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Initium

3.9 (93 reviews)
Closed • 10:00 am - 7:00 pm

By appointment only

Services - Initium

Applying hair extensions

Bridal hair services

Initium Photos

INITIUM ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Moderate noise
Trendy
Casual
Good for groups

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Recommended Reviews - Initium

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Green Tea latte #1
Sharon M.

Intium seems like the offspring of someone who had too many ideas. "I want to open a hair salon! Oh...but people like coffee right? Let's add a cafe! What if people want to sing? Throw in some karaoke!" I had heard a lot about the hair salon/cafe combination, but the karaoke came as a surprise to me. Some friends and I came to the cafe side on a Saturday night (hair salon's closed). It's a cozy space with enough room for 3-4 large groups. The drinks themselves are on the pricey end and I think you're paying for the art on top more than the drink itself. A bunch of us ordered green tea lattes and while delicious, they weren't anything extraordinary. Latte art was on point though. The karaoke wasn't like an actual karaoke place. It's more like they have a giant wall projection and screens with karaoke capabilities. If anyone wants to sing, take a mic and go for it! The servers are very open to it (the other customers' tolerance would depend on your singing ability, I guess). There was another review saying they didn't like that the servers were doing karaoke among themselves. I guess they thought it detracted from the cafe experience. On the contrary, I found this really fun! It's like you're in a giant room with friends and everyone just wants to get their song on. I didn't think it really hurt the service, and it definitely boosted the atmosphere. It really showed that these people enjoyed working there and that translated to some great attitudes. I think the other two groups that were in the cafe at the time actually knew the owners and we were the only random customers. We weren't given inferior treatment because of this though. The servers were all very friendly. At one point, we were encouraged to "not be shy" and my guy friend took this very much to heart, belting out an enthusiastic manly rendition of "Let It Go". Surprisingly, everyone was still nice to us after the singing! I think that in itself, warrants repeat visits. (51/100) - 2016

Kathleen W.

Location was a bit difficult to find if you are not familiar with the area. I find that this is a unique concept where you can wait for your friends to have their hair done while you enjoy some coffee and snacks. I'm not sure if there is a HUGE sanitary issue (I kept on thinking that hair would fly everywhere and it would smell like hair dye), but the cafe location was really clean. The service was great - they were a bit understaffed with only one barista but she was amazing! She recommended the matcha latte and was able to make it with soy milk! It was pretty good. On the other hand, I tried their ham and cheese croissant and everything tasted like they got it from Costco. I can guarantee the potato salad which was on the dish was from Costco. Overall, the food was really basic, wasn't terrible but you can honestly make it at home for less than $5. I'll be going back for the cute drinks and latte art :)!

Cindy L.

Finally made it to Initium to try out their cotton candy latte... only to be told that they don't offer that anymore! Guess it will be something I will need to DIY at future parties... I was really looking forward to it! Green Tea Latte - I know reviews below said it was amazing... but for me I would want it in a larger size and with more green tea flavour. I did appreciate that not-overly-sweetness of the drink. Also loved the latte art shapes we got. Origami heart and unicorn Green Tea Mille Crepe Cake - lacked flavour, but I did like the blueberries, chocolate and graham crackers (even better if it was the smashed up kind - the ones served were of the thin dust-like kind. Signature Initium Toast - tasty and flavourful (just a bit harder than expected), but great flavour with stuffed ham, and topped with cheese, bacon bits, onion, and seaweed! Yum! We used the yelp discount 10% which helped but it still came to $31 for 2 people, and for a snack break, it seemed a bit overpriced. For the same price elsewhere, I got a sandwich, side soup and small (individual portioned) cake. Ambience - it was nice that I didn't really smell the salon (until I got to the washroom area). Seating is a bit limited but it was a cozy comfortable cool vibe. Service - it was good! No issues. They were chill about us taking a bunch of photos and we didn't feel rushed. It wasn't busy at the time we dined, but overall staff seems pretty chill and relaxed. Overall, a good place to try out if you haven't been there yet. And a good place to go back when I am craving that toast again! :)

Green Tea Latte
Tiffany Y.

