I came during the week and I worked remotely out of the cafe. I came about 1:00 and I stayed until a little after 3:00 and the cafe was empty there wasn't much foot traffic on fortunately which I find sad because it is on a busy Street. I decided to try their CHAI and it was very underwhelming this is a Turkish cafe so I did expect to try to be stronger I honestly would never order it again or recommend it to anyone. I got one of their sandwich the beef they said they didn't have lettuce so they had to substitute with cucumber which wasn't so bad because now it has a little crunch to it but I did find that the bagel itself was a little hard I don't know if it was supposed to be similar to Montreal style .. overall the sandwich wasnt bad I just don't think it's something that I personally would choose for myself again. They do have water containers that you can pour yourself water they have clean tables for groups and for smaller individuals and they have a little patio outside as well I do see potential for it to be more busy but I do feel that the menu is pretty particular and I wasn't a fan I also should mention that they do have vegetarian options on the menu as well read more

Simit & Chai - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Wanted to grab a Masala Chai on a winter's day in between work errands. Unfortunately it was pretty much a $5 milk. It was bad. It came warm, it wasn't even hot, just warmer than room temperature. I didn't even pay attention so I don't know if she made me a new one or not. It came out regular hot, not steamy hot but at this rate it's better than the first attempt. Sad to say it was mostly just a hint of clover and cinnamon. Barely any chai. It was mostly milk. I like my chai and the odd winter I will make it. I had 3 sips, did some work on my phone and threw it out as it wasn't worth the calories to consume. what a waste Definitely not coming back for chai read more

Simit & Chai - Chai - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Quaint Turkish Cafe, with delectable baked goodies and beverages. I got myself the Poseidon sandwich and shared a kettle of Turkish Tea. The bagel was not your average one - it's broader and thinner, giving it a crunchier mouthfeel. This is an interesting change. I would have preferred the cream cheese used to be smoother but the texture was like hummus, which is unusual and not particularly improving the concept. I could see myself stopping by again for a quick pick me up, to stop by and catch up with a friend, or to sit around and get some work done. This cafe has got a very welcoming appeal read more

Simit & Chai - Poseidon - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Food + Service + Ambiance = fantastic. The owners are very nice and were working while we were there! There's available sitting indoor or outdoor - but space is limited. Food was served quickly. Everything tasted very fresh. Shakshouka (Menemen) = 10/10!!! Highly recommend. read more

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Came around 11:30am on a Sunday to grab a turkey sandwich here for takeaway - not too busy and there were both tables inside and outside. I love the thin Turkish bagels compared to the American style bagels. The turkey sandwich included turkey slices, cucumber, cheese, and pesto. I thought the sandwich was light and the cucumbers made it refreshing. It is also quite large and filling. Will come back to dine in to try the poseidon sandwich and the shakshouka, and some tea or coffee also! read more

Simit & Chai - Interior - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Cute lil place Food was delicious! Service was quick and smooth. Gonna be my fave lil spot. read more

Simit & Chai - Shakshuka - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

This was one of the places that I've bookmarked. I was excited to finally try its food! One of my managers gifted us with an Uber Eats gift card, so I placed an order of breakfast sandwich called Street (Turkish bagel filled with cream cheese and olive paste), and a baklava sprinkled with pistachios (buy one get one free deal). The delivery came within 25 minutes, just before lunch time! The sandwich was delicious- the filling was generous and the bagel was warm and fresh. The baklava was a little bit sweet, so that was a great way to end my meal. I look forward to more visits! read more

Simit & Chai - Baklavas & breakfast sandwich, Street - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

A cute Turkish based cafe in King West, with good decor, and delivery to the table. For a tea cafe, there seemed to be more coffee options than tea options. We got a pastry, a hot chocolate and a Turkish fog (tea latte). The hot chocolate was great, and not too sweet. The tea latte was strong tea with a splash of milk - nothing to what we were expecting. The savoury feta filled pastry was served cold, which I think made it a bit worse than it could have been. read more

