Long-Distance Indie Coffee Date #6. [The Mascot]

Indie Coffee Shop #6: The Mascot 

http://www.themascot.ca/

Neighbourhood: Parkdale 

Drink Ordered: Cafe Mocha (obviously)

Size: Lots of space... but when I say space, I mean open space. Seating is VERY VERY limited!! I was automatically put off by this place because of it's seating situation. I'm very much into sitting in a coffee shop for a long time, and you can't do that here. If you do, then you start feeling guilty when new customers come in looking for a place to sit. At first I was told to just sit in this old school cinema seat (which is cool), but the seat had no table for anything. I had to rest my drink on the floor. I wasn't very impressed. I come to coffee shops so I can write in my journal, and I just couldn't do that here. Enough said. 

Menu: Just your basic coffee standards. Nice looking espresso machine though! However, I was disappointed with my drink. He made me all excited when I heard "we make our own mixture". I was expecting the awesomeness I experienced at Manic Coffee, alas, it was a no go. 

Atmosphere: Was there one? Not really. I mean, maybe if you sat at the barish type thing near the espresso machine... but other than that I felt really detached from the environment around me. The open space I sat in really made me really uncomfortable. Maybe that's just me. Perhaps you'd like that type of thing? 

Overall, I would not come back here again. I don't think I'd even visit it again if I were in the neighbourhood. I feel terrible for saying that, but it's true. I didn't' have that great of an experience there.  It's hard for me to say negative things about an indie coffee joint, but I can't help it! There are cool things to see in there, but other than that, no thanks!

Date Potential: 3/10 This place is more appropriate for those who just like to stop by and get a drink, but not sit down. Maybe if you're just walking by with your date and feel like a quick caffeine fix, then sure, stop in! Just don't expect to sit down! 

Great For: Those who can find a place to sit. 

The Mascot gets 1/5 smiles from me! 

Indie Coffee Shop Hoppin' - The Communal Mule

The Communal Mule

984 Dundas West 

I popped into The Communal Mule while waiting for my hair appointment at Barberella down the street. It was raining, and I had some time to kill so I thought "why not!". It's decor is nice, and the latte was decent, but I just didn't feel like I belonged. It felt rather pretentious, and more of a expensive "hipster" kind of crowd. The barista was alright I suppose, but after I ordered he took a while to make my latte since he was chatting with a friend. He eventually looked at me and was like "sorry, what did you order, a latte?". Not impressed. Anyway, I'm still a positive person, so I was alright with his forgetfulness. It happens. They played Euro dance type music, and I believe it was coming from a radio. I wasn't all to impressed with this since I believe indie coffee shops should be playing their own little mixes! But, who am I to judge. I'm sure there are people out there who love it! 

Anyway, I wouldn't go back here. Ella's Uncle is right down the street, and I'd rather go there any day of the week! 

2/5 smiles! 

Indie Coffee Shop Hoppin - The Hub Coffee House and Locavorium (Christie Pits)

The Hub Coffee House and Locavorium 

1028 Shaw Street 

Lovely little place! It's tucked away amongst houses near the intersection of Ossington and Dupont. 

Loved the sandwiches here. They look so simple, but are so very tasty! I also really enjoyed their iced tea, and my friend said the latte was also quite nice ;) 

What I loved about this place was how relaxed it was, and how at home I felt. Maybe it's because it's amongst homes that it didn't feel like it was a regular coffee shop. It felt like someone just opened up their home, and were serving some snacks and drinks. Also, we saw a man with a parrot! How random and awesome is that?!?

They offer wifi, and there is patio space, as well as indoor seating! I'd say it's a great place to come to work, meet with friends, or even just stop by to read the paper. You can do it all here. Very comfortable spot! Oh, and their cookies are a $1 and are very good! Healthy too! I forget what's in them, but I remember them being good for me, even with the chocolate chips :) 

5/5 Smiles! 

Indie Coffee Shop Hoppin' - The Remarkable Bean - (The Beaches)

The Remarkable Bean 

2242 Queen Street East (The Beaches)

http://www.blogto.com/cafes/remarkablebean

I went to The Beach (that's what the neighbourhood is called actually... most residents and Torontonains still call it The Beaches). Apparently there was a vote to officially change the name to "The Beach". However, everyone knows it's The Beaches. There's more than one! Anyway...

I visited a friend who has relocated to The Beaches, and she lives just a few doors down from The Remarkable Bean! You know what that means right? A coffee shop date!

The Remarkable Bean is located on a hip and laid back stretch of Queen Street East. This neighbourhood is filled with unique shops, baby stores, coffee shops, pet stores, anything your little heart desires. It's also quite close to the beach! Perfect! 

I opted for just a simple coffee. I chose their medium roast, and it was quite lovely. The roast their own beans there! My friend had an iced decaf Americano and a quiche! Yum! She let me try a piece, and it was quite heavenly. I really really wanted to try their savory scones. As we chatted I could see them pulling the fresh scones out from the oven and the smell was so tempting! Maybe next time?!