Came here for the first time on a Saturday for afternoon tea with a friend. We were seated in the cafe area where there were a few tables lined along a wall with sofa seats. My friend sat on a chair while I sat on the sofa. The tables were a bit too low in proportion to the height of the chairs so it was a bit uncomfortable. I ordered the Green Tea Latte that came with a minion design on it along with the Initium Signature Toast. The latte had a strong matcha flavour with a very smooth layer of froth on top. The latte design was a little faint but the overall taste was great. The toast is a bit heavy and filling so make sure you are hungry before ordering it. It was fully stuffed with smoked ham, a sunny side egg, bacon bits, onion and lots of cheese. It was definitely more like a brunch item than a snack. I'll definitely be back to try a few other drinks from their coffee menu. A little tip on getting to the cafe safely: If you're coming from the north on Woodbine Avenue, turn into Yorktech Drive and then into Bodrington Court to get to the plaza where the cafe is located. Otherwise, you'd be making a very dangerous and illegal left turn on Woodbine into the plaza.

Pistachio Cheesecake
Dorothy N.

So shocked when the bill came out, $17 CAD with tip (I'm American) for two custom print lattes, and a pistachio cheesecake. That for me is super reasonable. I was amazed at how smooth their green tea latte was, some places make it kind of chalky. The cheesecake was also beautiful and not too sweet. I love the rosemary and honey they decorated with. My friend and I were both pretty excited about our drinks. The laser print turned out very well and it is definitely a fun quirk that you don't find often. We were both working on something and it was obvious they were good at picking up social cues because they didn't bother us at all but as soon as we needed someone almost immediately a waitress helped us. Came in around 1 pm and it was just us and a couple more people but super quiet and peaceful.

They've had this cotton candy machine since TIMEEEEE. For all the ones that said their cotton candy is 'store bought' -_-
Amy Z.

This has become my new favourite place to work and I'm ALWAYS here during the daytime (if you're ever looking for me). This is the cutest place in markham for a cute latte! Their lattes are actually strong - this is coming from a starbucks barista (me) who's seen her fair share of good espresso, a nicely made cappucino and just about everything else they offer. Why would I come here for their green tea latte when I get a discount at starbucks? BECAUSE IT'S AMAZING. The matcha is just right, and has a bitter taste just as authentic matcha powder should. Another super cool thing is that they now have a coffee printer and if you download the app 'coffee ripples', they'll print whatever you want on your coffee - even your selfie, you narcissistic bastard. Lol jk, but the coffee printer is the best thing ever. They can also hand-draw your latte art .. if Alexias is in (cool af tatted up mixed girl), ask for her to do some cool stuff on your latte and she will blow your mind. Their cotton candy is amazing - they hand spin each single one and it's definitely NOT store bought .. have you tasted store bought cotton candy? It does not have the same texture as initium's cotton candy does. Not being a fan of sweets, I still LOVE their cotton candy. Ps. where can you get such unique flavours of store bought cotton candy?? I like the maple flavour because it legit tastes like maple syrup. Sugar rush, omg. Pps. they have a secret flavour of cotton candy.. if you're nice, they might give it to you ;) Staff are amazingly friendly, all the time and I la la looooove them all. Owners are great people. On the weekends, they often stay after hours for karaoke + more fun. Also!! Cool slashie much?! Half hair salon, half cafe? Lattes while waiting for your hair to dry? Yassss. I have an appointment with KK in two weeks because I'm tired of doing my own hair - if you know me, you know I NEVER let anyone else touch my hair. Their stylists are all so cool and have their own style, which I love. Oh, oh oh! AND ALCOHOL IS CHEAP AF HERE. I'm not kidding. Stella is under $7. WOW.

Vivian D.

