Toronto: Neo Coffee Bar

Head a little east past St. Lawrence Market towards George Brown College, and you will find Neo Coffee Bar. While this gem may be a little out of the way, it is definitely worth the trek. Any cafe craving can be satisfied at Neo due to the large variety of sandwiches, Japanese-styled pastries, coffees, and teas.

Walking in, you are greeted with a row of seats and a selection of pastries and sandwiches. Neo’s baked goods are all made in-house, but their presentation is enough to make you want to buy all of them. The store itself has a modern, minimalistic design featuring wood and concrete, as well as high ceilings. Although the store is a little dimly lit in the back, the open concept layout offers a very warm atmosphere and plenty of seating.

Drinks

Famous for their matcha items, we decided to order a Kyoto matcha latte (price). Aside from being complete with a beautiful (latte art), the flavour was very rich and mildly sweet. We both agreed that Neo has one of the most authentic matcha lattes we have ever had in Toronto.

We also tried a drip coffee (price), which has a rotating seasonal menu. We selected the Rwanda beans, which is described to have wildflower, red-honey, and clove notes. It was our first time trying a pour over so we weren’t quite sure what to expect. The coffee was very smooth, but we were surprised by the strong sour taste. We were unable to truly appreciate it, but glad that we tried it nonetheless. For the coffee connoisseurs, Neo’s drip coffee is a must try.

Food