Art Square Cafe

I love the vibe of this place. A few friends and I went to this painting event that was organized by Art Tonite.
They were very friendly and accommodating to the event attendees and didn’t rush anyone to pay and were very organized. I’m no wine connoisseur so wine is wine to me, but I’m a huge critic of tea. I had the Canada Snow tea and wow, it was amazing!
It tasted like it had chrysanthemum or something but it had a nice natural sweetness to it. It was delicious. As i was paying my bill, I was asking about vegan options and while not on the menu, they said they could easily make the crepes without milk or eggs and I was so excited when they said that. I love it when places are so flexible.
Also, since they are right across from AGO and OCAD, they have a lot of nice art hanging from the walls and some amazing sculptures.
If I’m in the area, I’ll definitely be back.

Wouldn’t recommend this place. Went here to try the crepes and was horribly disappointed. The crêpe was dry and floury and there didn’t seem to be much chocolate sauce. The service also was super slow and the lady gave me the wrong order.

This is a great find. I went here awhile ago before going to the ago and it’s a very friendly and cozy Café! I love how they have huge paintings surrounding the walls and delicious crepes and treats to pair w your coffee or specialty beverage. Service here is very friendly and it’s an overall relaxed environment which is wonderful to cozy up in on a lazy weekend afternoon

Lunch with a friend. Spinach crêpe needed more filling. Lentil soup needed more flavor. Coffee was very good. They forgot our fresh juice order, so I’m not sure how my mango papaya was… For a lunch rush they need better efficiency, maybe a dedicated cashier who could help bus, etc.
Cool space. Great looking menu. But needs improvement.

I have been coming here since they opened in 2005. I remember speaking to the owner on my first visit back then. She was very energetic and excited about this café. Since then I’ve been a royal customer of art square café. I used to live around the corner and frequented there.
After being absent from Toronto for a couple of years, I recently returned to this café with some nostalgia. I am not sure if it is me who changed, but the taste of profiteroles and hot chocolate seemed different. Did the owner change? What happened to that thick and aromatic real chocolate? I was absolutely disappointed with the soggy light taste profiteroles and the flat hot chocolate. It feels just like meeting an old friend after a long time and realize that she has changed, no longer clicking each other… sad :(

This place is highly underrated. Get the crêpe calzones and the white sangria and sit on the side patio surrounded by art, if you can. Very good!

Had a Buytopia coupon. Needless to say their better choices were not included in the coupon so buyer beware.
Service was a bit slow, however friendly. The crepes were very poor on our visit. Four of us ordered different meals and two of had desert crepes as well. They were terrible. Very rubbery texture. Based on this one experience I would not recommend this place.

Interesting concept; I liked how half of the dining area was a compact art gallery, and the other half had a few small café tables. The «indoor» patio was interesting; it was more of a small courtyard in the middle of the café. I liked how the patio had a lot of character; the tables were amidst brick walls, where a few pieces of art work were hung.
My friend and I came with a Buytopia coupon good for 2 glasses of wine, 2 savoury crepes and 2 dessert crepes. I had an iced café mocha, the spinach and walnut (buckwheat) crêpe, and the chocolate and pistachio crêpe.
Lets start with the good. The crepes were large and filling; the filling inside each crêpe was quite generous. However, I felt that the crêpe itself was too thick and a bit too doughy. Flavour didn’t blow me away, but it wasn’t terrible.
This was one of the worst café mochas I’ve ever had; the coffee taste was weak, and there were coffee grounds settling at the bottom of my glass. Unpleasant.

Had a little time to kill before heading to the AGO and saw this little café right across the street. Art Square Café turned into my workspace for the next 3 hours to follow.
When I first entered, I was naturally drawn to the artwork hanging on the walls. It definitely looks like a mini art gallery when you walk in. The place was empty when I got there (roughly 9AM) — just the owner (I’m going to assume he was the owner in this instance) and a waitress.
The owner was friendly and greeted me warmly. I asked in advance if it was ok if I ordered a drink and hang around to do some work. He said that was fine.
I found a nice spot on their outdoor seating area (you need to come inside and then proceed to the back outdoor area). There was an outlet, so that helped. Such a pretty place to get some work done, I recommend Art Square Café on that alone!
I ordered the lemonade and croissant with goat cheese. The croissant was delicious and the lemonade was refreshing. It was the consistency of a slushy and also not sweetened. I’m sure you can ask for it to be sweetened though, I didn’t ask.
By the time 11AM hit, the place started to fill up. Lots of tourists but a great vibe nonetheless.
Definitely recommend this place if you’re in the area. The back outdoors space is worth a look!
** Yes, they do have wifi.
4.5÷5

Not much else is open in the area for a Sunday breakfast. The omelet was well-​spiced, and the food was great. Extra coffee means extra charges. The décor is cute and the staff is friendly.

Nice décor and service. I love the cozy outdoor patio, even it’s very small but you can see the sky/​clouds and feel the breeze. My Turkish coffee is kinda bitter and strong, I couldn’t fall asleep till 4 am lol Please be aware that if you cannot have strong coffee after 3pm like me, just skip the Turkish one.
Still a good place for afternoon tea

«We walked through the gallery all the way back where the café was and wondered how many people might have actually never make it all the way back. Perhaps the experience is to wonder through the bright gallery area (white walls, black frames) and eventually end up at the café. «
“The last crêpe we shared was Chocolate and Pistachio with organic, fair trade dark chocolate. This somewhat bitter crêpe was a great option, especially accompanying a Turkish coffee — another specialty of Art Square, which comes in a traditional turkish tea cup and with a side of Turkish Delight. We both were very content with this crêpe — dark chocolate lovers you should indulge away!»
«Overall, we were very excited to see this unique space operate and try to bring a new experience to dining and art. It opens up a conversation around art in cafes being more than wall decoration.»
Just a few bites of our full review.

