This is clearly a high quality coffee shop! When I walked in there was a long line, but the latte…read morewas worth the wait. At first I was surprised at how there were no flavour shops, but the high quality coffee/espresso they use made up for it; none was needed! Bonus points for the beautiful latte art

TL;DR/The Short Version: Independent coffee shop in…read moreWestboro. Minimalist interior. Good selection of baked goods and they also sell coffee, lol ;) The Long Version: The Bower Coffee Company opened up about a year ago in the summer of 2024. Usually I like trying out new businesses that open up in my neighbourhood, but admittedly I'm not a coffee connoisseur. I doubt I'd be able to tell the difference between a $50 cup of Kopi Luwak and a cup of Folgers instant coffee, lol. So coffee shops don't really excite me. However, I recently learned that Bower Coffee Company sells baked goods from a business called Adam Bakes. I've been wanting to try treats from Adam Bakes for a while now, but they are only open on Saturdays 8am-12pm and not in my neighbourhood, so their limited hours have prevented me from trying them. I didn't realize that they also sold their baked goods to other businesses for resale, so when I discovered this, I planned a little coffee date for my husband and I at The Bower Coffee Company :) I chose a Cinnamon Swirl Blondie from Adam Bakes ($4.85) and my husband chose a Peanut, Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip cookie from Art-Is-In Bakery ($5.25) and we got a regular 12 oz coffee ($3.25). The coffee tasted like any other coffee to me (unsurprising, lol). My husband is more of a coffee connoisseur than I am and his comment was it was a bit too watery, but otherwise ok. I loved the Blondie. It was rich and I think there's cheesecake swirled into it because it had creamy bits to it. It had a potent cinnamon flavour. I really enjoyed it and so did the hubster. I ended up hauling my butt out to Adam Bakes the following Saturday morning to try their other offerings, which weren't available at Bower Coffee. Adam Bakes will get its own review. I noticed that the prices are cheaper buying directly from Adam Bakes than at Bower Coffee, but I guess that's not surprising. The cookie was unremarkable in my opinion, but the hubby enjoyed it. It had whole peanuts in it as well as peanut butter and chocolate chips. It was soft and chewy, and the whole peanuts gave it the occasional crunch. Service at Bower Coffee was great. The barista asked me for the Blondie if I wanted a centre piece or an edge piece. I know some people like the crispiness of edge pieces, but I prefer the softness of centre pieces, so I was happy to be asked. The decor is clean lines minimalist. It's not a huge space, but has a decent amount of tables. It was bustling on a Sunday morning. Overall, a nice place for a coffee date, albeit a bit pricey in my opinion, but I get it, everything is expensive these days :/ We walked there, but it's street parking only for those coming by car. Review #133 (2025)

What a pleasure coming here in the morning, quiet lovely decor, lovely atmosphere and great food…read more Hard to find all these elements. Coffee and chai latte was awesome , we had akkawi Saj and a Belgium chocolate waffle. I'm not a shisha fan but was happy to check this spot out. Be aware they take cash only and they have an ATM machine so this took us by surprise.

Today I went with my friend for lunch to check out this cute little spot and it did not disappoint…read more It's a small space, with welcoming decor and variety of treats. We had the turkey sandwich for lunch with lavender lemonade.. the sandwich was great but I'd rather they don't grill it with the lettuce in it (got cooked lettuce) and add the lettuce later. Lavender lemonade was very refreshing ( maybe add a little more lavender) and then we ended with pomegranate cheese cake which was light and tasty. We enjoyed our time it was quiet.. and would definitely come back again

TL;DR/The Short Version: Cute Persian bakery/cafe in…read moreWellington West. Pastries were tasty and not too sweet, just a bit small in size, lol. The Long Version: My husband and I popped into Lavender Pastry on a cold snowy day in March to warm up and have a little treat. It opened around Christmas of 2024 in the space that used to be Numetrica, an accounting firm. We've walked passed it many times since then. I'm glad we finally decided to give it a try. My husband got a decaf coffee ($3.99) and a Chocolate Swiss roll slice ($5.19). I got something called a Persian Creamy Puff Pastry ($2.29). My pastry was 2 tiny puff pastry discs with cream piped in the centre. It had a single pomegranate aril placed on the cream with a sprinkling of pistachio dust around the aril. It was very pretty. The puff pastry was soft and not as flaky as I anticipated but it was still good. The cream was light and airy and the entire pastry wasn't too sweet, which I appreciated. It was about the size of a French macaron. I had a taste of my husband's Chocolate Swiss roll slice and it also wasn't too sweet. The cake was soft and fluffy and the cream was light and airy. It was tasty, but I found it on the small side, especially for the price. Good for portion control, I guess, lol. My husband enjoyed his coffee. The bakery/cafe is very cute and cozy inside. It's small with not too much seating though. Staff were pleasant. Street parking only. Review #64 (2025)