I've been here about three times and certainly getting addicted to this place. The first time I was drawn to this place, the cotton candy was the selling point for me. Cotton candy flavours of vanilla, blueberry, grape and etc can be added on top of any drink and what is not to love about that! Whatever you want in terms of latte art, this place will challenge themselves and do it. Now, they've really outdone themselves and added the coffee ripples feature. By simply downloading the Coffee Ripples app free for android and apple, YOU can now create your own coffee art! Though they are still in the baby phases of the feature to sort out all kinks, it is TOTALLY RAD! Of course when sharing the picture with my friends they all thought it was photoshopped but that's to show how amazing the feature is! Either upload an old picture or take a pic on your smartphone right then and there! They are the only place in Canada to have this concept so far. This place is located right next to initium salon and has free wifi, large projector tv's, board games and even hosts painting events! What is there not to love! I also can't thank the staff enough for all their shared knowledge and friendliness throughout every visit. Extremely genuine people. In the words of my father, "you better not get addicted." It's too late father, it's too late.

Cotton Candy Latte (pina colada flavored)
Anh T.

Ok so I didn't come here for the haircut, I came here just for the cotton candy latte and their latte art. It's interesting at how they designed the space as connected next door is a hair salon so customers can wait for their appointments while drinking some latte. However, I hate to say this but I didn't like either of the lattes I ordered. Sure the drinks looked nice, but that's pretty much it. -BayMax Latte: It's just a regular latte with Bay Max latte art-ish. The latte itself is OK, I have had better in downtown coffee shops. You can ask the barista to customize other latte art design if you like. -Cotton Candy Latte (pina colada flavored cotton candy) Not sure if I got a wrong order or maybe the menu had it wrong, this was not a latte lol. It's essentially cotton candy put on top of a cup filled with just espresso.. The cotton candy itself is store-bought. No, don't tell me that it's fresh, just don't. The cotton candy was extremely sticky and very sweet. I even saw the staff took the candy out of a plastic box that is similar to the one I saw in Metro. It didn't taste like pina colada either. They gave us another one which was the maple syrup flavored cotton candy, and it was good but too sweet.

Cotton candy latte
Irene T.

Lovely place for an afternoon study session or a quite evening with the boyfriend. It is attached to a salon which makes it super convenient for the SO to sit and enjoy a cuppa while the missus gets her hair cut (or vice versa). Came by Friday evening and ordered a cotton candy latte and a black sesame latte. I really enjoyed both their drinks and their presentation. The atmosphere was also quite lovely and relaxing and the staff was very nice, friendly and patient with me as I couldn't decide what I wanted. Would definitely return.

Arlene B.

What do you get when you mix a salon, a cafe, and lounge? You get Initium. Ryan (one of the owners?) explained that for those visiting the salon who need to pass the time while colouring or perming hair, they need a place to hang out. These days social media has lots of people coming to Initium for the latte art and cotton candy lattes. We came on a weekday afternoon and ordered 4 different lattes/mochas: green tea latte with soy milk, toasted marshmallow latte with lactose free milk, panda mocha (containing white and dark chocolate) with almond milk, and black sesame latte. We had hoped to try out their millecrepe cakes but they were all out of cakes. We ordered a Canadian naan pizza to share. Initium just started using a fancy new latte art printer so for a limited time latte art is free. You can even get your company logo or picture printed on your latte using the coffee ripples app. Eventually I'm told they will charge a small fee for latte art. I like that the lattes and mochas were not too sweet. They have great microfoam which made the latte drinking experience better and allowed the latte art image to be preserved longer. Hubby ordered the black sesame latte but isn't a huge coffee drinker. We learned it is possible to order a black sesame steamer (not on menu). It is also possible to customize sugar level. Initium is a cool place to hang out or perhaps get a bit of work done. They have free wifi. They also have a number of tv screens (at the time of our visit dialed on to CP24). Extra 0.5 star for great service and friendly staff :) (88/100)

Crepe cake with minions!
Jackie W.

Latte art to the finest! I came here for their latte on a weekday and it did not disappoint. This place makes such cute latte arts!! Anything from a batman symbol, the alien from toy story, Baymax or the Minion himself!! Every latte here is instagram worthy, but taste wise, it is just average, but since it was reasonably priced, I though it was worth it just for the arts itself! The earl grey crepe cake we had was pretty decent and my friend I enjoyed it. Only thing I had to complain about is, when I asked for my latte art to be cute, I got some flowers art instead!!! -_- The server told me the artsy person works on weekends, so if you want even cuter latte arts, come during the weekends!!

