True or false: you wouldn’t pay $5 for a coffee if it wasn’t a cute coffee shop.
Even if you would, finding a photogenic cafe definitely adds to the experience. Whether you’re grabbing coffee to go or staying a while to work, a good cafe ambience is definitely worth at least a few bucks.
Toronto boasts some excellent coffee shops to choose from. Your photos will come alive at these locations with gorgeous settings, local brews, and homemade pastries.
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Dineen Coffee
It’s difficult to think of a coffee shop with a more luxurious, old-style feel than Dineen Coffee. The coffee bar is round-shaped, harkening images of an era-gone-by department store, the red cushion couches give just the perfect amount of pop of colour, and the sultry dark wood pillars make the cafe truly elegant. Located in one of the oldest buildings in Toronto, the ambience is hard to beat. The coffee is also excellent with classic latte art to make your photos even better.
Neighbourhood: Financial District
Address: 140 Yonge St.
Kitten and the Bear
Kitten and the Bear is adorable. Newly renovated to showcase their homemade buttermilk scones and artisanal preserves, their new design evokes tea time. And a deliciously beautiful tea time you can have here. The exposed light-faded brick, white tables, and piled high confections will make it easy to take Instagram-worthy photos while your tastebuds revel in the celebration of flavours.
Neighbourhood: Dundas West
Address: 1414 Dundas St. W.
Bobbette & Belle
Cheery and bright, this cafe and pastry shop is as much a delight to the eyes as it is to the tastebuds. Cakes stacked high, artisanal cupcakes, and pastel-coloured marshmallows make the space borderline whimsical. With two locations in Toronto, both are excellent spots to relax, snap some photos, and enjoy a treat.
Neighbourhood: Leslieville
Address: 1121 Queen St
Boxcar Social
Boxcar Social combines a cozy cafe mood with a trendy bar feel with a few locations dispersed through the city, making it an original spot to meet and snap photos. The Riverside location features an open concept design, rustic wood furnishings, industrial-chic exposed pipes, and wandering green vines. They offer coffee from diverse roasters, both local and international, so you can expand your coffee palate every time you visit. And, if it’s later, you can always switch to draft beer and wine.
Neighbourhood: Riverside
Address: 4 Boulton Ave
Jimmy’s Coffee
Jimmy’s Coffee’s flagship location on Portland Street has everything you want from a coffee shop. Redbrick, white tables, and their signature pop of yellow make this one of the ideal coffee spots in Toronto. You’ll be greeted with a cheery yellow door and a traditional storefront before you enter the quirky interior. You can also lounge outside for adorable photos with blue accents, potted tropical plants and cute patio furniture. The best part is, if this location is full, there is another Jimmy’s Coffee just steps away.
Neighbourhood: King West
Address: 107 Portland St.
Reunion Coffee
Reunion coffee in Oakville has the bright open feel of a beautiful coffee shop to clear your mind and be inspired. But what really makes this place so photogenic is the white floor with the black words coffee at the entrance, making it the perfect spot to snap an aesthetic photo of your coffee and cute shoes. If you’re here for the coffee, they roast their own and have excellent latte art.
Neighbourhood: Roncesvalles Village
Address: 385 Roncesvalles Ave.
Sorry Coffee
Sorry Coffee’s trendy interior and clear lines of black and white give this coffee shop a clean, modern vibe. Their designer coffee cups each say sorry, making it a great play on a Canadian stereotype. Snap a picture with the mug in hand, the black tones, a splash of copper, and a white backdrop for photos you won’t be sorry for.
Neighbourhood: Yorkville
Address: 102 Bloor St. W.
The Tempered Room
Delectable confections line the interior of the two-storey patisserie. Combines Parisian savoury and sweet treats in a rustic brick environment; you’ll immediately feel good when you enter. Something about the mingling of high-end pastries in the rusty surroundings makes it the perfect Instagram spot, as well as a cozy spot to get work done.
Neighbourhood: Little Tibet
Address: 1374 Queen St
Fika Cafe
Fika means to go out for coffee in Swedish, and this cozy spot is the perfect place to grab your hot bean water. Combining brick and white walls, the comfortable chairs, hightops, and tables give you plenty of different settings for your photoshoot as you sip on their heart-warming coffee creations and original toast options. Fika is unassuming yet gourmet, making it the perfect blend for your photo.
Neighbourhood: Baldwin Village
Address: 28 Kensington
Hula Girl Espresso Bar
Hula Girl Espresso Bar is a fun and quirky backdrop to your coffee photos. With a woodsy interior, vintage signs, and colourful lighting, Hula Girl has a strong retro ambience. The two locations in Toronto are decorated similarly, so pick whichever location is most convenient. The coffee is strong, the pastries are delicious, and the branding is on point, so you can’t really go wrong.
Neighbourhood: West Bend
Address: 2473 Dundas St
Baddies
Minimalism at its finest, Baddies has a clean interior with food that pops. Their original food creations only complement the cafe’s modern lines and white backdrop for a truly delicious photo and experience. The light flowing in from the large window also makes it a cheery place to work or study.
Hero Image: @baddies.caf
