CSI Coffee Pub

How interesting place it is! The entrance does not look like a coffee shop entrance, but the inside is a large coffee pub. CSI has lots of seats and tables and you can work with your laptop or you can work with others like a group discussion. Everybody is minding her business and it is a good place to work on your project. The hot chocolate is good. I love the place!!!

3.5 stars.
A few warnings: if you are in search for a café with free wifi, CSI is NOT the café that you’re looking for. Wifi is available to members only (a minimum fee of $ 30). CSI can also make you feel really drowsy — the fact that the café is in a basement, the dim lighting, the couches and cushions all add to this factor.
Apart from suffering without free wifi (and having to resort to using up more of my limited data), I enjoyed the coziness of the café and I appreciated the fact that CSI is a very open, work friendly-​ish (I added the –ish because CSI only provides wifi for its paid members) café with a unique interior design (it’s like a cross between a secret lab, an indie warehouse and an exclusive clubhouse). Something noteworthy to mention about CSI: it’s very spacious (it’s the biggest café that I have been to so far) and they allow corporations to hold busines meetings.
The food was also really good — the latte (and latte art) is amazing and the bacon sandwich was super delicious. I recommend coming to CSI if you want to catch up with friends, if you’re out on a casual date, or if you want to catch up on work (provided that your work doesn’t require much wifi usage).

You should know that you can’t use the Wi-​Fi here unless you sign up for a membership. I wish I had known that before making a purchasing and sitting sitting down to do some work.
Otherwise it’s a very cool and large space with a good vibe n

I think this is probably my favourite coffee place in Toronto. I love the vibe.

Love this place! I live in Brampton but used to be a hardcore downtown person so every time I get to go downtown, I try to hit up my favorite places for hot fresh organic coffee, best breakfast sandwiches, pastries, and amazing staff and this place is always at the top of my list. The owners also run a 2^nd location at Young Place (liberty village) — amazing concept — whole, fresh and local ingredients — and they are all about the quality!

This is one amazing place!
I was visiting CSI as a guest, but a membership here seems awesome.
It was super busy with people studying, reading, or sharing ideas.
There is a mix of sofa type seating, wooden tables, and what I would call «classroom style» seating.
There are rooms that can be rented out for functions, seminars, and meetings.
I thought it was great that they have office space available to rent if you are an independent business owner who needs a space to meet clients.
It’s such a comfortable space to sit and you can get food as well!
I had a Western ($ 4.50) and it was made to order and excellent.
They used OMG focaccia, a free run egg, and Sanagan’s ham.
I went back for a cookie but the baked goods from OMG were sold out.
Espresso drinks and herbal teas are great here as well.
Note, the internet can be tricky to connect to with the guest account.
If you haven’t been here, you should check this place out!
They have talks here as well, so I check their event calendar to see what is happening.

I did not feel much when I was first time here, but as I came here more and more often, I start to love it.
It is close to my school and the gym I usually go. Went here to read and do homework, felt like another home. Their chairs and sofa are comfortable. Clean washroom. Nice lightning. Friendly staff. Always packed with people, but you will definitely find a seat.
So far I tried their blueberry banana muffin, highly recommend.
Oatmeal chocolate chip is also nice.
Don’t recommend the club sandwich. Stiff and not worth the price.
Highly recommend the western breakfast.

The CSI Coffee Pub rocks. Well, we all know all the CSI locations rock and CSI in the Annex with this specific coffee pub, easily has the best food of any of the locations.
All of the sandwiches made with the best quality meats are delicious and the maple butter tart is pretty insane.

A happening place — CSI itself is absolutely fantastic, and the coffee pub reflects the diversity and innovation of the centre itself. The building is deceptively unassuming from the exterior, but belies a dynamic group with some of the smartest people in the city.
The coffee pub is probably best frequented by groups — it can be a bit busy for those who want solace, so bring a friend, or better yet, meet some of the awesome people around!
The surrounding neighborhood is fantastic as well — it’s yet to become as gentrified as the neighborhoods north of Bloor, and while it certainly isn’t gritty, it’s still got character. Drop by Honest Ed’s while you still have the chance.

The Centre for Social Innovation. I really like this place. Decent lattes and little snacks, huge work spaces and meeting rooms for rent for terribly cheap.
I’m not a member, but I’ve been seriously considering paying the fees, because I think me and CSI could be very happy together.
My only gripe is that sometimes they will give you your internet password, and it doesn’t work. Last time I had to go get a new one three times. They have an on-​hand IT guy who gives you the passwords, making it extra frustrating… and I know my way around wifi, so I certainly wasn’t the issue. At least not on this occasion.
I feel like a dork spending most of my review talking about that wifi debacle, but it had to be noted. But please know, this really is a four star place, and I really like how it’s called CSI. It makes me feel like I should wear a suit and sunglasses and look at every coffee stain like a clue.

I love the CSI! The lattes are great, the baked goods are always fresh, and the atmosphere is so warm, inviting, and inspirational. I love seeing a community come together and actually get work done in a shared space. I love the big tables, where I can sit and work for hours while sipping delicious London Fogs and eating homemade sandwiches and soups. Let me say that the soups are seriously yummy!
My only wish for the CSI would be to get some sort of stove too (if even portable) so that I could add an egg to my mega bagel.
Other than that, this place is wonderful!

