Te Aro

Good coffee and a nice selection of treats (chocolate chip and sea salt cookies are fantastic!), and all the staff are friendly and helpful.
The space is a converted auto shop wit a bit of an industrial feel with high ceilings, exposed ducts, and concrete floors. When the weather is nice the whole front of the café rolls up and is open to the outside, and they also have a little patio.
The space is cozy, the coffee is tasty, and the people are nice. I’m glad this place is just down the street from me.

I recently moved to this area and was doing some exploration of cafes when I found Te Aro. The staff were friendly and the Americano I ordered was strong. Only downside was they didn’t have honey to sweeten it, but the free samples at the check out more than made up for this! I will most likely become a regular at this quant little coffee shop.

The best and cheapest almond milk latte in the city — $ 4 for 16oz. Service is always friendly and they actually listen to your individualized request. Edibles are tasty although not overly exciting. I go 2 – 3 times a week and have never been disappointed.

My favourite coffee spot in Leslieville, hands down, and I haven’t found an equivalent anywhere else in the city. Great seating options indoor and out… fantastic locally roasted beans… full menu of espresso drinks, drip and cold brew, teas, snacks… talented baristas and welcoming staff… not sure how anyone else could top Te Aro!

The space is very inviting for people to come, have a drink, munch on a snack, and chill.
I really liked their pear and ginger cider. I have never seen that before on a menu aside from the traditional apple cider. This was really refreshing and warming.
The place is always hustle and bustle with people dropping in for a cup of coffee before being on their way or waiting for a table nearby.
Great place and even better in the summer when the front patio space is open.

Stopped by Te Aro for a bag of Pilot Coffee Roasters single origin beans, and left super impressed by the quality of the coffee and experience. The Guatemala roast is flavourful and even pleased my boyfriend, who drinks the lightest possible roast by the pint. I’m not a connoisseur by any means, but even I could detect hints of vanilla. It was very good cup of coffee.
The staff are pretty knowledgeable about brewing and we chatted about the Chemex for a while (which looks like an adult chemistry set and makes me quite happy). They also have helpful cards made by Pilot which detail how to brew with various methods (e.g. Aeropress, French press, pour over). Makes me want to overhaul my poor coffee machine and put it out of its misery!
Don’t forget to take a coffee card for a free 10^th cup! And check out the wall of coffee paraphernalia!

Visited Te Aro today and had one of the best Americanos I’ve ever had in Toronto accompanied by an amazing apricot coconut cookie in a beautiful busy coffee shop. Why two stars? Obnoxious (hip hop?) music blasting through the café. Other customers, many with earbuds, didn’t seem to mind. I did. A lot. Guess I’m not their target customer. Couldn’t wait to finish my coffee and cookie so I could get out of there. I’d go back, but for takeout only.

Of the many independent coffee shops in the Leslieville area, Te Aro is probably my favourite. Even if it weren’t just steps from where I work, I would probably come here just as often as I have been. The coffee is consistently good (beans are from Pilot Coffee Roasters, drinks are expertly made), the price is more-​or-​less reasonable (and they don’t charge extra for almond milk!), and I just adore their cookies (my favourites are the peanut butter oatmeal chocolate chip and the chocolate chip with sea salt).
The people are friendly and the ambiance is relaxed to go along with the rustic industrial chic décor. There is plenty of seating indoors and out — I recommend the patio if the weather permits — so this is definitely a place where you can grab a coffee and a treat and settle in for a morning/​afternoon with friends, work, or some well-​deserved me time.

I want to give this this place a higher rating, but they don’t deserve it.
I’ve been here a handful of times & each visit just seems to get progressively worse. The coffee itself is quite good (once you finally get your order– more on this issue later).
5 stars for the ambience & layout of this café. There’s plenty of seating, huge patio, free wifi etc. Usually they’re playing decent music & the customers who stay are either working away on their laptops or the dreaded stroller blocking moms. Either way, there’s plenty of room for everyone.
So why the low rating? The staff. I’ve noticed the person at the cash taking my order to be cheerful, pleasant & helpful when deciding on what to order. Then that person disappears & you’re left waiting for your drink…
5, 10… maybe 15 minutes later, your drink may finally arrive. I’d love to be over exaggerating but I’ve actually had to wait this long. And no, it wasn’t because it was busy, or that they «forgot» my order. The baristas simply have other priorities.
I’ve watched and waited while they serve their friends, chat amongst themselves, take off into the back etc. All while a few of us customers will patiently wait for them to essentially provide us with what we’ve paid for. I don’t think it’s unreasonable to have to wait a few minutes for a hand crafted beverage, but the lack of customer service is appalling.
That being said, will I ever go back? Never. I gave Te Aro a fair chance multiple times because I don’t think it’s fair to base a review on one visit.
Luckily, there’s a bunch of way better coffee shops you can find in this part of the city (Mercury, Boxcar Social, Dark Horse… Just to name a few). Don’t waste your time or your money here.

My go to for coffee in the city. Always recommend the long black or iced latte for those hot summer days.