Iced green tea latte
Kady Z.

I come here on a monthly basis to wait for my bf get his haircut. The decor is beautiful and their couches are so comfy! Also super fast free wifi. So far everything I tried was really on point. Their peach Italian soda was bubbly refreshing and just flavourful enough without it being syrupy. The cappuccino was really smooth definitely made from some premium coffee beans and iced green tea latte is always delicious. Tried their cream puffs, Oreo is my favourite but green tea is good too. Service is wonderful and the staff are friendly. I recommend this café for chilling with friends, dates and nights out! Will be coming here more often.

Green tea latte and toasted marshmallow latte
Peggy L.

Found out about this place on instagram and was instantly intrigued by their cotton candy lattes. Came here with my boyfriend on friday night. When we got there we realized it was a hair salon/café/bar lounge - at first we thought it was a really weird concept but it actually worked and is definitely really unique. They also had karaoke and some board games there which is definitely a plus. The servers are super nice. The cotton candy latte is from their "secret menu" but i believe you can add cotton candy to any of their coffee drinks with an additional cost. They do latte art as well - just ask! I got a Baymax on my green tea latte and it was too cute. The green tea latte was really good and creamy. We also got the roasted marshmallow latte with cotton candy - it comes with an espresso shot to pour over the cotton candy so that it melts into your into your drink. If you share a post on any social media platform you can get the cotton candy upgrade for free :) Definitely gonna come back to try their other drinks!

Green tea latte with a Pusheen cat on top

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Review Highlights - Initium

“The green tea latte was quite good - not overly milky/creamy and sugary (which I find Starbucks' green tea lattes to be)”

Mentioned in 22 reviews

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The Golf Lounge

The Golf Lounge

4.7(19 reviews)
1.8 km
•$$

We celebrated our birthday this year, and making a reservation for the date was so easy! On the day…read moreoff the staff were so friendly and attentive, they helped us place orders for food and drinks, and dimmed the lights and played happy birthday while we blew out the candles. Interior is so nice and there is something for everyone there would book here again

Booked a package (Partee for 20) for my boyfriend's birthday and everyone had a really good time…read more Price was reasonable for what was being given ($150/hr): sim golf, karaoke, darts and pool + you can choose to get food and the drinks (alc and non-alc) from the place itself and/or through their partnering restaurants at additional charges. You can also bring your own food but there is a charge per person. The great - The customer service is top notch. I bombarded them with questions over email, they didn't leave a single one unanswered, they were quick to respond and very accommodating. The patience in answering multiple emails, questions and follow up questions is how I knew my experience here would be good. The good - The alcoholic drink options were okay, the variety wasn't large but the cocktails and mocktails were good. Food was good too. The karaoke was a bit confusing to navigate at first but we got the hang of it. There's something for everyone here and coming in a large group definitely made it worth it.

Photos
The Golf Lounge - Lounge area & putting green

Lounge area & putting green

The Golf Lounge - The bar area

The bar area

The Golf Lounge - Simulator bays

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Draco Markham - Pork belly tacos

