Bisogno Espresso Bar

*Name Change!* No longer called Bisogno, now called Black Canary.
Being an espresso lover from the states, the only thing I loved about this place was that the milk was poured from a bag.
Ironically, my macchiato was too milky and served in a paper cup to go– who drinks a proper macchiato to go?! There is a reason I don’t go to Starfucks.

This is my neighbourhood espresso bar and I’ve returned here again and again (and again!) since discovering it several months ago. Goodbye Timmys and Starbucks and your subpar espresso drinks and hello Indie coffeehouse!
The baristas here are awesome in both their service delivery and friendliness. I’ve introduced myself to a couple of them and they remember my name! They even engage you in conversation. Much more than I can say for those big biz coffeehouses.
The atmosphere is inviting and comfortable. They’ve recently undergone renos and I’m excited to check out their new, more spacious digs!
My regular drink here is the Nutellachino. Great espresso mixed with a generous spoonful of Nutella and topped with foamy milk swirled into cool art. They even let you lick the Nutella spoon — yum!
The edibles (bagels, muffins, cookies) are probably not homemade, but I can’t comment on their quality, not having sampled them.
In conclusion, my neighbourhood espresso bar is the place to be for great espresso drinks, friendly conversation and a relaxing time.

Ambiance/​Good stuff
The first thing you’ll notice walking in is that it’s pretty small (like Thor’s), yet this is where the similarities end! A big comfy couch, a large table in the middle with bright lights instantly makes this place very welcoming with friendly baristas to boot! One little warning: The Passport does NOT cover the Nutella latte (It’s over the 4 dollar maximum) nor does this place have Credit Card support so please keep this in mind (however, I was able to get by so it’s all good!). The many outlets, the fast wifi and large table make this an amazing place to get some work done while the comfy vibe of this place (also the awesome couch i’m sitting on) make this a great place to chill and chat with your date :). The type of conversations flying around here are quite entertaining and I don’t seem to be getting that hipster/​better-​then-​you type of attitude: Overall, a friendly/​cool place indeed!
One thing I’m really impressed with is this delicious gift of the gods they call the Nutella Latte :) Every taste of this nectar feels like I’m drinking a heavily roasted hazlenut :) It’s THAT amazing! The Baristas are awesome here: Not overly chirpy (ie starbucks), take multiple efforts to get the frothing right (they get the microfoam right) and they actually take a minute to get a loungo shot! (Yes! I count!).
so to summarize:
Barista Skills (/​10): 10 The foam feels «like it’s married» (overlistening to the interesting coffee conversation between a pretty hilariously obnoxious security guard and barista)
Dating Appeal (/​10): 10
Coffee (/​10): 10
Nutella Latte FTW! Best Latte i’ve ever drank :)!
Food (/​10): n/​a
The only food selection they have are biscotti and cookies… and they don’t have Credit Card support so couldn’t grab anything to eat for the trip back :(!
Overall Ambiance (/​10): Solid 10 10 10!!! This is WHAT I look for in a café!
Although I’m still early in the Indie Coffee Passport game, this by far one of the Best Coffee pubs I’ve had the pleasure of visiting and i’m very excited to discover the rest :)

Tried this spot out; my office is equal distance from it and Farenheit. I ordered my standard, a double Americano. It was fine — certainly better than Starbucks — but lacked any serious depth in flavour and was underwhelming. At $ 3 a pop, I probably won’t return anytime soon.
The ginger molasses cookie had good texture — perfectly dense and chewy –but lacked a lot in flavour. It tasted closer to a sugar cookie than to something that I would find in a pinoeer village, full of spice. It left a streak of sugar on my tongue that said «Molasses? Pfft! This is brown sugar.»
I set my expectations high, so maybe it’s my fault they missed the bar?

Visiting from New York, and was really glad to find this place on Unilocal.The atmosphere is great, staff is friendly, and coffee is out of this world! I’m a huge coffee snob, and this place is as good as it gets. I had an iced Americano, which is usually hard to get right, and they did it perfectly.

