Fairgrounds Roastery Cafe

Good amount of seating, friendly staff, certified fair trade and organic products — located just east of Port Credit in the Long Branch/​Lakeshore West neighbourhood, this place is a decent space to get your coffee fix, to do some work, or to meet up with a small group. WiFi is available (it’s their phone number, written down by the stir sticks and napkins), windows are big, lots of natural light.
First, parking. There’s free parking in front of the shop for a maximum time of 1 hour.
Second, the products. Lots of pastries to choose from, and a good amount of drinks on the menu. I ordered a latte and a banana chocolate chip muffin, both of which were just okay to me. The latte was super foamy, I could barely find the latte in the cup. The muffin was also just okay but a bit dry (it wasn’t bad, but to be honest, Black Goat Café just down the street has better muffins, in my opinion, and also made in house).
The winning point for me here is the space because they have a good amount of it (good spot to get some work done, read the paper, stop by after a morning run, or to meet up with friends), it has a great story (ethical, fair trade product choices), and staff are incredibly friendly.
I’ll definitely be back again to try something else on the menu that I’ll hopefully enjoy more — overall, this a place I’d recommend, support, and come back to.

I walk from Port Credit past 7 coffee shops to come here on Saturdays for the coffee. Proper cappuccino portions and smooth rich coffee. The atmosphere is mellow and the staff is friendly.

Visited this place after eating at Woody’s yesterday. I love the set-​up, the manual bar is a plus, the triple macchiato I got was delicious as was the butter pecan bar. The only issue I really had was the customer service. While the girl behind the counter was proficient at her job, she lacked the personality of a good barista. Very short, and acted almost as if customers were a bother… maybe she needed a break, or some coffee herself to put some pep in her personality. I will give this place another try next week, hopefully with better results.

Awesome top quality coffee. Popped in here while walking around the area and it had a great atmosphere and great service.

Second location in south Etobicoke is now closed… just have the one at long branch now.

My guilty pleasure? Cafes that do the coffee experience well. Fairgrounds is an impressive spot, a little too far east on Lakeshore to be close to home, but I do plan to coming back whenever I can.
Drinks are spot on. They have various organic/​fair trade roasts bearing the Fairgrounds name and intriguing blend appellations (such as After Eight, Butter Finger, Heart of Darkness). Loved their dark roast, have yet to try their espresso drinks; if the steady stream of customers is any indication, they do those right too.
They also offer a pretty extensive tea list, including… matcha! Yes, you can get a simple matcha tea with or without the frou-​frou of a latte (although, no judgement if you wanna go there).
I can vouch for the fact that they bake incredible muffins and scones on site (the banana chocolate chip is nice, but the pumpkin spice ones are da bomb). I saw trays bearing names of potentially delicious sandwiches, but alas! no sandwiches were to be found.
Only criticism: the tables are too small to be of use for laptops or even to accommodate drinks for two. Perhaps a deliberate attempt to reduce the coffee shop work-​from-​home contingent?
Fairgrounds also has: free wi-​fi, friendly and accommodating staff, large windows and soft tunes on in the background. Be sure to check it out if you’re in the area or just passing through!

Lovely coffee shop with very friendly and warm customer service. In addition to dairy, they also have almond and soy milk and a huge variety of freshly-​baked goodies. I forgot to ask if any of them are vegan but I will on my next visit! Also, FREE WiFi :)

This coffee shop is very cute on the inside and is in an easy location
Had gone hear for coffee and scones, the coffee was alright but the blueberry and raspberry scone were very good. Although they needed to be warmed up!

best lattes in the neighbourhood and their muffins are to die for
service is always fast and friendly and welcoming
I love it

Whoever the petty owner is should be ashamed subjecting his great staff to no air conditioning in the summer. Too hot on weekends, turn it on cheap skate!

Friendly, responsible, great products and awesome staff. I buy tea, coffee and date squares. Their freshly squeezed lemonade is pretty awesome too! Get into it!

Quaint neighbourhood coffee shop in the Long Branch area. Many locals stop in. This area on Lakeshore West is in a slow state of transition so there are many hidden gems to discover and enjoy.
The space is on the smaller side but there was plenty of seating. Baked goods are reasonably priced and made on premises. I enjoyed their medium roast coffee very much. It has a welcoming vibe and I think I’ll come back.

Amazing baked goods and coffee! Baked goods Are made fresh every morning!
The staff here was warm and welcoming and I ended up staying longer than I thought that I would.
Comfy benches would be a nice addition, but the coffee and the baked goods are good enough to make the visit worthwhile, even if you don’t stay and chat.