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This is a cozy and cute shop in the Kings West neighborhood of Toronto, a little west of the downtown area. They serve fresh Turkish bagels (Simit), pastries, coffee, tea, etc. It's a good place for getting a snack like bite or a brunch. In my recent visit to Toronto, my wife and I decided to check this place out based on their uniqueness and their reviews. It was an inviting place and the employees greeted us when we got there. We are ask to sit wherever we liked. They had indoor and patio dining area. I was in the mood for having a Simit and coffee. So, after browsing through their menu, I went with a Simit sandwich that had Montréal smoked meat in it. With the meat, micro greens, mustard, and goat cheese, this sandwich was exquisite. The savory and herby flavors made this sandwich taste so darn good. I loved it. I also had some Turkish pastries (can't remember their names) which were scrumptious. I washed it all down with a cup of Turkish Mocha which was good. This shop is also known for their Shakshouka dish which we didn't try but thought I mention it. Overall, we had a nice experience. The service was good and the atmosphere was chill. They are on the pricey side, however. But for a first time visit, I definitely recommend checking them out. read more

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Came here for some Turkish brunch along with my family! It was great vibe. Crew was pretty friendly and explained a couple of things since this was the first time we visited a Turkish place. Learned about Simit - its an ancient form of bagel. Loaded with cucumber, fava bean and olive paste, it's reasonably priced & healthy. We also had Turkish coffee (super strong but a MUST try!) and Turkish Latte. Everything was great and fresh! Parking might be a bit hard to find but we love this cozy spot and we'll keep coming back!!! Thank you Simit&Chai! read more

Simit & Chai - Turkish Coffee! - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

I've been a long-term customer. For the last three visits, I've had to ask each employee to wash their hands (having handled cash payments). The latest incident occurred after I observed the employee cleaning the outside tables. She then took my order; I paid with cash. She then proceeded to prepare my order; I asked her to wash her hands or wear gloves, and she then argued that her hands were clean... I pointed out she had been handling a dirty cloth and a cleaner, which she had left sitting on the counter in front of me. She then washed her hands and selected another Simit for me. A note on my Simit: I ordered a 'Street' Simit, which was stale, with minimal olive paste and cream cheese. The prices have also been increased. It was a take-out order. Sadly, this cafe is much diminished, and the high turnover of staff is not a good look. read more

Got a couple of Turkish bagels and Turkish coffee here one morning. It was really good. read more

Simit & Chai - a woman standing in front of a bakery counter - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Always great food here. This is the original Simit & Chai in Toronto & they do have tables for dine in services as well if you wish to enjoy. It's one of the only places I know that has the best Turkish breakfast options, serving traditional simit (bagels) and turkish coffee/teas. I usually like coming in for a quick pick up of treats and coffee for a take out option as parking is pretty limited on King West but easy to get to via streetcar. They also just opened up Pasaj in Leslieville which offers a dine in service and brunch options. Staff is always very friendly and welcoming. read more

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Had the Simit and it was good but slightly too chewy as my jaws hurt after. It was the classic sandwich which was delicious but not enough meat for my taste. Shakshouka was not that good and drinks were basic. Not too impressed. read more

I was super excited to try Simit & Chai and finally got around to it over the weekend. As much as I enjoyed my order, I am giving it a lower rating because I didn't feel one of the items on my bill was worth the cost. I ordered a Turkish latte with almond milk ($1 for almond milk) and a bagel with a bit of butter on the side. The latte was milky and warm - your usual tasty latte. The bagel was freshly made and you could taste it. For a plain bagel it was $3, which I don't mind spending once in a while for something freshly made. There are options to get it dressed with additional toppings for $6-9 more but that much more for simple ingredients... I figured I'd just get butter because at the end of the day, I'm there for the bagel and it's original flavour. If you think like me, don't get the butter unless you'll don't mind paying $1 for it. A ridiculous price for small containers of butter you get free at Tim Hortons. But if you're willing to pay that, I highly recommend you go all the way and get a fancy bagel. They all looked really good and very insta-worthy. read more

Simit & Chai - Give you an idea of the additional charges... - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Fantastic brunch! We were meeting an old friend of mine and she suggested this café that is walking distance from her residence. The menu is Turkish inspired and everything we ordered was excellent! I particularly loved the simit and the sweet pastries. read more