As I am taking a course early Saturday morning at George Brown, I find myself looking for that extra hit of tasty java that will carry you for those early hours in the morning.
So, I knew about this place before the Indie Coffee Passport but decided to go there after I had it while studying for a particular test and give it a few chances to represent itself well.
This is a smallish place with only a few tables, although one of them is a long communal table, which for some reason seems to be a growing trend among some cafes in the city. There are a few plugs here and there for those with laptops.
I do not think they have wifi, however, I am packing HSPA+, and wifi is for noobs. ;-)
Now I must admit I have always questioned locales which do not have washrooms in the premises. I mean, Bisogno technically has them but you have to borrow a key and go into the innards of the host building to get to them and it really takes away from the business impression and much more so from a small café when you have to through unattractive hallways.
To be honest, the only real Italian thing at this espresso bar is the name. That’s it. Everything else is standard café issue.
My latte was meh, and my macchiato was given to me in a glass container akin to a shooter which left me with the impression this café wanted to be too cool for school but sadly, it came a bit short.
They have a chandelier for no apparent reason which tends clash a bit with the rest of the low-​key decour.
Last note, from outside this café is extremely nondescript so do not be surprised if you find yourself having walked by it numerous times without realizing it was there. I am sure many people have. I did.

Over the years, I’ve progressed on the scale of Coffee shops. In high school it was Tim Horton’s; in University it was the Timothy’s inside the Schulich School of Business building at York; when I started working full-​time it was Starbucks; but now that I’m becoming a more «seasoned» coffee-​drinker I defy chains and try out all the local coffee spots.
Bisogno is located not too far from George Brown College, and no doubt caters to the many towering condos in the area in addition to students.
The interior décor is simple but elegant, and the staff are all very friendly. The owner is young and energetic — and I should add that you had better check out the Nutella Woman drawing of her next to the sugar and coffee lids.
I’ve tried the Americano, the NutellaLatte and Nutella-​ccino (the best part of both is licking the spoon), the Chai Latte and my favourite so far the Matcha Latte.
There is a small selection of cookies, granola bars and chocolates on sale at the counter as well.
A great little coffee shop if you’re in the area!

3.5 stars
I met some friends here yesterday for a coffee. The place is on the smaller side with an old world italian feel to the décor, which is a nice departure from pretty much every other café in the city.
likes
— a long list of espresso drinks that went beyond the usual offerings. There were nutellacinos, orange blossom mochas, matcha lattes and more
— staff was suuuuper friendly
— coffee table books you could flip through
— a bench outside
— carry almond milk
— latte was good
dislikes
— charge of $ 0.50 for soy/​almond milk. I almost couldn’t get a latte on my indie coffee passport because the soy brought me over the 4 $ max! Personally, I think that that’s a fault of the passport — I’m happy to pay the extra 50 cents, but they should put into their rules that if you’re going over because of a milk choice, that you’re allowed to.
— bathroom was super super super sketchy. It was a building bathroom, rather than belonging to the café, so you had to go into the hallway of the building and down the hall to find it. Dislike!
— the «patio» consisted of a bench. I put this as a pro as well since I get that a lot of cafes don’t even have a patio. The way the buildings were, the rest of the street was full sun and the block with the café was full shade!

I’m giving Bisogno Espresso Bar four stars not because I was impressed by their regular lattes, but because the Nutella latte WILL get your juices flowing. With so many quality coffee shops around Toronto these days (think Lit, Sam James or Te Aro,) little espresso bars in nondescript areas of the downtown care need to find their own niches, and this place has totally found it.
Now with that said, I can’t comment much on their ‘regular lattes.’ Mine was pretty mediocre and not creamy at all. It did not transport me into espresso bliss as the above mentioned places do for me every time.
One other thing that I also liked about this place was the décor. Think cool espresso shop meets nonna’s couches… I loved the furniture! Might be a bit garish, but in my opinion it totally warms up the shop. You could easily grab a spot by the big dining room style table and spend hours in here if you wanted to.

Thanks Bisogno Espresso Bar for being in the Indie Coffee Passport for 2011 again!
Still as good as my last visit! Oh, might be better, because I got a biscotti with my cappuccino!!! A treat!
These place just have this friendly vibe! Everyone were so nice and kind to each other…
I almost tempted to upgrade my basic cappuccino to a Nutellacino… I almost…

This was part of the Indie Coffee Passport so I wanted try it out.
The setup is really nice and cozy with fast WiFi and comfy sofa and nice huge table. Plenty of power plugs and a good selection of books to boot as well if you fancy that kind of thing.
The barista was very friendly and and took time making the cappuccino. The bonus is a free small biscotti on the side which makes me bump them up half a star.
Nice Crema’ and good finish on the milk. Frothed well so the sweetness of the milk is brought out well. The espresso didn’t have the burnt taste as well which I prefer. Cappuccino is done very well so far the best I have had in Toronto. With a friendly cozy setup and good cappuccino I will be back for sure.

