RISE Espresso

Barely awake.
Running late to a morning meeting.
Ordered a Canadiano.
Paid $ 2.50.
Fast service.
Beautiful crema.
Incredibly smooth tasting.
OMG BEST COFFEE EVER.
Made it to my meeting 5 minutes early and was caffeinated enough to contribute. Great success all around!

Quaint little espresso bar, kind of makes you feel like you’re in Europe where espresso is a second religion. Easy to walk in, get a single or double shot, throw it back and leave! I mean that is the European way! Their prices are on par with what you would expect for a superior drink in the city.
It’s unfortunate that this place is sort of in the middle of nowhere, I used to work close by by now it’s too far :(so back to boring old starbucks for me.
The staff are really nice, Michael, who generally worked in the morning makes superior espresso and americanos.

Cozy little spot with a big heart! Everyone talks about the coffee but I’m there to support a truly fair-​trade, organic business. I’m a tea person and Rise does not disappoint. They go out of their way to make me happy.
Thanks for the honey-​sweetened berry tea!

I stopped in for something hot before heading back to the US. The promised me a mocha that would knock my socks off. I actually told him it knocked my F@$&ing socks off. It was that good. He said the big secret is to use organic chocolate milk instead of powder and to use full fat milk instead of skim. Whatever. It was on point. Too bad I’m not in the area, I’d stop by every day.

RISE served the best latte I’ve ever had. They don’t do much, but they do it very, very well.

I like this place. It’s cute, cozy and the baristas I’ve encountered there are friendly, and usually chatting with the regulars (which I think is nice!). I’m a latte girl, and they do a really good one. Only downside is the price! $ 4.50 for a latte seems a bit expensive, but I think they try to justify it based on the organic milks, and coffee they use. I do remember it being $ 4 when I came here for the first time though…
Anyways I do recommend it, it’s a nice alternative to the nearby Starbucks, but might be a bit small if you’re looking to sit in with friends. Also they don’t take debit!

Best Espresso in Canada and Korea. I love coffee and have traveled the world, well at least Canada and South Korea tasting coffee at various venues. Rise is the best! Great coffee is what they do.

This place is good enough to almost make you forget that you’re steps away from the horror of Dundas Square.
The beans and machines are prepped with love. The baristas will actually chat you up and make you feel welcome. A real neighborhood community kind of feeling. I’m from New York, so I was immediately suspicious– but it turned out just fine.

My experience with Rise has been different every time. Sometimes, with my latte I get an awesome barista who’s in the mood for mind blowing mini-​conversation that isn’t about the weather. Other times, I just get my coffee and a miserable barista who is in no mood for interaction — I get that it’s just coffee I’m buying but if I wanted that I’d go to Tim Horton’s. It’s a hit or miss experience for me. Thankfully, the coffee and espresso drinks are made perfectly each time.

Rise Café at 107 Mutual (near Jarvis and Dundas) with a runner up nod going to LIT Café on Broadview south of the Danforth…
RISE has a real Italian feel… which is more accident than intention I suspect. Its super small, with only a narrow bench and bar stools for seating. They focus on small drinks: esspresso, cordato, cappiccino.
They have a drink called the BULLIT too… An in house creation inspired by the old movie poster on the wall: a shot of espresso with a single chocolate covered coffee bean bullit at the bottom. Lock and load!
The barristas are all friendly, relaxed guys who are musicians and art students. The soda bottles that look like beer bottles surely appeal to the local Ryerson students, and the all-​organic coffee and premium tea to the downtowners in general.
I say if you are in the hood, need a boost… skip the local Tim Horton’s and put a bullit in your head to get a Rise!

«Meh. I’ve experienced better»
Exactly!
This place came highly recommended by a friend. But I have to say it’s been hit and miss. Temperature control JUST ISN’T“T THERE.
Yes they are «indy». Yes they have an antique record player, yes it’s a cozy place, but there just that something that is missing from this place. More than a girlfriend, it feels like GFE (not that I’ve actually experienced the latter… Thank Zeus!)
I write this as I’m trying to finish my disappointing cortado, with its wrong proportions and it’s bitter notes. Bitter notes that remind me of how Balzac’s lost its way. I would think this was a bit early for Rise, but whatever.
And the goodies? Believe me, if you can’t notice the two ginormous horse flies (thank you global warming!) your customers definitely can. So please cover those goodies up. (and they have been as I observed recently.) Good job!
I don’t care about latte art, but I do care about proper temperature. When I ask for a cortado, I want a proper shot, not a macchiato masquerading as a cortado with a bitter pull to boot. I absolutely don’t care about angry, bitter shots, one dimensional and almost completely devoid of love.
Two stars. And that’s only because I’m feeling charitable. Sorry.

