East Toronto Coffee Co.
East Toronto Coffee Co. is your neighbourhood cafe on Danforth East that offers up multi-coloured rainbow lattes, hot chocolate bombs, and tasty baked goods.
Owned by two long-time locals, Ruben splits his time between East Toronto Coffee and his other coffee shop Dundas and Carlaw, while Jim is also a part-owner of Square Boy which has been operated by his family for about 35 years.
A combination of their business experience and love for their neighbourhood is what makes this place shine since they dreamt it up together back when they first met as friends three or four years ago.
They have a variety of colourful drinks on their menu all made with their Nuova Simonelli espresso machine.
But the most vibrant and multi-coloured has to be the Rainbow Latte ($3.75 for the small, $4.25 for medium and $4.75 for large) which comes with swirls of green, red, yellow and blue.
Expect to see lots of pretty latte art from the manager, Selena who has also worked at Bulldog Coffee and Aroma Espresso Bar, among a number of other cafes in Toronto.
Another favourite is the Toasted Marshmellow Hot Chocolate ($5.25 for the small, $5.75 for medium and $6.25 for large), which you can also get as a mocha.
The fluffy marshmallows are torched on top to give it a bit of a toasty, caramelized flavour as if they've been browned by a campfire.
They also used to do handmade Hot Chocolate Bombs that when poured over with milk would melt away into a rich and creamy hot chocolate.
Although a huge seller, they'll be switching this out with a cracked heart variation for Valentine's Day.
If a more traditional black coffee is what you're after, you could try their home roast named Main ST.ay Medium Roast in honour of the area's subway station.
You can get the Rufino drip coffee blend brewed to go or grab a bag of it for home ($14.50) as it's sold in the store. Different flavours of Toronto's Genuine Tea are also available for purchase for retail and off the menu.
The pastries on display at the counter are all dropped off fresh every morning by Circles and Squares Bakery and range from different types of banana bread, cookies, muffins, and sweet and savoury scones.
Whether you're looking for a new neighbourhood spot in the area or are travelling across the city to experience their unique drinks, you're sure to leave East Toronto Coffee satisfied and well-caffeinated.
Fareen Karim