The cortado I had was a bit underwhelming. However, what I liked least was the service. The staff did not do much to make you feel acknowledged or welcome.
Brigitte
The service is hit or miss. Once, a barista was really friendly and made me hojicha the traditional way with a bamboo wisk and little bowl caringly in front of me. Another time, when I politely told a barista, on my way out, that there was a homeless person upstairs who sat in front of me and pulled out a pipe, I was responded to with a sarcastic remark. I didn't mind that the homeless man was there, I understand that we're all human. But the fact that he pulled out a pipe in front of me, and he was sitting right in front of me, and there was no one nearby except someone sitting facing away at the back, made me uncomfortable.
Atmosphere: 4
Service: 3
Suzanne Carricaburu
Went with a friend and the atmosphere is super cozy, comfy… good pastries and coffee, all the staff is super friendly as well!! Loved it
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Chandrika Mehta
Try Iced Hojicha as their barista likes ! You will be amazed ❤️
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Bruce Dawson
They know coffee. My double espresso was crema deluxe
Crystal M
Good coffee and a lovely patio. Great vibe. 🥰
Will M
The vibe was very chill, I wish I could have hung out at the shop for longer. The coffee is good. Ham and Cheese was also good. I wanted to get the breakfast sandwich but the barista already seemed unimpressed with the fact that she had to make coffee for people. Unusually bad service.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 2
AmirSayyam Maleki (Juya)
The first time I visited this café, I really liked the atmosphere — it felt cozy and warm. There’s a small backyard behind the café, and the upstairs area also has a comfortable vibe. Unfortunately, smoking is not allowed, neither inside nor in the yard. But you can walk through the yard to the back alley and smoke there.
The café is right across from the LCBO, so parking is possible, though not for long. You can also park for a short time in the back alley.
We ordered a hot chocolate and an Americano, along with a croissant and an egg & beef sandwich. The food wasn’t amazing, but it was decent.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
Shaemus Swets
Let me tell you, folks, I’ve been to a lot of cafés — probably the best cafés — and Boxcar Social, it’s absolutely tremendous. The service. Incredible. So fast, so friendly — and I know great service, nobody knows it better than me. A lotta people are sayin it. The staff, they’re winners, total winners. Winning very bigly. You’ve got Elda, Diana, Melika, Alyssa — fantastic people. Odie, Callum, Kay, and Shaemus — unbelievable team, really terrific. Everybody says they’re the best, and they really are, people. The coffee, the espresso — wow. Incredible quality, the kind of coffee you dream about but you don’t get anywhere else, no where else! Rich, bold, very strong, the strongest boldest richest coffee — many such cases. A great selection. A variety. Some people even say it’s the best in Toronto. Everybody’s talking about it, everybody’s saying, ‘you have to go back!’ And I will, because it’s that good. Boxcar Social — classy, stylish, just a beautiful place. You’ll love it, I promise. Total winner.
They make my favourite espresso in the area; they're very consistent, and do a very light, almost fragrant flat white, delicious both hot and iced.
However, a full star off because the service here is a total hit or miss. Some of the baristas are exceptionally sweet and helpful! But there are a couple who won't even acknowledge your presence even when you're the only one standing in line, and will be strangely dismissive when they do deign to take your order. Doesn't make for a good start to the morning with such weirdly awkward interactions.
Overall atmosphere does feel very millennial hipster coded, as another review noted, but not entirely in a bad way. Feels very much like stepping into an NYC coffee shop where the coffee is legit, with slightly pretentious vibes, but can't necessarily expect consistently friendly service.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 3
Mona
I stopped by this café in the middle of a photo shoot today and ordered a few café lattes and croissants. The coffees were absolutely delicious, perfectly balanced and rich in flavor. and the croissants were fresh and buttery. The café itself is very cozy and welcoming, with a warm atmosphere that makes you want to stay longer.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
J J
I visited on Friday at 11 a.m. The barista with curly black hair was extremely rude. While I was waiting to place my order, she ignored me for several minutes as if she didn’t see me.
As a regular customer who visits every morning, this was the first time I’ve had such an unpleasant experience. On top of that, the latte art was also very poor.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 1
Gemma Donn
Every time I come here I am ignored. Today, I waited for 10 minutes at the front counter while two baristas were right there. I can understand not being able to take my order while making coffees, but this barista was able to multitask while preparing my order, so it took even longer. Meanwhile they didn’t even notice me. This has happened several times. I don’t get it.