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One of the best places for light breakfast or brunch options in the city. They are a great Turkish themed cafe that serves traditional "Simit" options, which are basically Turkish bagels with variations of stuffing inside. My go to is the Poseidon which one of their most popular items. It's a bagel with cream cheese and smoked salmon. So simple, but very delicious. I love to pair their sandwiches with their flavourful Turkish coffee or latte. The flavours of the spiced coffee transport you to the past like you were walking in the rich bazaars of the Ottoman empire. They have a variety of other snack and pastry options as well for those who are not as experimental in the mornings. read more

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Garbage. I'm sitting here at Stanley Park just moments after I finished my food and chai tea and I'm completely unsatisfied with it. I got the Poseidon with avocado and a iced Chai and the total came up to $25!! What a rip off The bagel itself was terrible. Hard and chewy therefore making the topping just spew out the sides of it. The avocado was a cheap avo spread and the smoked salmon wasn't anything fancy schancy either. The chai was watered down and tasteless I even added a bit of sweetener hoping to enhance/save it but nope just chai water Never coming back and neither should anyone else read more

Simit & Chai - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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If you are thinking of trying Simit & Chai out, take clear photos of their menu and post it on Yelp (you will get brownie points)! Food: My tastebuds are probably not catered for the food they offer here. Ordered the simit with various spreads (vegetarian platter) served on a wooden board. Some of the spreads are black olive, hummus, pickled veggies, and two others I could not put my finger on. I did enjoy the diversity and nutrition benefits in the spreads. The texture of the simit was browned well on the outside and chewy on the inside, I would have wished for it to be softer. I opted for masala tea, did not dazzle me as much, should have went full out with the masala chai. Service & atmosphere: The staff are knowledgeable of the menu items and patient to new customers. The interior is modern rustic, a nice place to have a coffee chat, work or study! Price: Seems high as the prices are a reflection of the neighbourhood and location being near downtown. read more

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Fantastic local Turkish simit and coffee shop! I ordered the Poseidon sandwich today, and it was amazing! They baked the simit fresh and the ingredients were high quality. I especially enjoyed the smoked salmon. The coffee was also fantastic. I got the Turkish latte which was delicious. read more

I love this place and come here regularly. They have great veggie options - my go to's are the "Street" (cream cheese, olive paste, and cucumber) and the "Everyday" (cream cheese and tomato). And if we're having friends over, have the time, or already have some of the toppings we like at home, we go for the pack of 6 frozen simits (as they taste as good, if not better, than the fully baked ones in store if you follow their baking directions properly). We usually take ours to go, as we live close by, but sometimes sit on their cute patio in the summer, which is very pleasant. Having said all that, there are a couple cons of things that make this place a 4 rather than a 5. First, it's pretty pricey. In my opinion, the simits are so good that it's worth it as a treat, but definitely not an every day or even every week situation. Second, every now and again the ready-made simits we get in store (i.e. not the frozen ones) are stale. This has only happened a few times (maybe 2 or 3 times in the past year?) - but when you're paying so much you expect really good quality every time. Third, in my opinion, neither the baked goods or coffee are particularly good. If I was rating based on those alone, it would be at 3 stars, max. read more

Long story short: Great Turkish breakfast eats and coffee in a lovely atmosphere. Long story long: Great place! I'm Turkish and this reminded me of home. It has small, limited seating, but the breakfasts are tasty and they have yummy baked goods. I haven't had it myself, but they offer frozen simit to take home. However, family friends have said it's better to get it fresh. I got tea, simit with cream cheese and tomato (it was my favourite way to eat it growing up, and the staff was kind enough to accommodate), as well as the shortbread cookies. It was light and tasty. The ingredients were also fresh. Friendly staff and cozy decor. I wouldn't do lunch (it would be too light), but highly recommend for a nice breakfast or coffee/tea time? It'll hit the spot. read more

