I've never had a poor experience with Pilot coffee anywhere in the city; I've visited Te Aro, their booth in Union station as well as the tasting bar on Wagstaff. While the tasting bar is lacking the delicious treats found at Te Aro and other cafés where Pilot coffee is brewed, the service and experience at the tasting bar more than makes up for it. Due to the odd hours of operation (8:30-3:00 M-F) it may be impossible for the Monday to Friday, 9-5 crowd to ever visit the tasting bar (unless you go on your day off). Located in a nondescript alleyway in fledgling Leslieville, visiting the tasting bar can make you feel like you're part of an exclusive group who are "in the know". The tasting bar serves a variety of espresso based drinks (latte, flat white, cappuccino, mocha etc), brewed coffee (drip, chemex, pour over etc), nitro cold brew, coffee samplers, and some non-coffee drinks if you choose to bring a non-coffee drinker (do those people even exist???). I've tried the nitro cold brew (awesome, creamy, smooth), latte (strong), and cappuccino (awesome). Prices are comparable to other cafés in the city. Barista gives you the opportunity to choose from a small variety of espresso beans from which your drink will be made from. While you can have your drink to go, the real experience lies in sitting at the tasting bar, sipping on your drink while talking with the friendly and knowledgable baristas. read more

Pilot Coffee Roasters - Latte - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Love this coffee shop even though it's in a random location. They sometimes don't have the newer flavours at this location as this isn't a standalone cafe, but it's a great place to stop by if you're in the area read more

I used to go here often, but stopped because they don't take cash. It's their decision, of course, but there should be a sign in the window that says "Contactless Only" or something like that. Otherwise, people waste their time going in, ordering, and then finding out that they don't take cash. It's annoying. read more

I do "Trust The Barista" ($12), especially the one at Pilot Coffee Roasters. The Opening hour here is a little awkward. If you are working some regular office hour (9-5 M-F), you might never able to come to experience the Tasting Bar unless it is your day off. But I tell you, it is well worth it if you are an avid coffee lover. Of course you can also just order what you like off the menu. Pour over, Chemex, Espresso, Cold Brew. Talk to the nice barista if you are not sure what to order. But if you have time, I definitely recommend the tasting menu. 3 different roasts with 3 different brewing methods. BTW, I have always been a Tre Aro and Crafted fans so I really enjoyed my experience here. Maybe one day I can do some coffee cupping here. The aroma of roast coffee beans on site is just so intoxicating. read more

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We love Pilot Coffee, and we usually get it by the bag from a couple of our favourite Montreal specialty cafés, but when we checked in with them on social to see if we could order delivery or pickup from them to support them during this crisis they directed us directly to the Pilot website. So we ordered two ginormous bags of coffee, and they arrived days later, and they are fresh and just so delicious. We get to drink direct trade, Toronto roasted, top of the charts coffee in our own homes while socially distancing, which is an incredible privilege, so thanks! read more

Nice, knowledgeable barista. (He rec Heritage or monument but they were not on brew. ) But the coffee was bitter and too acidic. Paid extra for pour over and for a special roast that I didn't care for and there was no offer to make it right, such as, "Can I make you something else?" I suppose I could have asked but too awkward, like sending back a steak at a "great" steakhouse. I messaged the business 5 days ago but got no response. I bought a bag of beans elsewhere. read more

This is a very secluded place, right in the heart of Greenwood residential area. The coffee is amazing and changes depending on the coffee roasted for each season. This is the tasting bar and roaster location, so you can mainly see the packing, roasting, grinding inaction. Love especially how they use cargo bike to make their delivery. As its only a tasting bar, the hours are a little inconvenient for the working crowd, being opened from 8.30am - 3pm. The barista is a knowledgeable guy, so if you're not sure what you want he will definitely be able to give you a good recommendation. One recommendation I'll give is Lil Bro. It has great note of chocolate, fig, brown sugar! Well worth a visit if you're a coffee lover like me. You won't be disappointed. read more

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Best sausage egg and cheese bagel I have EVER had. And I live in NYC. Amazing service and lots of seating!

I already loved pilot before setting foot in their door. They sell beans across many cafés in Toronto. Their beans are really delicious and the design/functionality of the bag is better than I've ever seen. Some perspective on the quality of the beans: I've been buying good coffee for about 2-3 years. I always buy different bags from different roasters. I've bought from the same roaster twice very rarely. Im on my third bag from pilot, and I bought beans from them back to back; I've never bought beans from the same place twice in a row before. Theyre that good. Their café is in a weird location but inside is awesome. You can see how they handle and process beans for distribution and they have a really nice coffee bar. I got the Kenya pourover. They brew it literally where you sit. It's kind of intimate, which can be off-putting for some people, but it's an awesome experience. The coffee was spot-on (very rarely have I found a really good pourover). Highly recommend checking this place out. read more