I really enjoyed this place. There were benches outside, and the seating inside was pretty roomy. They offer free wi-fi but for some reason I wasn't able to connect to it very well.... but that may just have been my own technological glitch. 

Overall, I'd give this place 5/5 Smiles!!! They have fresh pastries baked onsite, and their coffee is great stuff! I'd recommend visiting when you visit The Beaches! Oh, and it's open late! Till 10pm! Perfect! 

5/5 Smiles 

Indie Coffee Shop Hoppin' - Tango Palace Coffee Company - (Leslieville)

Tango Palace Coffee Company 

1156 Queen Street East (Leslieville)

http://www.blogto.com/cafes/tangopalace

This place is open late! That's one of the reasons why I decided to trek all the way down to Leslieville for coffee. I figured why not hang out at a coffee shop till 11 o'clock at night!

This place is super neat. It has a funky interior that reminds me of the 1920s with an 2011 twist. I'm not sure if that's accurate, or if that makes sense, but it's a pretty interesting place! The barista knows everyone by name, and it didn't take too long before we also became acquainted. There were tons and tons of treats to choose from, but I ended up going for the Skor brownie. A regular recommended it. 

I decided to use the "check in" feature on Facebook to tell all my friends where I was... it was only my second time using this app. It turned out that a friend of mine lived just a short walk away! Thank god for social media! We ended up bonding and chatting. It was a lovely evening, and we stayed till the place closed at 11pm! Success!

I'd recommend Tango Palace for anyone. It's a great place for meetings, chatting with friends, studying, reading, etc. It's basically a living room. But a living room with many friends, and one that is equipped with an espresso machine. Who could ask for anything more?

5/5 Smily Smiles! 

Indie Coffee Shop Hoppin' : Jimmy's Coffee

Jimmy's Coffee 

107 Portland Street

This place is a cute change from the more trendy and expensive vibe of King Street West. It's funny how you can be in one part of Toronto one second, and the moment you turn a corner you've stepped into whole new area. Toronto is fantastic this way. However, that's not to say Jimmy's coffee isn't also a pretty trendy place. I'd like to think of it on the more "upper" scale of indie coffee joints. It's very well decorated, and attracts professionals working in the area. It almost felt like a place to be seen and meet up with others in order to be seen. Does that make sense? People seemed to know each other. Which was fantastic, it means they have a little community that they attract. 

What I found really awesome were the photos decorating the walls. They were all photos of famous Jimmy's! When I saw Jimmy Stewart I thought "awww I love Jimmy!". Then I looked over and saw James Dean and Jimi Hendricks, and soon realized their little theme. It was perfect. 

Oh, and my drink was swell :) You pay by the shoot of espresso which is nice! Also, you can buy Jimmy's ground coffee as well :) 

5/5 Hearts from me!

Indie Coffee Shop Hoppin'- Capital Espresso - (Parkdale)

Capital Espresso 

1348 Queen Street West

http://www.blogto.com/cafes/capital-espresso-toronto

Parkdale! Who doesn't like Parkdale?! Alright, many Torontonians don't like Parkdale, but it's not that terrible... at least during the day. For those who aren't from Toronto, let me explain. Parkdale is kind of the ugly brother of the Queen Street neighbourhoods. Now, I've been trying to find the proper names of all the neighbourhoods along Queen Street (which stretches from Roncesvalles to The Beaches). However, if you were to go from about Yonge Street to Corktown, you'll see that Parkdale has an even uglier twin sister. Anyway, Parkdale has this reputation for not being the nicest part of Toronto. But, it does have a lot of character. The personalities you'll meet down there are pretty awesome. There are lots of little coffee shops, fabric stores, unique places to eat, etc. Lots of artist types and immigrants live down there. Rent is cheaper, but the area isn't the most up and coming. 

Alright, now onto the topic at hand, Capital Espresso. I wasn't sure what to think of this place when I walked inside. Menu was standard. People stared as you walked in... it was interesting. I did notice that there was a girl whipping up fresh batches of muffins, so this made me pretty excited! I guess they bake their own baked goods on site! Nice! I ordered a coffee and chocolate muffin, which also happened to be a banana muffin. It was fresh and fluffy. Just perfect. The coffee was alright, nothing to write home about.

I enjoyed watching the unique people walk in and out of the shop. I wouldn't say it's the most comfortable place to come and do work in. It felt more like a place that you get your coffee, read your morning paper and then go about your day. Not a "study" friendly place. However, maybe I'm wrong. To each his own!

Anyway, it was a nice place, though I don't think I would visit it again. Maybe? Maybe if I found myself in the Parkdale area and in need of a muffin? 

3.5/5 Smiles [the half smile is for the fact that they bake their own muffins!]

Good For: Some studying, reading the paper, people watching