Interesting looking bagel, cute table plants, marble table as the background - there's no doubt the Simit & Chai is IG worthy. Food&Taste: I came here with a friend one day for lunch excited to try the Poseidon bagel. The salmon was fresh and covered every inch of the bagel. Bagel on the other hand was a little on the harder side. Making it difficult to chomp down on. Service & Atmosphere: I felt quite rushed while I was ordering. To be fair, there was a long line behind me and it was during the lunch rush. I think this would be a great place to for a coffee chat. Value: Price was definitely high for what you're getting. Might return to try the Turkish coffee. read more

Simit & Chai - Poseidon Bagel - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

I only tried 1 thing here and the 1 star is specifically for that. I ordered the masala chai latte which tasted like watered down warm milk with an essence of spices. Had to go home and add more to make it decent. My recommendation, don't go here for the masala chai latte. However, the service and atmosphere was pleasant. read more

Summary: Wonderful place to go for lunch or to study, always lovely staff, fun deserts and pastries, simits are like bagels - and you need to try them, both as a sandwich or simply with butter or cream cheese. In terms of coffee I love the option to have Turkish espresso, especially as a cappuccino. I docked Simit and Chai one star only because the drip coffee is basic, but if you get the Americano you are safe just note it's the Turkish espresso being used so it's more nutty than traditional Italian or Guatemalan beans! (Super fun to try if you are a coffee nut like me!) or if you don't like boring coffee get a mocha, super fun too! Pros: Best Simits in Toronto, fun selection of pastries, authentic Turkish espresso, beautifully designed space, indoor outdoor seating, I don't like raw salmon but the salmon simit is SUPER yummy, turkey simit is the best, vegetarian simit is also mouthwatering! Great price for lunch with filling results!!! Also there is wifi and I think the place might be wheelchair accessible (I will update later when I double check) Cons: Drip coffee is hit or miss, seating outdoors only available in warm months read more

I've been waiting to try the food for a long time. I got my chance to try the Simit and had an espresso to go with. The bread is quite good and the espresso was better than expected. Ambiance is nice with the exposed brick. WiFi tested at 180/22 with many electrical outlets so a great place to work. Location is accessible and has 3 high chairs for the kids. The location fits just under 20 people and has a patio that can fit quite a few more. I will be coming back and recommend! read more

Simit & Chai - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Food is SOLID, and they have vegan options, that they proudly tell you is vegan! They have soy milk for coffee drinks, and will happily make you a latte or whatever with the soy milk. When you go in for Brunch, you see loud and proud "VEGAN Brunch". And you order it. You get multiple things to dip the Simit into. A simit is like a cross between a pretzel and a bagel. Not quite as much snap as a pretzel, but much thinner and crisper than a bagel. The brunch comes with a LOT more food than it looks like. I was able to get through maybe half my meal before I admitted defeat. And the thing is? It doesn't /look/ that big. You have maybe 1/4 cup (MAX) of each dip, but each dip is incredibly nutritionally dense. There's that olive dip. It's this black olive dip made with some kind of herb and olives. There's a walnut and red chilies dip. There's one with fava beans in. And hummus. And a side salad that has sliced cucumber, sliced tomato, and buttery soft baby greens. AND THEN you get this GIANT simit there too. I bought a vegan brunch platter, and a soy latte. It cost me like $15, but to be honest there was enough food there for 2 people to have a solid breakfast. My hubris got the better of me, because I saw how small the little dips were, and I thought I could do it. Nope. I was defeated by the deliciousness. On a street surrounded by chain restaurants, this is a refreshing change of pace. The food is so delicious, and the service is friendly. read more

