Initium

Fairly expensive for the items that you are getting.

What do you get when you mix a salon, a café, and lounge? You get Initium. Ryan (one of the owners?) explained that for those visiting the salon who need to pass the time while colouring or perming hair, they need a place to hang out. These days social media has lots of people coming to Initium for the latte art and cotton candy lattes.
We came on a weekday afternoon and ordered 4 different lattes/​mochas: green tea latte with soy milk, toasted marshmallow latte with lactose free milk, panda mocha (containing white and dark chocolate) with almond milk, and black sesame latte. We had hoped to try out their millecrepe cakes but they were all out of cakes. We ordered a Canadian naan pizza to share.
Initium just started using a fancy new latte art printer so for a limited time latte art is free. You can even get your company logo or picture printed on your latte using the coffee ripples app. Eventually I’m told they will charge a small fee for latte art.
I like that the lattes and mochas were not too sweet. They have great microfoam which made the latte drinking experience better and allowed the latte art image to be preserved longer. Hubby ordered the black sesame latte but isn’t a huge coffee drinker. We learned it is possible to order a black sesame steamer (not on menu). It is also possible to customize sugar level.
Initium is a cool place to hang out or perhaps get a bit of work done. They have free wifi. They also have a number of tv screens (at the time of our visit dialed on to CP24). Extra 0.5 star for great service and friendly staff :)

Quite unique. The service was really nice, the staff were really friendly. I had a grape cotton candy latte, which was alright. I think its more of the «new, cool» food factor, rather than the quality of the drinks that I enjoyed.

Location: Kind of hard to find inside the plaza, you may have to drive around for a bit.
Facility: Clean, modern and completely separated from the salon. Washrooms are nice.
Food Quality & Price: I didn’t come for a haircut, but wanted to find a cozy coffee lounge where we could meet up with friends for a short get together. Probably a big mistake. The menu selection for savory food is quite limited in my opinion. Out of the 6 of us, no one was very impressed.
With such glowing reviews from others, I suppose my expectations were a little high going in. Latte art is nice, but I prefer drinks that taste of quality rather than just look good. That said, it tasted okay. I also ordered the ham and cheese croissant and was rather disappointed. It was edible, but seemed like it was reheated in the microwave (not fresh). The guys ordered a pizza each but were still pretty hungry afterward.
Also, some of the menu options pictured here on Unilocal are no longer available (like scones).
Service: It was okay. Standard, sufficient, not exactly warm or anything.
Overall: I mean, it’s a nice option to have while you’re waiting to get your hair done, or waiting for a friend. But as a stand alone café, I was thoroughly disappointed. Latte art is nice, but it definitely seems quick gimmicky and caters to a very young crowd. You’re probably a teen or in your early twenties if you’re loving this place. Likely will not return.

Great drinks highly recommends green tea latte!
They also have special latte arts !
Place to watch any final sports game. This place is awesome!

I come here often. I’ve tried having my hair cut and even dined during lunch time. I booked an appointment and didn’t have to wait long. Ken did a good job with my hair.
I really like their green tea latte and their food is appetizing as well, perfect portion size.
It’s also a good place to hang out at during the night. You can karaōke and drink.

Came to this place late Monday night for the first time because of all the pretty posts I see on Instagram from my friends!
It was a comfortable setting, relaxing, and service was prompt.
I ordered the cotton candy (server even asked what colour I wanted), hot chocolate, and a hot white chocolate (that they made with a minions topping, so cute!)
Price is great for the effort they put into these drinks!
I wish I had remembered to use my 10% off for the Unilocal check in special, but totally forgot. Will definitely be back for more!

Overall — 4.0÷5.0
The perfect spot to chill over a cup of latte or a glass of wine. They also have desserts and savoury items although I haven’t tried them myself.
There are also board games, a foosball table and open mic karaōke on weekends for those who enjoy singing without having to pay for a room. You can do it all at no additional costs!
Service is also very attentive and friendly. Definitely a great uptown option!

Always into a new café that I can go to with friends to hangout or get some work done. This location definitely has that atmosphere to it.
The store itself is a little hard to find in my opinion. It is in the newer plaza at Woodbine and Highway 407, but only has one entrance depending on which direction you’re coming from. The café itself is on the smaller side, connected to a salon. I personally find the pricing a little too much myself, so will most likely not come back for a cut.
As for the café, it had some comfortable seats and a good variety on the menu. From coffees and teas, to some snacks and even a bar. You get yourself a caffeine fix or a drink depending what you’re feeling. The Hazelnut Macchiato was quite good, and I hear that the Cotton Candy Latte is a specialty (it is now on the menu as well). For food, I tried the Japanese Naan Pizza, which had a really great flavour and chunks of eel! Definitely a great choice in my opinion.
Staff were very friendly and very attentive. Seemed to really enjoy what they do. Just make sure you speak with someone from the café side rather than the salon side.
Prices seem about average for a smaller café, so worth giving it a shot if you’re into that sorta thing! The 10% off with the check in is always a plus as well!