Zee Berube
Came here for evening drinks with a friend. In addition to their really tasty iced tea, I have to give a shout out to Diana, who was super kind and friendly, helped recommend drinks, and provided an exceptional experience all around!
Love this place!
The cortado I had was a bit underwhelming. However, what I liked least was the service. The staff did not do much to make you feel acknowledged or welcome.
The service is hit or miss. Once, a barista was really friendly and made me hojicha the traditional way with a bamboo wisk and little bowl caringly in front of me.
Another time, when I politely told a barista, on my way out, that there was a homeless person upstairs who sat in front of me and pulled out a pipe, I was responded to with a sarcastic remark. I didn't mind that the homeless man was there, I understand that we're all human. But the fact that he pulled out a pipe in front of me, and he was sitting right in front of me, and there was no one nearby except someone sitting facing away at the back, made me uncomfortable.
Atmosphere: 4
Service: 3
Went with a friend and the atmosphere is super cozy, comfy… good pastries and coffee, all the staff is super friendly as well!! Loved it
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Try Iced Hojicha as their barista likes ! You will be amazed ❤️
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
They know coffee. My double espresso was crema deluxe
Good coffee and a lovely patio. Great vibe. 🥰
The vibe was very chill, I wish I could have hung out at the shop for longer. The coffee is good. Ham and Cheese was also good. I wanted to get the breakfast sandwich but the barista already seemed unimpressed with the fact that she had to make coffee for people. Unusually bad service.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 2
The first time I visited this café, I really liked the atmosphere — it felt cozy and warm. There’s a small backyard behind the café, and the upstairs area also has a comfortable vibe. Unfortunately, smoking is not allowed, neither inside nor in the yard. But you can walk through the yard to the back alley and smoke there.
The café is right across from the LCBO, so parking is possible, though not for long. You can also park for a short time in the back alley.
We ordered a hot chocolate and an Americano, along with a croissant and an egg & beef sandwich. The food wasn’t amazing, but it was decent.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
Let me tell you, folks, I’ve been to a lot of cafés — probably the best cafés — and Boxcar Social, it’s absolutely tremendous. The service. Incredible. So fast, so friendly — and I know great service, nobody knows it better than me. A lotta people are sayin it. The staff, they’re winners, total winners. Winning very bigly. You’ve got Elda, Diana, Melika, Alyssa — fantastic people. Odie, Callum, Kay, and Shaemus — unbelievable team, really terrific. Everybody says they’re the best, and they really are, people.
The coffee, the espresso — wow. Incredible quality, the kind of coffee you dream about but you don’t get anywhere else, no where else! Rich, bold, very strong, the strongest boldest richest coffee — many such cases. A great selection. A variety. Some people even say it’s the best in Toronto. Everybody’s talking about it, everybody’s saying, ‘you have to go back!’ And I will, because it’s that good. Boxcar Social — classy, stylish, just a beautiful place. You’ll love it, I promise. Total winner.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
They make my favourite espresso in the area; they're very consistent, and do a very light, almost fragrant flat white, delicious both hot and iced.
However, a full star off because the service here is a total hit or miss. Some of the baristas are exceptionally sweet and helpful! But there are a couple who won't even acknowledge your presence even when you're the only one standing in line, and will be strangely dismissive when they do deign to take your order. Doesn't make for a good start to the morning with such weirdly awkward interactions.
Overall atmosphere does feel very millennial hipster coded, as another review noted, but not entirely in a bad way. Feels very much like stepping into an NYC coffee shop where the coffee is legit, with slightly pretentious vibes, but can't necessarily expect consistently friendly service.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 3
I stopped by this café in the middle of a photo shoot today and ordered a few café lattes and croissants. The coffees were absolutely delicious, perfectly balanced and rich in flavor. and the croissants were fresh and buttery. The café itself is very cozy and welcoming, with a warm atmosphere that makes you want to stay longer.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I visited on Friday at 11 a.m. The barista with curly black hair was extremely rude.
While I was waiting to place my order, she ignored me for several minutes as if she didn’t see me.
As a regular customer who visits every morning, this was the first time I’ve had such an unpleasant experience. On top of that, the latte art was also very poor.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 1
Every time I come here I am ignored. Today, I waited for 10 minutes at the front counter while two baristas were right there. I can understand not being able to take my order while making coffees, but this barista was able to multitask while preparing my order, so it took even longer. Meanwhile they didn’t even notice me. This has happened several times. I don’t get it.
Came here for evening drinks with a friend. In addition to their really tasty iced tea, I have to give a shout out to Diana, who was super kind and friendly, helped recommend drinks, and provided an exceptional experience all around!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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