Second Cup

Very friendly service with drinkable coffee and delicious dessert. A nice place to stay in cold day.

When on vacation in Toronto, I discovered that Second cup was next to my hotel. I tried it for breakfast and loved it. The coffee was good and they have a nice selection of baked goods (croissant, scones, muffins…). It was definitively cheaper than breakfast at my hotel, and I liked the atmosphere better; I enjoyed street watching and being among Canadians (instead of tourists or businessmen in my hotel).
On a few different occasions, I tried some pastries (more dessert like) later in the day at various Second cup locations and was never disappointed!

This is the biggest Second Cup I’ve been to so far and I like it. I’ve been walking down Yonge lots of times, yet I’ve never really noticed it or bothered going in. It seemed boring from the outside but I was surprised when I got in. It has a very homey set-​up, with nice tables and cozy nooks and some barstools over at the corner. The baristas were very friendly, although I found it a bit weird that you need to ask for the key to be able to use the washroom. The counter display was filled with very tempting pastries and goodies. I had meant to get just a skinny maple latte but as I sat down and enjoyed my coffee, I had to go back to the barista to ask for a slightly warmed butter tart. Oh joy!

546 Church Street Location: Some people write nothing but nice things, I feel it is important to tell the true experience and at this location I had a bad experience. I purchased a pie, and realized I had no cash so asked if I could use my credit card. I can’t see without my glasses and I asked the clerk to help me as I could not read what it said in the display window on the visa machine. He shoved it back at me and said «that’s your problem». If I knew his name, I would publish it here. He was heavy set/​fat, thick wavy hair and very unpleasant to deal with. I will get his name and update this post.

After a hot day of riding our bikes around the city we decided to find a coffee shop for some drinks. Luckily this place looked nice and was really close to where we were. My boyfriend got the frozen hot chocolate and I got a caramel corretto latte. They were both delicious and perfect.
Service was kind of hectic and we waited probably longer than we should have for our drinks. Regardless, it was tasty and quiet and perfect for what we were looking for

Beats Starbucks pastries! But the coffee is about the same.

Second Cup can do no wrong by me in the two months in which they serve Candy Cane hot chocolate. This is a treat that no coffee house in the States has replicated to my satisfaction. Sure, it’s expensive (nearly $ 4 once you tack on tax), but it’s so friggin’ good.
We came to this location on a blustery evening right before they were closing, and the staff was friendly despite clearly wanting to close up. They were polite when asking everyone to leave at 11pm. Despite a fairly small location, there was a nice variety of seating from arm chairs to café tables.

Located at the base of the Marriott Courtyard Hotel in the Toronto’s Downtown Core area (corner of Yonge and Wood Streets), this Second Cup locations provides patrons with sizeable space to sit and have a cup of coffee while watching people walk up and down Yonge Street. Great election of baked goods always places this chain above Starbucks as they provide more local baked goods instead of prepackaged items that comes from a central warehouse (like Starbucks). Free wi-​fi, great customer service, and a lively myriad of patrons makes this location one of my fave locations to visit.

One of the few reasons I don’t look forward to visiting my extended family in Canada is that the duration of my stay means loss of access to coffee. Sure, Tim Horton’s exists on every block between the US border and the North Pole, but I don’t include coffee-​scented milk as coffee.
But when I walked by the window of this Second Cup – my first encounter with the chain – I was attracted by its vibe. Busy but not too busy, and the customers were all engrossed in their reading – nice and quiet. I popped in and saw that they offered several grades of coffee, one extreme labeled as Intense. I took a gamble on a large Intense and a butter tart. Both were among the best I’ve ever had. Although the coffee was still only moderately strong, it had a nice smoky aftertaste, and the butter tart was perfectly fresh. Add quick and friendly service to the above, and I can’t think of any reason to give the place fewer than five stars.

Very big.
Not many people go there compaired to the Starbucks a few steps away where you can’t find a seat!
Lot’s of seating & comfy couches!
Free WiFi.
Clean Washrooms.
Super friendly staff.

I really like this Second Cup. Especially with the way it’s laid out, it makes for a very cozy coffee /​meetup place. It’s always busy and if you can manage to get the comfy couches you’re set! Especially in the winter you can grab your coffee, sit on the couches and watch people walk by freezing their ass off while you’re being taken care of by your nice hot drink in hand.