Caffe Artigiano Arrives East to Toronto

Vancouver-based café, Caffe Artigiano has opened a spot in the heart of Toronto’s financial district, on Yonge, just south of King Street.  The café offers a wide array of caffeine-based drinks as well as sandwiches, salads, soups and pastries.  I had the opportunity to attend a media drop in last week and was able to sample some of the offerings Caffe Artigiano had.

Caffe Artigiano Scones

Scones!

The space is fairly large, with seats on one side and the counter on the other.  Sandwiches are behind a glass and options range from wild salmon to chicken, beef and an array of vegetarian-friendly choices.  Sandwiches are served pressed, with a tiny portion of greens while salads are available to pick from an open fridge.  There are also pastries.  While I was there, I saw at least three different kinds of butter tarts.  There are plenty of scones, croissants and more.

Caffe Artigiano Spanish Latte

Spanish Latte

Latte art demo

In addition to the standard espresso and drip coffee drinks, Caffe Artigiano also offers drinks that are a little more unique, such as the Spanish latte.  As it uses condensed milk rather than fresh, this is more or less like a hot version of Vietnamese coffee using espresso rather than drip.  This is a treat – I don’t typically sweeten my coffee drinks – the sweetness is just perfect as it isn’t too heavy, unlike flavoured syrups that are often used, especially for seasonal drinks (the Spanish latte is NOT a seasonal drink but a staple on the menu).  It also doesn’t have an aftertaste.  Another feature of Caffe Artigiano is the interesting latte art.  While typically, they’ll create the “standard” leaf or perhaps a heart, I had the opportunity to see a drink with a turkey!

Caffe Artigiano Sandwich 1

Tomato and bocconcini on baguette

One thing I would have preferred to see are more salad options and the ability to pick and choose a salad combination rather than selecting something from the fridge that has already been prepared.  What if I want to have quinoa with arugula and beets?  Unless that was made earlier and already packaged, I don’t have that choice.  Many of Caffe Artigiano’s competitors, on the other hand, have that option.  However, I like that they offer a wild salmon salad sandwich as most places either offer Atlantic or smoked.  This is probably due to the café’s BC heritage.  The pastries are not bad (especially scones), but I’ve tasted better – even at non-bakeries.

Caffe Artigiano’s Toronto location is on 67 Yonge Street, just south of King.  Its hours are weekdays from 5:30 AM to 8 PM and weekends from 7 AM to 5 PM.  Hoping to see more locations soon!

About Cynthia Cheng Mintz


Cynthia Cheng Mintz is the founder and webitor-in-chief of this site and the petite-focused site, Shorty Stories. She has also written for other publications including the Toronto Star and has blogged for The Huffington Post. Her first novel, Aspirations, was published in 2007. Outside of writing, Cynthia researches and advises philanthropic ideas for family funds and foundations and also volunteers.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...