Was super excited to try out this unique café/​salon that I’ve seen through my constant Unilocal visits. I ordered a chai latte with their signature cotton candy on top. The cotton candy btw, is really just a novelty. I would get it once for a picture, and that would be it. I did appreciate though that in spite of me melting the cotton candy into my chai latte, my drink did not become overly sweet. I presume they accounted for the cotton candy’s sweetness when making my drink, which I found to be thoughtful. The chai latte itself was also quite good!
I also indulged on a black tea mille crêpe. I’ve seen the classic flavours and matcha flavours in several places but never black tea so I had to try it out. It was also my first mille crêpe experience, and I loved it! The mille crêpe was not overly sweet, and you can definitely taste the black tea, which I appreciated. The whipped cream that came with it also real and not like cool whip. It is on the pricier end (i think close to $ 10?), but I would definitely get it if you’re in the «treat yo self» kind of mood. Would definitely revisit. Maybe I’ll go back to try their brunch menu, which I was quite surprised to see.

With my initial ditziness and the fact that I couldn’t pronounce the word «initium» and was instead saying «initum» or «inithium» is embarrassing. This place is so cool! Great ‘slashie’ in Markham. First off. it’s half salon, half café? My friends get their hair done here and say it’s really good! Their hair speaks for itself, in my opinion. (and it’s good). The other half is a café that serves cute beverages, light snacks and it also becomes a karaōke lounge: o
I only went to the /​café/​portion and I absolutely loved it. The menu offers a large variety of coffees, expressos, lattes and everything else wonderful. The staff are all very nice and came up to explain their instagram promo (if you post your pic on insta, you get a free upgrade — aka cotton candy on your latte. yassss!) Then they don’t even check your post, because they trust us ;)
This place gets a good rating because it’s such a chill but trendy lounge. I 100% approve and will come back whenever possible.
Ps. does anyone know if they strictly use dairy in their drinks? I’d be so into this place that much more if I found out you can get your lattes made with soy/​almond milk!

Location was a bit difficult to find if you are not familiar with the area.
I find that this is a unique concept where you can wait for your friends to have their hair done while you enjoy some coffee and snacks. I’m not sure if there is a HUGE sanitary issue (I kept on thinking that hair would fly everywhere and it would smell like hair dye), but the café location was really clean.
The service was great — they were a bit understaffed with only one barista but she was amazing! She recommended the matcha latte and was able to make it with soy milk! It was pretty good. On the other hand, I tried their ham and cheese croissant and everything tasted like they got it from Costco. I can guarantee the potato salad which was on the dish was from Costco. Overall, the food was really basic, wasn’t terrible but you can honestly make it at home for less than $ 5.
I’ll be going back for the cute drinks and latte art :)!

Intium seems like the offspring of someone who had too many ideas. «I want to open a hair salon! Oh… but people like coffee right? Let’s add a café! What if people want to sing? Throw in some karaōke!»
I had heard a lot about the hair salon/​café combination, but the karaōke came as a surprise to me. Some friends and I came to the café side on a Saturday night (hair salon’s closed). It’s a cozy space with enough room for 3 – 4 large groups. The drinks themselves are on the pricey end and I think you’re paying for the art on top more than the drink itself. A bunch of us ordered green tea lattes and while delicious, they weren’t anything extraordinary. Latte art was on point though.
The karaōke wasn’t like an actual karaōke place. It’s more like they have a giant wall projection and screens with karaōke capabilities. If anyone wants to sing, take a mic and go for it! The servers are very open to it (the other customers’ tolerance would depend on your singing ability, I guess).
There was another review saying they didn’t like that the servers were doing karaōke among themselves. I guess they thought it detracted from the café experience. On the contrary, I found this really fun! It’s like you’re in a giant room with friends and everyone just wants to get their song on. I didn’t think it really hurt the service, and it definitely boosted the atmosphere. It really showed that these people enjoyed working there and that translated to some great attitudes.
I think the other two groups that were in the café at the time actually knew the owners and we were the only random customers. We weren’t given inferior treatment because of this though.
The servers were all very friendly. At one point, we were encouraged to «not be shy» and my guy friend took this very much to heart, belting out an enthusiastic manly rendition of «Let It Go». Surprisingly, everyone was still nice to us after the singing! I think that in itself, warrants repeat visits.
(31÷100)

Latte art to the finest! I came here for their latte on a weekday and it did not disappoint. This place makes such cute latte arts! Anything from a batman symbol, the alien from toy story, Baymax or the Minion himself! Every latte here is instagram worthy, but taste wise, it is just average, but since it was reasonably priced, I though it was worth it just for the arts itself!
The earl grey crêpe cake we had was pretty decent and my friend I enjoyed it. Only thing I had to complain about is, when I asked for my latte art to be cute, I got some flowers art instead!!! –_​– The server told me the artsy person works on weekends, so if you want even cuter latte arts, come during the weekends!

I love this place!!! Their latte art are super cute and people are super nice :). The green tea crêpe cake is not on the menu and is around $ 10 a piece but it’s worth trying. Would come back and visit again!