As I was informed by my bean-crushing, brew-sipping, coffee-critic SO, pilot won microroastery of the year. So, clearly, we had to visit. What a cool space!! This location is Pilot Coffee's tasting bar and roastery (the coffee also appears at their cafes, Te Aro and Crafted) so it's a pretty huge place with stacks of burlap (?) bags, filled with presumably coffee. There is a glass-panelled room for coffee-tasting sessions ("cuppings") and a tasting bar with top of the line coffee machines, of which I fail to grasp the majesty (but I was assured they were a big deal). Off to the side, they've displayed bags of their beans, bars of chocolate, and coffee paraphernalia available for purchase. We sat at the bar for the tasting menu: an espresso, a brew (chemex or pourover), and the specialty drink (which happened to be the cold brew when we went). The barista was extremely friendly! It was great casual entertainment to watch her prepare the drinks slowly and meticulously--everything is measured on a scale when both dry and wet, the technique is consistent from customer to customer, and it was fascinating to watch some latte art being poured. Maybe it's because I don't really drink coffee, so I am easily impressed, but this place definitely feels as if it's above and beyond your regular cafe in town. It isn't somewhere you come to squat for wifi while working and absent-mindedly sipping a cappuccino: the coffee is really the focus of your attentions. With that in mind, I would come by for that experience: coffee front and centre. Don't really expect to do anything else while sitting at the bar! PS: Cold brew was quite tasty. But I imagine the beans and drinks are probably switched out regularly, so just consult the menu or ask the barista--don't listen to people on the internet. read more

A true fan of cafes Te Aro and Crafted, to see Pilot's new Tasting Bar was like watching a child growing up and reaching for the stars. The space was designed like a Scandinavian dream, simple, open, bright, high ceilings and modern. This Tasting Bar shouts experimentation and visitors, merchants alike should come open-minded to taste various styles and methods. After all, why else would you see those multi-thousand dollar machinery at the bar alone? The Menu is simple as it should be and we went for the "Trust The Barista" tasting, the experience felt like a similar setup to a sushi bar or a whiskey bar as one coffee came after another as you finish and we were lucky we went when they were not busy since it's during most people's regular office hours. I'm glad this place opened because there's still so much to discover and I'm certain the coffee I didn't like will be balanced with ones that I do. I'm sure the retailers/merchants that come here have as much fun as we do when they do tastings to determine their shop's coffee. read more

I read about Pilot Coffee Roasters a few weeks ago on Twitter and decided to give them a try. I've been very happy with a local coffee roaster in Alberta, but they don't have a wide selection and giving something new a try is always a good idea. I had a huge problem with Canada Post shipping the coffee (not only did it take way longer than their "guaranteed time," but it was marked as delivered last Thursday and then I didn't get a delivery tag until yesterday night). I finally got my coffee today and gave it a try. I ordered three bags--two for use via immersion brewing (the Bona Vita) and one for the espresso machine. There is a blend from Ethiopia (Kilenso), a single-producer from Guatemala (Las Rosas), and one of their espressos (not sure if it's a blend--called Elevens). I've only tried the Kilenso so far, and it is fantastic. Even more fantastic was the customer service I received from Pilot through it all. They were genuinely concerned that Canada Post was taking so long, and stayed with me throughout the process--even checking in on the shipment to let me know when it was finally available for pickup. I am only going on first impressions as far as the coffee goes, as I have only had one cup so far, but the service I've received is very telling of what one should expect from Pilot. I knew this was a company I wanted to do business with before I even tried their product, which is an indication of a great company. read more

I absolutely love this place. Parking can be a challenge, but that's part of the fun - it feels like a destination coffee place. I recently took part in their beginner barista course, I love it that much here. I highly recommend their coffee sampler. Be aware that it has shorter hours than most coffee shops as it is really a coffee roaster / distribution centre. read more

Pilot Coffee Roasters - Coffee lessons at Pilot - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

From the moment you walk in, you get a vibe of the seriousness they put in coffee. Amazing service to great tasting coffee. The whole experience will want you to go back again. And the presentation shows the care and effort they put in every cup. read more

Pretty nice place and from I remember good baristas who know their stuff, but I didn't bother asking for a flat white. I just wasn't a fan of their roasts. read more

Majority of the time when I go to this coffee shop I have terrible service. This is for the one on ossington. I find most people have poor social skills and are very focused on themselves and not the customer. I've been ignored while walking in when the store was empty no one said hi. It was very awkward. The store also was already opened so i walked in around 810, no one greeted me and I had to ask to be served which they were hesitant about as they were still getting ready. If the door says the store is opened shouldn't I receive service then and not be questioned? I've also been poorly greeted as I've come up to the cash register. My dad also had a poor experience as he came to buy a coffee was a few cents short he only had pennies and they refused to accept it making him go all the way home to get some more money when I personally believe that sometimes for a business to do well you have to help the customers out here and there. It was a few cents... I've never written a review in my life so this has to say something. I just think this place needs to really improve in their customer service. I really enjoy the food at this place but I don't like feeling awkward at a place I'm buying food from because of the workers. In comparison, walking into Starbucks is a very different experience as I'm greeted immediately and they actually make conversation with me. read more

Big Fan of the coffee and Pastries. Had an Americano, not burnt tasting at all. The lattes looked well done as well.