Great coffee. Amazing outdoor space. Wish I could come here more often — maybe next time I’m in Toronto. Highly recommended!

Are you a proud discerning coffee snob, a summer patio fiend, wheelchair-​bound latte art collector, or perhaps a neighbourhood mama with kids in tow and a yearning desire to sit down somewhere outside? Do you dream of a relaxing, bright and spacious, hip and unpretentious place to express yourself with your presence over a warm cup of java and munching on yummy goods or breakfast sandwiches fit for every diet?
You probably suffer from… well there’s a mouthful of an acronym for your condition to make it sound like a legit medical condition, but I am too lazy to make one up.
However, there is a treatment to alleviate your suffering: Visit Te Aro Coffee on Queen East. Baristas are standing by. Side effects include having to open your wallet wider though – surely there’s a name for that condition also.
{TTC: take the 72 or any Queen Street streetcar to Queen/​Carlaw.}

Great atmosphere, fully accessible location including washrooms, friendly staff AND vegan options!
I went here last week and had a soy latte (I think they also have almond milk) and a cookie. The vegan dessert was a delicious supersonic cookie supplied by Bunners bakery. I wish they’d have some more options though. A vegan savoury treat would be great!
It’s hard to find a local coffee shop that is fully accessible and even harder to find one that is accessible with vegan options. Te Aro fits the bill!

I came here on a hot summer day and had their iced cappuccino. I love the patio seating. It’s such a cute place. The natural light and airy atmosphere makes you want to sunbathe like a cat but you can’t because you’re all caffeinated. I love the garage door-​style door. Baristas are adorable.

Te Aro is a spacious coffee shop with plenty of seating and natural light. It’s wheelchair friendly too. Their coffee is pretty good and their almond chai is very smooth but a bit on the mild side. If you like your chai extra spicy, stay away. Sandwiches are good, too, and they come prettily tied up with a string for you.
The three stars come from the overall pretentious vibe. I prefer my cafes to be friendlier and cozier. The price is a bit steep for what you’re getting. As good at the drinks and food are, I wouldn’t regularly pay that much for the quality I got here. There’s better in Toronto for cheaper.

The coffee here is okay to good, depending on what you order. Pilot coffee has either gone way downhill lately, or I’ve just caught them on countless bad days.
One of the women was an owner or manager, and another was another supervisor/​barista type. (I have names but I won’t post them here.) They actually — no lie — laughed at me for where I am currently living, and mocked other coffee shops and neighbourhoods in Toronto that I said I like to visit.
Now look here, ladies. Your coffee is not that good. It’s okay. Stop acting like you’re the best in Canada and stop making fun of other Toronto coffee shops (including some who actually serve YOUR coffee!) An embarrassment. Get your head out of the holier-​than-​thou barista clouds and maybe make better coffee instead.
(Two stars instead of one because the coffee is okay and the new girl on the cash register is nice.)

I’ve read so many blogs and forums saying how great Pilot Coffee Roasters and how good the coffee is at Te Aro. Since I was in the area, it only made sense to pop in and give it a go. I have to say… it certainly lives up to the hype. I got a cortado, which was every bit as good as Farenheit, my go to place in the city. My only complaint is that every time the door opened, a blast of cold air whipped though the place. Don’t know if there’s any way to fix that.

A very cool place in the middle of Queen East. The vibe is relaxed and the food and coffee is fantastic. In warmer weather, it is a treat to sit outside and people watch as pedestrians go by. The Coffee’s are well crafter and artistic. The sandwiches and deserts are well portioned and very good. It is sometimes hard to get a seat as it is always busy. Weekday mornings are exceptionally busy.

One of the loveliest cafes. I’m not sure why it’s so nice, but it is. It’s a bit overpriced, but of course we’ll all spend that money here and have a latte or espresso because everyone says it’s good right? Don’t worry, I’m not judging.
I love coffee. It smells great, tastes great, and makes me feel great. I don’t find there anything to be too special with te aro though, no offence.
On thing that stood out for me though was their patio. During the summer, it’s absolutely so lovely to sit outside on the patio. It’s such an open space concept type of place and a great area to have a small date, chat or even some studying time.
They also make really pretty coffees.

I still stand by my distaste for their lack of power outlets, as I sit here on my laptop watching the power descend ever so quickly. Maybe they want me to leave right after my first coffee and I guess I shouldn’t hold that against them. Besides that, I do think this place is pretty cool. The interior is still hip and it seems to attract a rather cool crowd. The coffee is tasty and I was served by a very pleasant lady who didn’t seems to care that I had no clue what to order and the correct way of ordering it.
The bottom line is the space here is fantastic and maybe I got so mad at the lack of power because I would love to spend endless amounts of time in a space so well designed, populated with neat people, and has a perfectly cool curated soundtrack that makes me feel oh’ so hip while I sip my Misto. There’s a great amount of seating here, an awesome patio for people watching. The truth is I like this place and I’m glad it’s in the neighbourhood.