Love this coffee shop. The espresso is very tasty, the flat white is excellent, and the donuts are…read moreto die for. The ambiance is wonderful--it's a relaxing local spot with nothing in common with the big chains. The service is warm and personal, not the rushed "get you out the door" type. I'd recommend this place any time of the day.

Good coffee. Service is warm but room was cold .....sit as…read morefar away as you can from the doorway.

Coffee is great but the breakfast/hot food is mid. The oatmeal raisin cookie is very good though!…read moreCute spot to catch up with a friend or do some work.

I was so excited when I heard that there was a place in my area that had K-dogs (Korean Corn Dogs)…read more Unfortunately, my experience was less than stellar. The wait was over 30 minutes for a K-dog and 20 minutes into the wait they told us they ran out of hotdogs so we had to get an all cheese corn dog or veggie corn dog. Ugh! So the place is ultra hipster, lol. It has an industrial vibe to it. Prices are on the high side. It was $11.99 for a K-dog. My husband also got a Decaf Americano ($3.50). So we ordered a Half n Half "The Works" K-dog, which is a half mozzarella cheese, half hotdog corn dog topped with Okonomi sauce, Kewpie mayo and bonito flakes. I asked them to go light on the Kewpie and they obliged. Service was friendly. Our visit was during the Covid-19 Pandemic and the staff were regularly disinfecting high traffic areas like the door handles, which I appreciated. They also limit the number of people inside, so since our order was to go, they asked us to wait outside, and they would bring the order out. Fine by us. It was technically Spring, but still chilly out. They brought out my husband's Decaf Americano quickly, which he appreciated as it kept him warm. He offered me some, but he drinks his coffee black (which for inscrutable reasons I find an attractive quality in a man, but it's not how I like my own coffee, lol). However, we waited 20 minutes before the staff member who took our order came out and advised us that they ran out of hotdogs and we could either have all cheese or half cheese and half veggie dog. We opted for all cheese. It took another 10 minutes for us to get our food. The cheese was very plentiful and had extraordinary pull, lol, but it was almost too much cheese (can't believe I'm actually typing those words in that order, haha). I would have definitely enjoyed it more if it was a half hotdog and half cheese corn dog. The toppings were good. The Okonomi sauce was slightly sweet and the Kewpie mayo was creamy and I loved the marine taste of the bonito flakes. Those who dislike fish might want to stay away though. The bonito flakes had a definite fish smell and taste to them. The breading was crispy and I'm glad I got to try the K-dog, but I personally found it overpriced for what it was. The inside is cool looking and it would actually be a great place for a date once this Pandemic is over. Note, the address is on Parkdale but the physical location is at the corner of Spencer and Hamilton. We had a hard time finding it until my husband spotted the sign with an arrow pointing towards the cafe as we crossed Parkdale and Spencer for the second time looking for it. Street parking only.

Lovely, friendly staff and boho "everyone is welcome" (including neighborhood pups) vibe. Local…read moreart for sale, lots of nooks and crannies to grab a table and read, work, veg. Came here a few times on a trip to Ottawa and had consistently good cappuccinos. Croissants were okay, I wouldn't go out of my way for the bakery selection, but best place in the neighborhood for a friendly cup of coffee.

What an awesome little cafe. Very artsy and bohemian. They display art by local artists and the…read moredecor is very eclectic. It's in a converted old house, so there are so many rooms and nooks and crannies, lol. They have a small patio out front and a larger patio on the side. I imagine people like Leonard Cohen and Joni Mitchell in their early years hanging out in places like the Art House, to give you an idea of the ambiance ;) I grabbed a breakfast sandwich and a lunch wrap to go. The Southwest Chicken Wrap ($9.85) was really tasty. It had pieces of chicken, rice, black beans, cheese, and corn (which I picked out, lol). It had a bit of a spicy kick, but I'd still consider it mild (or at most on the milder side of medium). The breakfast sandwich was an English muffin, cheese, egg and bacon. I like that it was real cheese and not like a processed Kraft Singles kind of cheese. Very tasty. Staff are super chill and friendly. I'll need to come back sometime to hang out. Street parking only.