This small café is close enough to Ryerson University to make a lot of that college urban hipness feel natural: there’s a turntable in the corner playing the inhouse music, a selection of local drink products in the cooler, and a friendly college dude behind the counter. They don’t serve soy milk for a couple reasons: it doesn’t foam as well, and it’s «bad for dudes» (I assume because of the estrogen). Instead they offer almond and coconut milks. I opted for an almond milk latte, which is honestly the best latte I’ve ever had. Soy milk tends to get burnt or taste bitter, but the almond milk was so smooth and light. Wow. I also bought a POW cookie, whatever that means. There was a selection of three gluten-​free, milk-​free, or vegan cookies, which remind me a bit of a thick shortbread with a drop of chocolate in the middle. I thought maybe I was just hungry and that was making the latte taste extra-​tasty, but there was no special aura around the cookie. It was nice, maybe a bit overpriced, but obviously locally made and fresh (although probably not made that day).
For payment options, they take credit cards, cash and some kind of app. I think their cash register was an iPad mounted on the wall behind the counter. If this is the café of the near-​future, I like it.

Great coffee… went several times while staying in the area. Loved the espresso and was impressed to see them selling Detour coffee which is a local roaster.

I came here for the Indie Coffee passport 2012 (ICP)
This place is in an interesting spot as if you blink you miss kinda area.
The place is quite cozy and was full of people when I walked in. A good sign IMO, another interesting thing was some of the regulars were doing espresso shots (like it is tequila) and from what I saw there was good amount of crema. The prices are quite reasonable with a single shot running you a buck.
Some other interesting stuff is the use of bottomless portafilter which I haven’t seen many places use the right way.
On to the drink I ordered the cappuccino
Espresso: Medium
Crema’: Excellent
Milk: Frothed OK
Latte Art: average.
Decent drink 3 stars for that.
The Barista is friendly and if free is nice to chat with.
I also stumbled upon Something I haven’t seen before Canadiano (americano with coconut soy milk) Not anticipating a visit here in the near future I decided to give it a go.
The drink is not what one would imagine (I was expecting a strong coconut taste) though it does lend a richness to the Americano. Worth a try if you wanna try something different.
All said and done 3 stars,

When I first found out about RISE Espresso last winter, I was excited to try it out. At the time, there were little independent cafes on the Ryerson campus (Bull Dog Coffee anyone?). However, I failed trying to locate the café twice during the winter (which I went late at night both times). It was only later in broad daylight that I found the tiny café nestled among with the other buildings, located behind the Ryerson’s engineering building.
Immediately walking in, RISE Espresso gave off that grab-​and-​go vibe, considering the limited amount of sitting space and the size of the café itself. You could read a novel by the window if you’d like but to be able to pull out a laptop and a couple of textbooks would be a no-​no. Taking a look at the menu for the Indie Coffee Passport holders, I decided to take a shot at their tea latte, never having such a drink before.
While I was asking the barista, Michael, some questions on the food and drinks they served for this review, the owner, Dominik, happened to stop by. I learned that Dominik was a Ryerson graduate in 2001 for film and always wanted to open a café. He wanted RISE Espresso to be a place for the Ryerson community, where his focus was on quality, consistency and customers.
Seeing that RISE Espresso had only snacks, I asked Dominik if there would be any food options soon. Julie Daniluk, a nutritionist who co-​hosts for Healthy Gourmet (a reality cooking show), happens to be the co-​owner of RISE Espresso. The plan is to create some nutritional salads made with locally grown produce, that will also cater to vegans and vegetarians alike. Dominik’s wife, Jenny, likes to make exotic food that will be incorporated for the paninis-​to-​go, which will be rich in flavour and a chockful of goodness. The salads and paninis are estimated to be around $ 5 each, hopefully to be introduced in winter 2012.
I look forward to the food addition, which will be great for hungry students who need to buy something quick for class. RISE Espresso is also having an awesome promotion, where if you bring in friends who are new to the café for the first time, you are able to earn freebies! For example, bring in two friends and you can get a free latte. Or if you bring in ten people, you can get a pound of coffee beans, snacks and a drink! (These are examples I made on top of my head, so don’t take my word for it. You’d have to negotiate with the barista). Now, who doesn’t like free stuff?
Lastly, back to the tea latte. Honestly, it was not my cup of tea because it turned out to be quite bland for my taste. I think I dumped about five spoonful of brown sugar and some vanilla sugar into my drink before satisfied. I think I will try their Canadiano next time, their specialty drink, which is espresso made from coconut milk!