Draco Markham

3.9(121 reviews)
2.6 km•Unionville
•$$

Hubby & I were out shopping on Christmas Eve for some last minute gifts and groceries. We were…read moreclose to downtown Markham and the idea of Draco came up. Initially we were going for the idea of breakfast, but timing was a bit off from what we anticipated and it was a really nice lunch date instead. I love the Markham Marriott, the staff is always warm and welcoming. Draco has a very sleek, sophisticated and cozy atmosphere. We both ordered Bacon & Cheddar burgers. I opted for a Caesar salad as an appetizer and hubby ordered their Grilled Wagyu Flat Iron Steak. Let's start with the apps. The Caesar salad was SO good! I wish I had taken a pic, but admittedly, my phone was tucked away and I was caught up in the cozy seating, great food and Christmas vibes of the restaurant and lobby. Grilled Wagyu Flat Iron Steak: $33 - Buttercup Squash Puree and Truffle Oil - Everything you want Wagyu to be - tender, cooked to the perfect temp which left a nice warm red centre. This was melt in your mouth good! The burgers - these were perfection! Draco Bacon Cheddar Burger: $25 - Aged Cheddar with Crispy Bacon Strips; Crispy Onion Straws, Arugula and Garlic Aioli. This was a very well seasoned patty, so juicy and a substantial sized patty of fresh not frozen beef. The bun was lightly toasted, bacon crispy, easily taking this into my top 3 fav spots for burgers! Options for sides include fries, sweet potato fries, poutine, side Caesar or garden salad or truffle fries. We finished off our meal with 2 really good cappuccinos and just took our time before heading home. This was our first time back here in a few years. The food was exceptional as was the service and the warm staff. Draco is the perfect spot for an early morning breakfast, work or lunch date or a nice cozy dinner. They also have Christmas & New Years dinners and brunches. Relax in the restaurant with drinks or in the adjacent lounge, this is a great spot to unwind with some great food and drinks.

The esthetic is on point. They have an infusion of fresh coming through the vents. The staff were…read morequietly there if it makes sense checking on us throughout. The food was chefs kiss. I had chicken and waffles my daughter had steak and eggs. The steak was seasoned to perfection, my waffles were crispy and so was my chicken. I wanted lactose milk he heated it up for me which was a nice touch. Would recommend Drako 100%

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Draco Markham
Draco Markham - Pork Belly Taco Wrap

Pork Belly Taco Wrap

Draco Markham - Garlic parm wings

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Garlic parm wings

Electric Piggy BBQ - Clams...delicious

Electric Piggy BBQ

4.3(107 reviews)
0.4 km•Brown's Corners

A Vietnamese fusion restaurant close to the Costco on Yorktech Rd. With a name like Electric Piggy…read morehow could I resist. Funky decor with majority of indoor patio seating on the perimeter surround their bar and kitchen. They have their own own smoker/BBQ in the back which explains why they have a brisket dish and brisket bahmi on the menu. Majority of staff speaks Vietnamese so it's legit Shared a somewhat light lunch sharing chicken wings, pork egg bahmi and lemongrass pork rice plate (takes 15mins to make) before heading to the madness called Costco shopping. Chicken wings were delicious with a light crispy sugary crust paired with a citrus dpping sauce, the strange combination of flavors surprisingly worked. Pork egg bahmi served hot on a nice toasty crunchy baguette, tender pork with a runny egg and mayo Hit of the show was the lemongrass pork rice plate. Whoever cooked/grilled the pork must have received a PHD in pork grilling, 2 pork chops tenderly grilled with lemongrass flavor throughout, one of the best pork dishes I've tasted. I will definitely be back to try out their brisket and probably their pho. So many interesting menu dishes to try in my next visit

Looks better than it tastes…read more Ambiance: The restaurant is located in a small strip along Woodbine, and we actually turned too late and missed it. The restaurant is quite small and cozy, with a rustic garden feel at night, especially as we sat at the perimeter of the restaurant that looked like part of the patio, but since it was cool, it has been sealed/closed off for the season. It seems like a casual hangout spot for small groups, couples, and friends, with dim lighting and a bar area. Food: The portions were reasonably sized for the calamari and chicken, but quite small for the salad and razor clams. The clams were cooked well and tasted good, but everything else was quite disappointing. The chicken was on the blander side, and wasn't very tender to eat. The calamari was quite soggy and needed the sauces to bring it flavour. The salad was also very light and subtle in its flavours. Not sure if it was an off night, but everyone at the table felt the food was weak and could have been improved. We consulted some friends who visited a month later who found the chicken to be so-so as well. Service: The service was also on the slower side, with them not even bringing us water until we asked. The dishes came fairly quickly as it was later in the evening and there weren't too many new tables, and they were generally out of the way. Food is much better at its sister Nam restaurants

Photos
Electric Piggy BBQ - Interior

Interior

Electric Piggy BBQ - Milk bread....SO GOOD

Milk bread....SO GOOD

Electric Piggy BBQ - Stew with puff pastry

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Stew with puff pastry

Initium - hair - Updated November 2026

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