Wow, I can’t believe that I haven’t written a review of this place since I really liked it the first time I went! Maybe it’s ’cause it was before I started Unilocalin’.
Anyway, this is a cute lil’ café right at the corner of Lakeshore/​Browns Line. I guess the area’s called Long Branch. And although it’s an «up ‘n coming» ‘hood, a scary, ano-​druggie lady did still ask me for change as I walked on Lakeshore, so please take note. A few things are nearby, including Woody’s Burgers (haven’t tried it) and an Empanada place.
Back to Fairgrounds…
There are less than a dozen tables, so if you’re going there with a laptop, hopefully you’ll find a spot! Obvi, free wifi. Barista was very friendly, chill guy.
Caffeinated drinks are great and are sourced from organic, fair trade beans which they also sell in-​store + roast nearby. Bakery items are from a bakery in the basement of café, so they shouldn’t have mysterious ingredients like those at Starbucks.
With places like this ’round, I wonder why people still support the expensive chains?
Tip #1: Ask for the cost if you’re not sure. Barista almost charged me for foam, but I ordered an iced latté, so n/​a. There were also some flavoured honey sticks right by the cash that I thought were free, nope $ 0.25/ea. Another customer in front of me also cancelled her order ’cause she was confused about the cost of beans.
Parking: There are a coupla spots in front of café, off Lakeshore, around back, and adjacent, on 40^th St, the residential street which is right around the corner.
NO CC! Cash/​Debit only.

The on site bakery here is terrific. I have used the squares for a number of events including a shower & fundraising.
Be warned the square are so big & rich that I normally cut them into fours.

Dropped into the cute neighbourhood coffee shop to grab an iced Americano on a hot summer day. Service was friendly and prompt.
I believe wifi was available with a password. I was on the go so I couldn’t look into it.
Will have to be back to check out Whisk Bakery located in the basement.

Fairgrounds Roastery Café for sure is cute, ethically correct, friendly, organic and any of those goody goody descriptions you can use to describe it would be appropriate.
It is always a breath of fresh air to find independent coffee shop out of the downtown core. and here Fairgrounds even roast their own coffee!
Super Friendly barista with this big smile makes everyone feel so welcome. Cappuccino was not too bad, but I had better. It tasted more like a latte. and with too much milk and foam.
My friend’s Matcha Latte for sure was packed with tons of antioxidants as it has so much undissolved matcha powder and it would really help him to cleanse out all the toxins in his body. (just close your eyes and drink up!)
If you want freshly roasted coffee beans, Fairgrounds does carry quite a few different roast. «Rich Bastard» which is one of their house blend dark roast does sounded interesting. There are also certified organic roasted beans from Indonesia, Africa and South America.
BTW, the dry spaghetti at the counter are not snacks to go with your drinks. they are used as stirrer. May I suggest Linguine may be a better choice? (damn I just crushed my spaghetti stirrer! and it is cooking in my cappuccino!!!)

This is a really nice independent coffee shop with fair trade and organic coffee. I’m pretty sure they started as just a farmer’s market stand and now have the store due to the success.
There is a really good selection, and they are considerate right down to the details — even the sugar/​milk/​cream are ‘organic’ and they use recycled everything (to the point of offering washable metal spoons).
The music is always great, but if you don’t come at the right time of day you’ll never find a seat. Expect to pay around the same prices as Starbucks but you’ll feel like you have way more choices.

I have visited this place since it opened and can tell you that the coffee is absolutely superb! The flavor is so full and rich coupled with a smoothness that is unparalleled. I also have enjoyed the baked goods with much delight. The muffins were fresh, moist and tasty with many flavors to choose from.
I enjoy the atmosphere as it is very relaxed and welcoming. The free WIFI is awesome too! My favorite time to go is on Friday afternoons.
I highly recommend this place!

Would have never known this place existed if I wasn’t already going to T.O. Cycle and happened by. This establishment specializes in organic Free-​Trade coffee as well as various organic treats like muffins and scones. They roast on site and have a variety of coffees for sale for home brew by the ½ or full pound. If your looking for a fresh cup on the spot they offer coffee prepared by common drip, French Press and Vac-​Pot. Unfortunately the gal they just hired and was working her first shift as I arrived was not trained to use a French-​Press or Vac-​Pot. She also seemed unaware where the brewed «coffee of the day» was. Hopefully by the time you read this they’ll have a properly trained staff member there to assist you when you drop by.
Thumbs up on the coffee. Comparable quality to places that fresh roast on site like Moonbean Café. I also had a pumpkin muffin along with my beverage which was moist and delicious. Prices are inline with Starbucks but of course you’re getting something organic (though «organic» I’ve been told is loosely defined these days).
The establishment is small and cozy with high ceilings and about 4 small tables with accompanying chairs if memory serves me correctly. If you happen to be way out on lakeshore blvd. w. and looking for some good coffee I’d recommend this place.