Came here on a weekday morning a bit after 9 so it wasn’t busy. There was plenty of seating to choose from including a large communal table. The furniture is pretty cute — think grandma with style. There’s a book shelf for your to browse through as well as a couch for you to sit back and relax.
I had the nutella latte. The spoon that the barista scooped the nutella with was left in my cup so I happily licked the spoon after mixing my latte a bit more. There’s a double shot of espresso so I got a bit more of jolt than I’d get at a run of the mill café (ie. Starbucks). It was nice to sit back with my latte, iPad and caught up on the world’s shenanigans.
Free wifi (just ask the barista for the password), quiet and really friendly.

Great place to relax on a quiet afternoon. I came here today with my laptop to get some writing done. I couldn’t get wifi but it was okay since I didn’t need the internet for what I was doing. Everyone else in the café was alone reading a book/​newspaper. At first, I was worried this is one of those cafes that is anti-​laptop (hence no wifi or outlets), but nobody gave me any attitude and I’m relieved to see here that other people do come here with computers!
Anyways, the place was QUIET. I took a seat at the communal table and typed away. Until this couple came in. They sat right across from me and they were on a first date. And it was awwwkward. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop but it was painful… «I haven’t done this in a while. I’m sorry, I’m nervous» *silence*. Thankfully, they seemed to warm up to one another and I did hear gems such as «it is heretical to write Star Trek fan fic» and «oh yeah that book is a spoof of meta-​spoof». Luckily, when the girl’s safety call on her cell came (so I guess girls still do this! «oops, this is a call from work I have to take…»), she didn’t answer it. I left before they did, but was secretly rooting for them:)
*Note to self: do not set up first dates in super-​quiet cafes…
Half way through, the barista also remembered to turn on some music. Sarah McLachan. Talk about wayback playback!
I had the nutella latte, and yes, I was asked if I wanted to lick the spoon. (So, I did). I liked it, but I can’t say it was any different from a regular mocha latte anywhere else.
Nice selection of books, cozy environment, good service. Two thumbs up!

This is another place I’d never have stumbled upon had it not been for the Indie Coffee Passport. I’m never in the George Brown area. We dropped in on a Saturday morning and it was mostly empty. Walking by, it looks like an old antique furniture store with a random assortment of unmatched pieces.
No, but really, I like random, and I like the atmosphere, it’s weird but well lit. I’ll call it… cozy. I liked the big wooden table by the window I didn’t have any luck connecting to their wifi with my ipod but I saw other people on laptops tapping away. Minimal plug ins, but they exist.
It was a beautiful looking cup of coffee, but it may have also been the worst almond latte I’ve ever drank. I think it’s great that they offer almond milk, but I’m not convinced they knew how to use it that day. Overall… my problem was that the coffee was very bitter. Way too bitter.
Although it didn’t effect me, this place is cash only. No Debit Cards Allowed!

The interior almost looks like it could be the window display of a furniture store, with a nice roomy space with a communal table under a tiny chandelier and a pretty big and comfy couch.
I’m not sure how busy it gets but seating is very limited, fortunately it was pretty empty when I walked in and sat myself down on the couch. This is another place where I really wish I could bling up my review with half stars because this is a 4.5 star place for me!
Why is it not 5 stars? Good question. It was my drink, now I’ve never had a nutella based coffee drink before (and they’ve got 2 on the menu!) so I had to get one. I settled with the nutellate over the nutellaccino. Next time in order to get my cocoa fix I will probably stick to mochas. My drink was not horrible at all but there was just that hint of bitterness that didn’t sit well with me since I was a expecting nice frothy nutella drink.
Got myself a chocolate almond cookie for just over $ 1 and it made for a great pairing with my drink. The staff behind the counter was very friendly, like most of my favourite coffee shop staff she was not overly chatty but was very pleasant when we did chat about my drink etc. And similar to @Isabella’s experience I had to be the one that had to point out I had yet to pay on my way out!
Next time I’m here, I’ll switch around my drink options and give myself the 5 star experience that Bisogno is sure to deliver!