This is easily one of the best coffee shops in the area. I love getting their baked goods and…read morebreakfast sandwiches. The coffee is always great and they have good bottled sodas. There is a little park right across the street where you can boat in from Lake Lower Beverly. I always like looking at the crafted goods and the local art on the walls. On top of that the staff is very friendly and helpful.

The Bastardized Coffee house is a cute cafe, and an interesting shop. Street parking out front, and…read morea few steps up to get in. There are not a lot of tables to eat at - only 3, with a few couches interspersed. The staff and patrons are friendly. We got there early today, and had time to look around before our friends got there. This gave us time to wait for a table, It gets busy in here, so ordering can take some time. However, the food was a while coming out. Our food came out well before our friends' food. However, the food was tasty when it did come out. Unfortunately, my eggs were a bit better done than I like them, but the meal was still edible, while we were eating and our friends were waiting for their food, the waitress admitted that they were short staffed by 2 people (you could really tell!) Later on, we heard they had run out of eggs. Although it is an interesting place, with an eclectic menu, and it's not next door for us, I would not be in a hurry to go back. I would give it one more chance, though, in a while, hoping they get their staffing issues sorted.

Modern but comfortable. Upscale cafe vibe, jazz and blues music made it relaxing. There are high…read moretops, tables and charging spots. Strong, good coffees. They have Nutella for special coffee blends it's not just powdered chocolate here. Craving a whiskey or Irish coffee? Beer? They are also a small bar! A few desserts- I recommend the apple one. Just wish it had pillows to make it cozier.

Great location in the heart of Westboro, open late, indoor and outdoor seating, partitions between…read moretables for COVID protection. And above all awesome coffee.. the only thing missing is some good treats, or snacks. The options are limited and they are mostly vegan!

Large display counters offer wonderful looking sandwiches, fantastic baked goods and a variety of…read moresnacks Biggest decision was what to try Turkey and Cheddar was my choice Delicious Dessert to be painfully to choose Service was helpful and courteous Ambience is casual but comfy Coffee was good Clean environment with reasonable background music Must return

Wow! This was quite the treat! We had a hard time choosing what to eat! It's not cheap here, but…read morevery good food and beverages. As well as all these sweets, they also sell a variety of sandwiches and other things (did I see quiche up there?) I will get a snap shot of the other stuff on the way out. Their coffee is LavAzza (Italian, famous for buying out KickAss coffee from the company's Canadian owners.) I do love a consistently good cup of coffee! It's been seriously years since I've been here. I had forgotten how good it is! The Colonnade community is not in my regular stomping grounds, unless I'm coming up here for beads (Canada Beading Supply), or knitting supplies (Wool Tyme). So today was a bit of a shopping trip for me. I would definitely come back here again, hopefully sooner. So let me know in advance when you want to do a meet up here! ;-)

The sandwiches are top tier and they let my dog come in when it was hot af outside. It's a little…read moreoff the main road, but worth it. Parking is limited to street parking, but walking 5-10 minutes is definitely worth it

TL;DR/The Short Version: Deli serving up loaded sandwiches…read morein Hintonburg. A bit pricey, but tasty. The Long Version: District Deli opened up around March 2025 in the space that was Bismallah Pies (was Charlie's Groceteria before that). My husband and I dropped by to pick up a sandwich to share. The sandwiches are all named after nearby streets, which really gives it that neighbourhood feel. All meat sandwiches are $13.99 and vegetarian sandwiches are $12.49. You can also build your own for $13.99 where you can choose 2 meats, one cheese, and whatever vegetables you like. We went with the build your own option. We got roast beef and prosciutto cotto, fresh mozzarella and lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, pickled onions, pickled eggplants, and roasted red peppers, with a bit of honey mustard. The sandwich was really good. The bread was fresh, as were the other ingredients. It was a bit pricey in my opinion, but this is in comparison to other similar sandwich shops with $8-10 sandwiches (like 50 Two Sandwiches or Shorty's Sandwiches), but they are in industrial parts of town, so I get it, rent in Hintonburg is higher. District Deli only has cold sandwiches. No hot sandwiches, at least not at the time of the writing of this review. Service was courteous and efficient. Street parking only. Review #118 (2025)