After reading the super positive reviews of Simit & Chai, I was looking forward to coming here and purposely went out of my way to try their chai. I'm not sure what happened or even if the people changed. It seems like Lisa S also tried within 2 weeks and experienced a disappointment as well. I love Chai ... ever since my discovery of them in New Delhi and Dubai, I've been thrilled to find different variations around the world. When Simit and Chai opened, I had it bookmarked forever. I am never in this area of King St so I had to make the trek out. The cafe is a decent size and has a lot of small and shared tables for you to sit. It also have a few cute 2 seaters outside to enjoy the sun if you want. Their service here is polite and quiet. They had one person taking the orders and cash while 2 others were in the back making the food. Their menu has their bagels with various toppings, some in house baked goods, and their drink menu. Chai latte with almond milk - When we got the cups, I was shocked at the size. I ordered a large for $6 (with almond milk) and what arrived was a cereal bowl sized drink. Generous ... yes perhaps but thats when I realized their mistake. With such a large cup, you need a lot of tea to overcome the amount of water and milk in it. This was a cup of heated diluted almond milk. Even with the extra shakes of cinnamon, it could not change the flavour of watery milk. What a disappointment as I was hoping for bold flavour and spices. There was no black tea flavour or any spices. I think I'll stick to Plentea and Chaiwalla Chai from here on in. We only drank maybe 5 sips before giving up. 1/5 Turkish cappuccino - Another casualty of a big cup and not understanding flavours need to hold its ground to a lot of water and milk. Similar problem to the chai latte, we got an expensive cup of super watered down coffee. It did have a tiny bit more flavour than the chai latte but this was extremely watery. Normally in the middle east, you can taste the cardamom in the coffee but this... I could barely even taste coffee. I think for Middle Eastern coffee, I will go back to Souk Tabule. There you have good flavour even if it is a latte. Definitely too expensive for hot watery coffee. 1/5 Baklava - Made in house, I was surprised when it arrived to the table. For $2.50 the piece of baklava was only 1 inch squares. I remember the in house made baklava at Baklava King and even then you can share the piece for maybe 2 bites each. This single piece was a morsel. As for flavour, you could taste the pistachios and walnuts but the syrup was not evenly distributed. Even in the single bite I had, there was so super dried out phyllo pieces while others were properly drenched. Good flavour but too small and not the best execution. 3/5 I do have to warn people.. DO NOT USE THE BATHROOM. It is atrocious. I dont want to be graphic but the brown stains and terrible conditions of dirt everywhere in there was a shock. It needs a good bleaching for a few hours. I'm not sure if they raised prices, lowered quality, or have new staff... but the Simit & Chai I experienced is not the same as others has written. It's unfortunate but I'm hoping this is read and lessons learned to improve. read more

Simit & Chai - Baklava with 2 giant drinks. Chai latte which tasted like water and Turkish cappuccino which tasted more of warm milk. Very disappointing - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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If you don't know what Simit is (or Gjevrek) feel free to overpay here to find out. Back home the Simit is the cheapest street food you buy from street vendors and mostly poor people eat it. Here a "hamster" costs $12. For what ? Some dough and a few pieces of ham? Seriously ??? It tastes ok, but the originals back home are bigger, better and cheaper. I am allergic to coffee so no tea or latte for me. There's no such thing as Turkish latte in Turkey, only Turkish coffee (thick, unfiltered ). I had a can of mango juice for $3.50, the very same ones from Costco that cost $12 for a pack of 20. Enjoy hipsters! read more

Simit & Chai - Hamster Simit - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Lemme give the restaurant some props for giving me some nice looking bagels and a fancy marble table - was able to get a super cute Insta pic. Onto the food... You won't find a bigger smoked salmon bagel fan than me but I was underwhelmed by the Poseidon bagel. Based on all the Yelp reviews I was expecting a soft bagel with some fresh salmon but the bagel was pretty hard to chew and the salmon was ok. For a price that's double that of my usual smoked salmon bagel I will not be returning back. read more

Simit & Chai - The prosciutto bagel and the Poseidon bagel - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

3.5 Maybe I had super high hopes going to this place after seeing all the Instagram photo and great reviews. We came for brunch on a Saturday morning around 1 and the place was pretty packed. I ordered the Poseidon (Turkish bagel with smoked salmon) and my partner ordered the one with prosciutto (cannot remember the name). As a huge bagel connoisseur, the bagel was a bit too chewy for the both of us. It's definitely not awful by any means but I don't think I will be returning anytime soon. The cappuccino I got was also subpar. read more

Simit & Chai - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Not sure how I should feel about this place. Food was meh, the coffee didn't taste like anything special read more