Bisogno Espresso Bar is a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it café on the southeast corner of Sherbourne and Adelaide. It’s a diminutive spot, with low ceilings, a sprawling dining table and furniture that looks like it was plucked from a Leslieville garage sale. It’s different in here, but the spacious windows and cozy vibe make it a swell place to chillax.
I was a little miffed that the über-​cute barista didn’t recognize me on my second visit here. That’s unpossible! It threw my game off. After prepping my Nutella Latte, she asked me if I wanted to «lick the spoon» and I choked. But things took a turn for the awesome when her sister showed up, who also works here. They’re TWINS. I lost my face. As Stevie J says: this changes everything.
But, uh, yeah. The coffee is killer, the café is chill, and the service is tops. (WINK) I’m coming back for sure.
Obligatory Title Pun: Bisog-​NO YOU DIDN’T.
Menu Readability: Lovely printing on a chalkboard.
Need to mention: They have free wifi, but not a lot of plugs.
What this place teaches me about myself: Twins!

As you walk through George Brown and observe the next batch of talent learn their craft through the clear glass display on Adelaide you’ll come up to the intersection of Adelaide & Sherbourne. Look for this place at the South East of this intersection.
Greeted by TWIN ladies, I got a Cappuccino and sat down at the communal table as I read the Newspaper strewn on the table and the co-​table mates typed furiously on their laptop. The seating was pretty comfy as I looked at the Latte Art and the dark Crema on the cup.
The initial sip was a bit intense but the more I got on my palette after a shot of Water, I was able to get to that Rich Chocolately flavour ¼ into my Cappuccino. It’s excellent if you like that Chocolate flavour but I guess I found out that I’m more into the milder flavours as a personal preference from this cup.
I give Bisogno an extra 0.5 *Star* for helping me determine I like my Coffee more Rounded Mild rather than Bold Rich. I’m sure those that are into this flavour profile will absolutely love this place.

C O F F E E P A S S P O R T S T O P (#4)
Drink: Soy Chai Latte & Espresso
Atmosphere: Walked in and took a look the chalkboard menu on the side. I read nutellacino and immediately thought «this is my kinda spot”. I ended up choosing a chai latte, because I’ve never tried one before. He asked me what kind of milk I wanted and I decided to go with soy.(This is why I love my passport, opening a gateway to try new drinks). Oh baby. This is shit is good. This shit is bomb. This shit makes me wanna sing a song. RHYMED. I fell in love with it. I took a sip of the foam, which served as a snippet as to what you were going to taste next, the actual latte. It was real light and fluffy. As for the latte, it had a great spicy-​sweetness to it. The flavours reminded me of the spicy mayan hot chocolate at Soma Chocolatemaker. Two distinct flavours that unify beautifully.
I had the soy, then returned 2 hours later to try the espresso. He obviously remembered me. Now, I’m not a coffee expert, as I mentioned in my other reviews, but I will say the espresso was very strong and smoothe. I had it straight and without sugar. It was served in such a cute cup. and a small cup of water to wash it all down. I was in a big rush, so I drank it pretty fast. Handed the cup back to him and rushed out the door. Crossing the street and looking through my change, I realized I still had the same amount of change. THAT’s when it hit me. I forgot to pay. More importantly, he didn’t even ask. I ran back and he looked at me with a ‘something wrong?’ expression. I said in a panick ‘I FORGOT TO PAY!!!’ He laughed and said it’s okay if you don’t have money, you can pay next time. I gave him the $ 2 and told him I’ll probably become a regular at his place and rushed back out.
Verdict: 2 thumbs up + A smile

There are few places where you go once and know instantly is a five star. This place definitely doesn’t need more than one visit to know it is special.
Several espressos that will knock the socks of an espresso lover. And beautiful coffees like I’m back in Vancouver.
The people who work here are absolutely charming and will chat you up.
The communal table isn’t so large (like Dark Horse) that you will feel estranged.
The interior is bright and every seat in this small café is a prime spot in the sun.
The 2 – 3 seater bench is a pretty cute touch.

Come here to satisfy your urge for everything delicious.
My espresso was fucking terrific. So was my expertly made chai latte. And my Gryfe’s bagel toasted with cream cheese was pillowy, crunchy goodness. They have all sorts of baked goods, exotic teas (haven’t seen this particular brand anywhere else) and the sitting area is lively and communal. I expected you’d come here moreso to mingle with other people taking a work break than to get work done, which I appreciate. The owner is fabulously friendly.
This is my new Hank’s. Don’t breeze past and miss it. Grab lunch at Mystic Muffin or Schnitzel Queen and then settle in at Bisogno for something delightful — you NEED to go here!