As close knit friends with crazy schedules, we came to an agreement that it would be best to have a place where we can meet up to catch up, share ideas, gossip and work on ongoing projects. However, with our conflicting schedules and different taste, it wasn't as easy as you would think it was to find a mutual spot that we all enjoy. So with bit of research we made an effort to try out new places that is accessible, has a great vibe, artistic decor and most of all has great food!
NOIR BLACK COFFEE AND TEA
PRICE RANGE: MODERATE
PRICE RANGE: MODERATE
ATMOSPHERE:
With all the lamps, candles and Buddha statues it felt like we stepped into an oasis; it was calm and peaceful. We were surprised that even the customers at each table were quiet. Or maybe for us, everyone seemed like they were whispering because sometimes we have no inside voices. Trust us, never get us excited because our volume can go from 10 to 20!. Overall, the customer service was great. All the workers were very friendly and we felt nothing but comfortable.
FOOD:
If we had to pick one word to describe the food at Noir, it would be the word FRESH!!! Yes, the three exclamation marks are necessary because to our surprise everything seemed to be made from scratch.
ACCESSIBILITY:
Noir Coffee and Tea offers free wifi and has more than enough outlets. The only thing that didn't work for us was their hours of operation. The latest Noir stays open is at 7pm. Anyone who knows us knows that we prefer doing things up until late in the evening. So 7pm is something we would have to dwell upon and see if we can change our habits.
Lastly, Noir Coffee and Tea is located at 701 St. Clair Ave W. It is a 15 minute walk from St Clair West station. However, if you don’t like to walk there are bus stops that are near.
With all the lamps, candles and Buddha statues it felt like we stepped into an oasis; it was calm and peaceful. We were surprised that even the customers at each table were quiet. Or maybe for us, everyone seemed like they were whispering because sometimes we have no inside voices. Trust us, never get us excited because our volume can go from 10 to 20!. Overall, the customer service was great. All the workers were very friendly and we felt nothing but comfortable.
FOOD:
If we had to pick one word to describe the food at Noir, it would be the word FRESH!!! Yes, the three exclamation marks are necessary because to our surprise everything seemed to be made from scratch.
ACCESSIBILITY:
Noir Coffee and Tea offers free wifi and has more than enough outlets. The only thing that didn't work for us was their hours of operation. The latest Noir stays open is at 7pm. Anyone who knows us knows that we prefer doing things up until late in the evening. So 7pm is something we would have to dwell upon and see if we can change our habits.
Lastly, Noir Coffee and Tea is located at 701 St. Clair Ave W. It is a 15 minute walk from St Clair West station. However, if you don’t like to walk there are bus stops that are near.
PASTEL
PRICE RANGE: MODERATE
PRICE RANGE: MODERATE
ATMOSPHERE:
Pastel is a dessert bar with a sleek interior design. We don’t know if it was because the time of day we choose to go but we found the place to be quite crowded. However, that didn't seem to bother anyone. The environment there is delightful. Its probably why most people come here to fix their sugar craving.
FOOD:
From hippy to frenchie, Pastel had it all. That is if you like crepes, waffles, and cakes. To our surprise the menu had a wide variety of unconventional dishes. Well it was very unconventional for us. I don’t think Elizabeth, our number one crepe lover ever thought about having chicken crepes with a side of lightly dressed spring mix. Either way, if you have the munchies or feeling a little bit daring, Pastel is the spot. They even have creme brule! Mmmm, you can’t go wrong.
ACCESSIBILITY:
Pastels is located at 5417 Yonge St, near Yonge & Finch. It was the most convenient location out of all three of the cafes for us. Like the other cafes it had WiFi access however, the outlets were not in the most convenient places, which was a letdown for us. But hey, who says we can’t pre-charge our laptops before we come, right?
Pastel is a dessert bar with a sleek interior design. We don’t know if it was because the time of day we choose to go but we found the place to be quite crowded. However, that didn't seem to bother anyone. The environment there is delightful. Its probably why most people come here to fix their sugar craving.
FOOD:
From hippy to frenchie, Pastel had it all. That is if you like crepes, waffles, and cakes. To our surprise the menu had a wide variety of unconventional dishes. Well it was very unconventional for us. I don’t think Elizabeth, our number one crepe lover ever thought about having chicken crepes with a side of lightly dressed spring mix. Either way, if you have the munchies or feeling a little bit daring, Pastel is the spot. They even have creme brule! Mmmm, you can’t go wrong.
ACCESSIBILITY:
Pastels is located at 5417 Yonge St, near Yonge & Finch. It was the most convenient location out of all three of the cafes for us. Like the other cafes it had WiFi access however, the outlets were not in the most convenient places, which was a letdown for us. But hey, who says we can’t pre-charge our laptops before we come, right?
MOONBEAN
PRICE RANGE: INEXPENSIVE
PRICE RANGE: INEXPENSIVE
ATMOSPHERE:
We would describe Moonbean as a cozy vintage hangout spot for the downtown crowd that has both back and front patio spacing. They seem to have mostly regulars, where everybody knows your name. Its like the 80’s sitcom “Cheers.” If that excites you then you will definitely enjoy the soulful music they play. Its a mixture of the 80’s and the 90’s, to get their customers more relaxed and feel more at home.
FOOD:
Moonbean has a variety of pastries with your choice of coffee, tea and juice. The specialty here is the option for coffee gave the impression of taking a trip around the world. These are some of the nominated greatest coffee in the world; namely Brazil and Jamaica, to name a few.
ACCESSIBILITY:
Moonbean is located at 30 St Andrew Street in Kensigton Market. If you live at or near Kensigton Market then Moonbean is definitely accessible for you. However, for those of you who don’t live near by but are familiar with the area then we see no reason why you shouldn't drop by Moonbean and have a caramel latte.
Moonbean also offers free WiFi just like the other three cafes. It was easy for us to log on to the internet, however there wasn't a convenient outlet around us to solve our problem with our devices always dying on us.
We would describe Moonbean as a cozy vintage hangout spot for the downtown crowd that has both back and front patio spacing. They seem to have mostly regulars, where everybody knows your name. Its like the 80’s sitcom “Cheers.” If that excites you then you will definitely enjoy the soulful music they play. Its a mixture of the 80’s and the 90’s, to get their customers more relaxed and feel more at home.
FOOD:
Moonbean has a variety of pastries with your choice of coffee, tea and juice. The specialty here is the option for coffee gave the impression of taking a trip around the world. These are some of the nominated greatest coffee in the world; namely Brazil and Jamaica, to name a few.
ACCESSIBILITY:
Moonbean is located at 30 St Andrew Street in Kensigton Market. If you live at or near Kensigton Market then Moonbean is definitely accessible for you. However, for those of you who don’t live near by but are familiar with the area then we see no reason why you shouldn't drop by Moonbean and have a caramel latte.
Moonbean also offers free WiFi just like the other three cafes. It was easy for us to log on to the internet, however there wasn't a convenient outlet around us to solve our problem with our devices always dying on us.
IN THE END...
Out of all of the cafes Noir Coffee and Tea was our favorite. Although they close the earliest, the fact that Noir is the closest to where we live and the fact that their food is always fresh, made us decide to dine here from time to time. Overall, any of these cafes are a great spot to have a quick bite to eat. We encourage others to check them out and leave a comment below to let us know what you think.
RSS Feed