Went to breakfast around the corner, but was excited to see this little place as we were leaving. It’s not on a main through fair, so I had high hopes of it being a ‘secret coffee goldmine’ and was slightly disappointed.
To be fair, the (espresso) coffee culture in Canada is still playing catchup (no, Tim Hortons DOES NOT count as coffee culture) to Australia, but this is a good start. The latte was on the weak side, and the milk wasn’t warm, but compared to the local competition (Starbucks, et al) it was good.
If I was living in the area, I’d be hitting this place up fo’ sure.

Happened upon this great little place while waiting for a zip car across the street.
Best cappuccino I’ve tasted outside of Europe and fantastic service. The owner introduced himself and chatted while making our drinks. Now to start stopping there for my morning coffee!

I am a super fan of this place! Cute, friendly and just all around lovely! The owner is very keen to get to know you and creates an atmosphere that welcoming. I am making this point for a reason.
Often I find cute, trending cafes come with something I would like to skip — too much attitude. This is why so many have been crossed off my list. (insert something about a jet maybe). please. it is coffee. yes, it is delicious and lovely and you can do cool things with it — but don’t make it something that divides. It is coffee. There are already enough politics re: coffee.
I also need a place that uses Almond Milk. And boy, does she know how to make a latte with some Almond Dream! I appreciate that the café is health and trade conscious.
Plans are in the works to sell beans at a student friendly price and bag size. So deeply excited to have this café down the street for my afternoon latte cravings.
Welcome, Rise. I cannot wait to see what wonderful things are in your future!

This place is awesome.
It’s small, yes, but very, very cozy. Definitely going to be coming here often! Try the Canadiano. Yum. Also straight up espresso shots. They’re crazy cheap ($ 1 for a solo) and they give you some soda water to cut it with (or mix? I’ll try that next time)! Great combo, anyways.
The owners (two sets of couples) are crazy nice. Super friendly and definitely there to connect with you and make people happy. These people get it — it’s not always about the money.
Overall? Great experience, great prices, great drink quality. I can see myself making this a place I visit daily on my way to school.

Tucked into the North Eastern corner of Mutual st and Dundas, this coffee shop opened 2 weeks ago (mid Jan 2012?) with a mandate to provide the local community (think Ryerson students and construction workers) with gourmet coffee at an affordable price. As the only coffeeshops around are Timmys and Starbucks, this local gem will add to the character of the area. Don’t mistake it for a snobby hipster café though — the warm and welcoming attitude of the owner, Jenny-​Lee, is enough to entice you to come back and provides a nice alternative to Bulldogs, a nearby local café which, mind you, knows its coffee but is notorious for contempt towards its customers.
Unfortunately the place doesnt sell baked goods yet, though I read in its review on BlogTO (which brought this place to my attention in the first place) that it will be an option soon enough.
It‘s small and doesn’t offer wi-​fi and more of a grab-​and-​go type of place but does offer little seating.
As for the drinks, I ordered a cappuccino and watched the owner make it over light banter. They offer almond-​milk substitutes for cream but I liked my cappuccino standard. The quality of the roast and ingredients was definitely exceptional. The proportion was also excellent. Best part for me as a student: it was inexpensive! :)
(Sidenote: I couldn’t stop thinking about the cappuccino for the rest of the day. It really was amazing.)
4 stars and «Yay! I’m a fan» indeed. (That last star is on its way with the baked goods.) Definitely coming back.