10 Toronto Coffee Shops With the Most Instagrammable Interiors

The Tempered Room in Parkdale
The Tempered Room in Parkdale | © The Tempered Room

Whether you go to a local coffee shop to grab your Americano to go, or you prefer to linger over your chai latte while chatting with friends or scrolling through your Instagram feed, Toronto’s design-conscious cafés offer more than just hot beverages and pastries. Satisfy both your caffeine and Instagram addictions in one of these unique and photogenic coffee shops.

1. FIKA Café

Cafe, Contemporary

FIKA cafe in Kensington Market
Courtesy of FIKA

In Swedish, FIKA is a verb, meaning “to go out for coffee,” and a noun – “coffee break.” With a simple yet fresh décor including exposed beams and brickwork, FIKA Café, in the heart of Toronto’s Kensington Market, is airy, quaint, and full of light. While enjoying FIKA’s signature cardamon spiced latte or lavender white hot chocolate, you can take photographs of the colorful paintings and plants by the windows – or the most unique feature of all, an entire wall of books.

2. Boxcar Social

Bar, Contemporary

All of Boxcar Social’s locations are photogenic, but their Summerhill location is where it all began. Taking up two floors of an old Victorian house, there is also a large back patio shaded by resplendent trees. The hardwood floors are painted black, and the walls are either whitewashed or painted brick. With tall windows and wooden tables, the photo opportunities are limitless.

3. Forget Me Not Cafe

Cafe, Contemporary

Forget Me Not Cafe is a small and loveable café and gift shop just north of King West, at Adelaide and Portland. Take photos of the adorable rustic-chic décor while enjoying an iced matcha or a Nutella® latte, or explore their boutique products like scented soaps, candles, and lotions.

5. Hula Girl Espresso Bar

Cafe, Contemporary

Both the Dundas and Ossington locations of Hula Girl feature a bold and eclectic style that incorporates exposed brick and reclaimed wood elements with design accents that create a retro vibe. Known for their strong blends, if you’re feeling adventurous, you can try their signature drink: butter coffee.

6. Bobbette & Belle

Cafe, Pastries

Bobbette & Belle
Courtesy of Bobbette & Belle

Both locations of Bobbette & Belle are beautiful, from the décor to the impeccably decorated cakes that are this café’s specialty. The co-founders of this small but steadily expanding operation, Sarah Bell and Allyson Bobbitt, met while both were teaching at a confectionary arts school. Together, they have created a dreamy space in which to enjoy a scone or a decadent slice of cake with your tea or coffee – or you can grab a little bag of peanut brittle, pastel-colored marshmallows, or meringues to savor on the go.

7. Tandem Coffee

Cafe, Coffee Shop, Coffee

Offering “precious coffily fluids,” as their slogan states, Tandem Coffee, in the Corktown neighborhood on King Street East, provides a great photo op with the café’s quirky design elements that include blond wood tables and benches, hanging light fixtures, and a living wall of plants in the back.

8. Early Bird Espresso Bar

Cafe, Bar, Contemporary

This Queen West hot spot has been buzzing since it first opened in 2013, and it’s a prime example of the neighborhood’s aesthetic. Somewhere between rustic and industrial, the exposed brick wall and mid-century light fixtures are often offset by cute green plants along the communal wooden tables. Be sure to get a snap of Early Bird’s signature neon sign!

9. The Tempered Room

Cafe, French

The Tempered Room
Courtesy of The Tempered Room
The Tempered Room in the west end neighborhood of Parkdale is a sunny patisserie founded by the celebrated Parisian chef, Bertrand Alépée. Enjoy Instagramming your fresh éclair or croissant against a background décor that perfectly blends the rustic with the whimsical.

10. Tucana Coffee

Coffee Shop, Coffee

If you like your florals with a zap of neon color, then Tucana Coffee will satisfy all of your photogenic latte’s needs. Owned by Tenille Clarke, this nondescript Dundas storefront opens into a narrow, cute, and casual space decorated with reclaimed wood, ceramic tiling, and lush plants.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.

Culture Trip Spring Sale

Save up to $1,100 on our unique small-group trips! Limited spots.

X
Edit article