Simit & Chai - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Such a great atmosphere with the kind, service oriented owner behind the counter at this bright and welcoming establishment. I got a simit with cream cheese and one with puréed fava spread, both were excellent and couldn't be fresher. The molasses baking process gives these large, thin and crispy bagels a subtly sweet and wood stove baked flavor that's uniquely pleasing. In sum it's a pleasure to enjoy delicious homemade food made with obvious generosity and care, and that's what you get at Simit & chai. read more

Simit & Chai - Is that The Brain I see outside Simit & Chai today?! - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

I went in to have the masala chai with soy milk hoping it would be vegan but I discovered half way through my cup that they add honey to their blend which was a bit of disappointment. Hopefully they can make a blend without honey. Edit: I updated the review to 4 stars as the chai itself was delicious but I wish it came with sweetner of choice on the side. read more

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I have come here everyday since I've been to Toronto and I've absolutely loved it. The Simit is a Turkish bagel and I have loved it ever since I've tried it! I've ordered the pro and the turkey since I've got here and it took me a while to figure out what about this food made it just so tasty! I probably would never eat aged cheddar by itself but paired in these dishes it makes the perfect companion to the other ingredients. Relatively inexpensive (about $10-$16 CAD or $8-$14 USD). The baklava is also very tasty! They use a relatively thin syrup which I like! They also have a good few other pastries I haven't tried yet. I wish I could better describe the absolutely delicious Simit and the wonderful service but I think you'll have to check for yourself! Very relaxed, authentic, Simit shop with good lattes, coffee, tea, food, and service! read more

Simit & Chai - Lightly sweetened black tea! (Tastes so good!) - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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I really like the vibe of this place. The terrariums and the music are always great. The menu is interesting. They have classic things you want at a coffee shop but with a fun twist. Items you wouldn't find in other coffee shops. I did feel the portions weren't as big as I would like for the price but everything did seem very fresh and the people were friendly who worked there read more

To clarify - this bad review is based on the horrifying service of the employees here; not reflective of the food. It's too bad because I enjoyed my shaksuka. But I will never , ever come back here . One employee brought over the shaksuka meal on the wooden tray with a very hot cast iron and decided to placed it on the very edge of the small table outside and obviously due to its size it would have toppled over. Instead of saying sorry, she said "I thought you would've grabbed it". I'm sorry? Knowing how heavy and hot this food item is, you decided to placed it on the edge of a round table and trying to blame me? So the cast iron fell and the entire thing fell on me and my white Dior bag. Because it was so hot , it gave me a minor burn and she took my bag and decided to wash it off. The section hit by the shaksuka came out yellow. At this point, still no word of apology whatsoever. Then I came in to ask for a tissue with some dish soap to help wash off, because the stain was so obvious on my white bag and was told to just grab the tissue from the table - I had to insist on getting a tissue with dish soap because my Dior bag is now half yellow. Finally given one, but until I left; no word of apology whatsoever. I left with a minor burn on my ankle and my designer bag half ruined. read more

I stopped by at the beginning of covid and before it was scary to go out. I had an ok experience. I ordered a Maple oat tea latte and found the oat milk to really overpower the tea. I couldn't really taste the rooibos tea I ordered and predominantly could only taste the oat milk. Would I return for this beverage? Probably not. Would I try another drink if I was in the area? Possibly. read more

Great food! Great drinks! Lovely atmosphere. Service was also really good. They have a vegan option, which is why I chose to come here for a quick breakfast. The inside is nicely decorated, with a very modern cafe vibe. There are a variety of tables, but they seem like they are always full. It's better to prepare to grab your food to go if you come during busy hours. Drinks are good too. They also offer vegan milk options. Overall, great place. I'd definitely come back here if in the neighbourhood! read more

Simit & Chai - The Vegan & Turkish latte with almond milk - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

I have been this place several times with my colleagues. The place is very close to my office and they offer discounts to us. I like this place especially for the Classic Turkish breakfast sandwiches, Muffins, and Turkish latte. The staff members are amazing and efficient. read more

Simit & Chai - @SimitChai - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Toronto, Ontario