Came here on my bday to try their signature cotton candy latte. Unfortunately their cotton candy machine was broken. :(It’s ok, we still tried their breakfast and stencil art lattes.
My order:
Buttery Crossiant with Smoked Salmon
The crossiant itself was a bit too crispy. But overall taste was ok.
Bymax Chai Latte
Cute Stencil of Bymax, but the latte was a bit bland for my taste.
Initium Breakfast Toast
Nice thick piece of toast with a sunnyside egg baked into it with bacon bits, ham & cheese. Taste was quite nice with a slight sweetness of honey.
Doraemon Green Tea Latte
Cute Doraemon Stencil, but latte was only lukewarm. Taste wise was ok.
Manager was sorry that the cotton machine was broken and he also spilled water on the server counter. So he gave us 15% off. Very nice of him, but spilled water was understandable lol, he really didn’t need to tell his staff to apologize. :)

Cant say much about this place for now. Literally drove around the parking lot looking for this place. Guys, its in front of the hotel with a huge sign in the front.
I came here for their latte art and desserts which the lattes are sooo cute! Since we came late in the afternoon, they were out of desserts and cotton candy. :(place is not busy at around 8pm as workers are singing karaōke if not servicing. Their green tea latte tastes nothing extraordinary. Will have to come back for their other drinks and food though. Remember to check into Unilocal for a 10% off and keep the receipt for 15% off next visit!
I really like their concept. Not sure If I would get a cut here but I will be back for their lounge.

|| Must Try: Cotton Candy Latte
|| Rating: (⁹⁄₁₀) Drinks, (¹⁰⁄₁₀) Service, (⁹⁄₁₀) Value, (⁹⁄₁₀) Ambience, (⁹⁄₁₀) Presentation, (⁹⁄₁₀) Cleanliness
|| My Experience:
Nestled off Woodbine, beside EVO nightclub, is this quaint café/​lounge. Although it shares itself with a hair salon, the café operates independently, with its own staff and baristas.
The cotton candy can be added to every coffee creation. We went with a green tea latte and a normal latte, and asked for some latte art. We found our cups decorated with By-​max and Hello Kitty, along with a giant side of cotton candy! They had sold out if cheesecake, so we went with green tea crêpe cake, which was decorate beautifully.
Aside from the coffee creations, they also have a full bar and beer selection. Great place for a late night hang out!
Some reviews seemed a bit critical of this spot, but I do not emulated those negative sentiments. The cotton candy was fresh and light, with the coffee drinks being quite tasty.
We also received a «15% you next visit» with our receipt, which I look forward to using on my next visit!

Ok so I didn’t come here for the haircut, I came here just for the cotton candy latte and their latte art.
It’s interesting at how they designed the space as connected next door is a hair salon so customers can wait for their appointments while drinking some latte. However, I hate to say this but I didn’t like either of the lattes I ordered. Sure the drinks looked nice, but that’s pretty much it.
–BayMax Latte:
It’s just a regular latte with Bay Max latte art-​ish. The latte itself is OK, I have had better in downtown coffee shops. You can ask the barista to customize other latte art design if you like.
–Cotton Candy Latte (piña colada flavored cotton candy)
Not sure if I got a wrong order or maybe the menu had it wrong, this was not a latte lol. It’s essentially cotton candy put on top of a cup filled with just espresso. The cotton candy itself is store-​bought. No, don’t tell me that it’s fresh, just don’t. The cotton candy was extremely sticky and very sweet. I even saw the staff took the candy out of a plastic box that is similar to the one I saw in Metro.
It didn’t taste like piña colada either. They gave us another one which was the maple syrup flavored cotton candy, and it was good but too sweet.

Cool idea with the salon/​café in one single store front. You don’t have to get your hair done just to have a drink here. The salon is separated enough so you really don’t have to watch people get their hair cut. On the café side there are TV’s for watching sports but its not really a large area and probably only seats about 20 – 30 people max. The menu is small with some drinks, snacks/​desserts and even full meals.
Because of my sweet tooth I was really excited to come here after seeing all those cotton candy espresso pictures being posted. When I looked at the menu there was no mention of cotton candy. After asking the waitress I was told its not on the menu but can be ordered. (So how did people find out about the cotton candy espresso in the first place?). Anyway, we were told that you can add cotton candy to pretty much any caffeinated drink on the menu.
Caramel Macchiato (hot) $ 5.25 + $ 2.70 for cotton candy wrapped around your cup for a grand total of $ 7.95 before tax. (Yikes!) The presentation was really nice with the cotton candy wrapped around your cup and the shot glass on the side with the espresso. The drink was done right and tasted great.
Toasted marshmallow mocha (hot) $ 5.25 +$ 2.70 for cotton candy. $ 7.95 before tax (Double Yikes!!) Tasted slightly sweater than the above drink with the marshmallows and tasted just as good.
We also got a croissant for $ 3. Nice and flaky.
We would have ordered more but they told us before we ordered that all desserts were out of stock except the matcha crêpe. I was going to order it but after seeing it was $ 12.95 I had to decline. Wow this review made me sound so cheap but I’m really not… lol
Its a nice place overall but I find the prices a bit high. Don’t forget to get the 10% off Unilocal check-​in offer. You also get 15% off on your next visit if you shown them your receipt.