office near Yonge and St. Clair, I decided to take a short walk to get my usual American...

Lion Coffee

08.21.2018 - Mark Lebovits

Lion Coffee is located on St. Clair Ave West and situated on the western side of Toronto’s Wychwood neighbourhood and on the border of the...

Hunter Coffee Shop

05.28.2018 - Mark Lebovits

The moment our Humewood-Cedarvale community has been waiting for has finally arrived. A clean, cool, independent coffee shop has officially ...

Contra Café

03.6.2018 - Mark Lebovits

After a really busy start to my Sunday (4 showings in the morning), I decided to pop into Contra Café to fuel up before starting several co...