The Arrow

The Arrow is located in Little Portugal and offers not only your espresso-​based drinks but a variety of freshly-​made ice creams as well. Sadly though, I checked out the café back in February and the weather was still too cold for ice cream. I remembered there was only one flavour available at the time, for anyone who was keen enough for a cold treat. It is $ 2.60 for a single scoop, $ 3.65 for a double scoop, and $ 5.55 for a triple scoop. Apparently, the ice cream at The Arrow is to die for. However, not having a chance to try any, I am unable to comment on this.
The premises that The Arrow is on was originally a newspaper printing press that was there over half a century ago. When the café was under construction, the owners discovered the original logo after they removed the carpeting and used it as an inspiration for the café theme and name.
Overall, it’s a nice café. It’s not one that really sticks out in my mind though. I think what would make this café much more memorable for me is if had the gelato. Cause really, who can pass up on delicious gelato?

Came here for the Indie Coffee Passport. It doesn’t really strike me as a coffee place from the front, I almost missed it. I think it’s cause the store front is quite wide compared some to some small shops.
It might be because I came near Christmas, but they had no more baked goods in the display. I understand they are a small shop but you can’t have the empty displays. I asked them about their Ice Cream as well which had a list of say 8 flavors but 5 were crossed out; understandable for winter. The flavors were quite unique (though I don’t remember them, i think they were ‘floral’ flavors). But since it’s winter doubt anybody was ordering it.
The Cappuccino I thought was really good. I felt that the milk was very smooth and it had the hints of espresso that was quite enjoyable. It wasn’t too bitter nor was it weak, just the right flavor.

In Little Portugal, this small little café does it well. Upon walking in you are greeted with a warm and inviting atmosphere with the wonderful fragrant smell of coffee.
They use Detour Roasted coffee, which is a wonderful bonus to this great place. I had the Americano (which is shown in the picture) and it was delicious. Not too bitter with quite a nice finish on the palette.
There are a lot of nice options here in terms of drinks and treats. One thing they serve, which is very unique is ice cream. It is a nice added touch to the Italian gelato/​espresso mix.
It is winter now and so getting ice cream is definitely not something I want to do, but I will definitely be back in summer to have a coffee and ice cream.
The music. I enjoy good music, but in cafés I don’t really expect to hear good sound quality, but this place has it. Obviously no one is going to go to a café just because the sound quality is nice, but it is a good added touch.
This place is definitely on my list of go-​to places on the west-​end of Toronto. Come and check it out if you are on the west end, it’s worth it.
That’s it.

I came here as part of Indie Coffee Passport (ICP)
The setup is OK for this place and I guess their forte is ice cream as I can’t fathom the poor espresso based drinks here. The seating is minimal and too the point which is just all right. There seemed to be some regulars there just working on their stuff and staying put. This was the second stop on the ICP so just wanted a quick cappuccino.
Here is the verdict to the cappuccino
Espresso: Mild
Crema’: below average
Milk: Frothed poorly and not latte art to speak off.
This is a very poor attempt at a Cappuccino.
I would say 2 stars and that’s pushing it already.

Pretty unremarkable café. Drinks were standard quality and price, but the cookie was rock hard — not sure if that was by design or because it was stale, but it was unpleasant regardless.

Great neighborhood café. Really nice and quiet place to get some work done. Small but not too tight of a space– enough space for my stroller.
Genuine, friendly service. Has small menu of healthy sandwiches and salads. Lavender ice cream was yum. I didn’t have any coffee so can’t comment on that.

I’ve gone to the arrow a couple times to get a couple hours of working in. They have pretty reasonable coffee but by far the best thing about the place is the Montréal style bagels.
They don’t make the bagels at the coffee shop, they are regularly delivered. This is one of the only places around Ossington and Dundas that has Montréal style bagels so it should get 3+ stars for just having them, but I’ve gone in a couple times now and their deliveries have been cancelled multiple times.
When they don’t have the bagels, I’ve purchased other pastries that are unfortunately kind of stale.
If they would keep their pastries fresh, and the bagels flowing, I definitely think The Arrow could make a great alternative to ideal around the corner.

Fast reliable wifi and friendly service. The place was quiet but then picked up. It’s small so not much seating is available. I was lucky to get one of the best seats by the plug and window.
Homemade lemonade was interesting. It had chunks of seeds in it maybe, or some other kind of sedimentary stuff. It was still pretty good though. A unique take on lemonade. I like to see cafes make their own stuff from scratch.
The sandwiches are a bit expensive for what they are. Not much roast beef on the roast beef sandwich, though the horseradish mayo was tasty.
They had ice cream and floats they called Arrow Floats. I don’t know what that is but I wouldn’t be opposed to succumbing to my curiosity and visiting the Arrow again to find out. It looks like I should’ve ordered a latte and some ice cream. I would’ve if I didn’t just come back from another café with terrible wifi and terrible coffee. Next time!

Very good coffee, great organic ice-​cream and very friendly service and nice atmosphere. The foam machine was broken and the credit machine, but we got ice cream on the house. The lavender ice-​cream is unique and delicious!

Talk about transformation: a former Portuguese accounting firm turned into a locavore café by three high school chums! Pretty Amazing.
The Arrow hits all the right spots with its ice cream (have yet to try out its coffee). They have about 6 flavors which are all sourced from local vendors. The Buffalo Milk Vanilla is what I’d call a luxurious ice-​cream: unadulterated milky goodness that is rich yet understated. THIS IS BLOODY GOOD ICE CREAM! For $ 3.50 you get a very generous scoop that makes you feel good and childish inside.
All three of my friends delighted in the flavors of this frozen delight and I am sure that we will be there again to sample some of their other cool stuff. I have since returned and tried their lavender ice cream which is equally stellar. My friends have tried their vegan ice creams made from coconut milk and have given them a thumbs up as well!
The Arrow hits the bull’s eye with it’s amazing ice cream offerings; I had the piggy audacity to sample them all!

Nice selection of ice cream, still need to try the coffee but glad this opened up in the area! And was open on a monday of the long weekend, late! Will be coming back to a follow up.