Their specialty is crepes and hand made chocolates — very good truffles. Great Turkish and regular organic coffee. Probably tied with Coffee Tree for my favorite coffee in Toronto. It is not your cookie-​cutter café. It is visually pleasing — surrounded by art by talented local artists. The place has a nice vibe. The staff is friendly and efficient.

I’ve been coming here with a friend for a couple years now. Delicious desert crepes — my favourite is the chocolate and pistachio. The chocolate fondue is to die for. Very rich with rolled pieces of crêpe and fruit to dip in it. It’s more than enough for two people as we usually have some left over. The cheese fondue is also wonderful. Served with crepes, olives, broccoli and other veggies. It’s very filling and delicious. We also tend to share the white sangria which is some of the best i’ve had in the city.
It’s also an art gallery with different displays and installations from time to time. The inside is bright and comfortable and there is a small patio in the back which is my favourite part of the place.
When I first started coming here the service was incredibly slow but it is much better now.
Will be coming back next time i’m in the area or when i’m craving fondue.

Love it here! Best crepes in town, plus they are buckwheat, and the chocolate is heavenly…

Interesting location and concept fitting of an area like Dundas and McCaul. The place is largely an art gallery, with a coffee shop tucked in the back.
But it’s too bad that the café feels like an afterthought. The overwhelming, tacky menu (with drinks named after the president of OCADU) misses the mark for a café which devotes itself to art.
The server was kind and sweet, apologizing profusely when she discovered that they were out of the green tea latte I had ordered. So I got a chai latte instead. Mistake. I’m not sure if this is an «authentic» way of making chai lattes or something, but this one was watery, bland and full of floating particulate. It felt like I was chewing sawdust and coffee grinds between sips.
Not recommend.

Came here for brunch. It’s across from the art museum, and the concept is a gallery/​café. However, the white gallery walls were completely empty. Another wall was painted a grass-​green colour which stood in harsh contrast to the rest of the place. There were random shelves with chocolates, dog treats, and other items that seemed to have no relevance to one another or to the concept or menu items. The service was alright, the menu choices were interesting although slightly pricey for what they were, and our food (Crepes Suzette and an omelette) was decent. However, I think I expected more from this place based on its outside appearance, and was disconcerted by the somewhat uncomfortable and bland atmosphere.

One of my preferred spots to hang out and read/​work in the area. The café also serves as a mini gallery and continually changes its exhibits. I’ve had their crepes and a few confections, the profiteroles being my favorite. The tea selection is really nice. Overall 3 stars since the food isn’t phenomenal, but it’s decent fare and the venue is great.

After being thoroughly disappointed with the cappuccino here I wasn’t sure I should come back here. I had tried their other packaged products which though being organic and made from items that are made from ingredients that are from the deepest, darkest more inaccessible part of the world didn’t wow me.
So after a hitting a snag for regular crêpe place (slammed with a looong wait time) we ended up here. They were about to close but were kind enough to accommodate us provided we order fast.
Unfortunately they were out of crêpe suzette, ah well I settled with a Canadian Crêpe and my friend ordered a Chocolate & Pistachio version.
The crepes arrived fast and were visually appealing. I tried the Chocolate & Pistachio and it was decent. The Canadian Crêpe was quite good and I really liked the sauce on the side as it was just right to add the intense whiskey/​sweet taste. Good stuff here folks. The service was friendly and got friendlier as I practiced my few sentence of Turkish with them
3.5 stars. I will be back to try the Crêpe Suzzette.

The hubby and I stumbled upon Art Square Café by accident, well okay actually he wanted to go to Sin and Redemption, and I was like all eye-​roll about that so we ended up here: D
Art Square really impressed me with amazingly polite and friendly service from the super nice Turkish folks who work and own the establishment and our male server especially was full of smiles and just so lovely all around. I can’t speak for the slow service previous Unilocalers have mentioned, as I came here with hubby on a Monday around 5pm and got served pretty proficiently.
I chose the daily special which was veggie pancakes of shredded zucchini, with a sour yoghurt dipping sauce that reminded me of raita, but with a dash of paprika instead of mint was served alongside a green salad all this loveliness was $ 8.50, hubby’s lunch looked to be an unusual combination of shrimp crepes with cheese and oranges (??) but he gobbled it up like Gollum ravishing a raw fish so this assured me of it’s delectability, I think?
Aside from lunch fare Art Square Café also features an extensive array of desserts and *gasp* home made chocolates!!! The FRANK GEHRY truffle is AMAZING!!! Comprised of Maple Syrup, organic wine, 80% dark chocolate and pure silver, it truly is a work of chocolate art! Speaking of art, the café is connected with the East Gallery featuring vibrant works by celebrated South East Asian artists, so not only do you get to enjoy a lovely nosh, but you get to feast your eyes as well.
I’m really shocked and saddened by the negative reviews as our experience here was most definitely a very positive one, and I won’t hesitate to come back. I give Art Square Café a well deserved 4.5.