This place is beyond cool. In fact I think it’d too cool for me. Renting meeting space, all natural coming, tables that look like they from my old dining room at my parents. This place is all this!
Located near/​beneath the Annex theater, find parking on nearby side streets free for one hour, and come enjoy s fabulous latte with a what I can only imagine is made in house morning glory muffin that remind me of the good times!
Sit down at your favorite dining room table and just watch all these people come in and innovate. Maybe they are shooting something what I think I saw was a Telus sponsored space?
Or go over to the concierge and have a chat, book some space or find out information on what all this collaboration is about!

The vibe: Located on the ground floor at the Centre for Social Innovation, Annex this place is always buzzing with social good and entrepreneur types having all kinds of meetings of the minds to save the world. Which is awesome, of course. It’s a great place to really hunker down and get work done, and there is plenty of rooms for meetings. Did I mention comfortable chairs?
The food: Great little munchies all around. No shortage of sweets and a good selection of savoury baked goods which is always appreciated for long working days. I tried a veggie stuffed baked thingy and it was great.
My go-​to meal: Latte.
Secret: You can book a real meeting room here. Just chat with the friendly folks at the CSI Welcome Desk as you walk in.

3.5 Stars.
This place is definitely a great spot to come if you work around the area or are a student nearby at U of T. When you see the place from the outside it seems as though it will most typically be a small place, but man oh man, the space this place has is serious. I don’t think I have ever really seen so much space at a coffee shop.
It seems as though it is the Mecca of all things creative. They are open to having companies come in and use their place for meetings and just thinking big. As a big thinker myself I can respect this A LOT!
In terms of the coffee, average. I can make just as good of a latte or cappuccino at my house with my at home machine. The food seems to be the thing here. Well made, reasonably priced, and overall great.
This place could easily be up there as THE place to come for coffee lovers if they had some good critical assessment done by some REALLY good baristas.
I may be back to this place just because of the innovative vibe it brings. I love being creative and this place could definitely bring that.
All in all, not bad.
That’s it.

This is such a cool space! And I would not have discovered it had I not been at a Ladies Learning Code workshop on the 5^th floor.
During our lunch break, I ran down and grabbed an Americano ($ 2.50) and ginger cookie ($ 2.55). Staff was extremely friendly and welcoming.
I parked myself on one of the comfy armchairs and breathed in the social innovation. Room was definitely lively with lots of people on lunch. On my way out, I checked out a few of the meeting rooms available for bookings in this ground floor eatery.
Our lunch was also catered from the Pub. I had a turkey sandwich with salad and was impressed that it was made from locally sourced ingredients (Rowe Farms meats, Woodlot bread and 100 km veggies).
One of my favourite finds of the new year.

Came here with about 10 friends and we loved it. There was tons of seating and the couches and rocking chairs made it feel very cozy considering the size of the place. We ordered the best tasting apple cider I have ever had, and I also ordered a croissant that was perfectly flaky and buttery. I am so glad my friend suggested this place. I am eager to return!
**I do think that this place is best for groups. I think if you came alone it would feel too cold.

I need to echo the other Unilocalers
Great food, great coffee, great people, great service, all with a common cause!
Now i know where all the mismatched furniture goes… it comes here. This place is an excellent gathering spot and the place for like minded people to meet at.
You can rent an office or a boardoom, whatever you need for your projects.
The nice thing is profits support the space to be available for more project

Great food, great coffee, great people, great service!
I love everything about the CSI Coffee Pub beginning with the fact that it’s nestled into the warm and inviting basement of the Centre for Social Innovation’s annex location. The staff here are incredibly friendly and they have built this coffee pub from the ground up, turning it from a tiny little espresso stand into a full-​fledged operation that now serves the community.
You can feel good when you come here because everything is local and sustainable – from the coffee to the food. Fresh buns and green juice are delivered by bicycle each morning and there are enough pastries and treats to appease most any sweets-​seeker. They have no problem adjusting menu items to suit your preferences and they make a mean cortado – even with skim milk.
Plus, the space itself is inspiring (search back a few entries because I’ve reviewed it too!). You really can’t go wrong working here in the company of good people and good coffee.

When I walked along Bathurst trying to find the café, it took a good minute before I realized that it was underground. When I glanced into the café from outside, I immediately fell in love with it before stepping foot inside. Vast in size, CSI Coffee Pub provides an amazing location for community get-​togethers and group work. However, many students come here to study because it provides that perfect atmosphere (if you are the kind to like open space and people). On top of the café are five office floors with about 160 tenants. Everyone working upstairs would come down before work, during break or after their shift for a cup of deliciously brewed coffee and sandwich. I got to speak with one of the owners, Nick, who was extremely friendly and enthusiastic to answer my questions. I found out he also happened to know the president of a student group I am apart of! A small world eh?
CSI Coffee Pub is currently waiting on their liquor license, which would be perfect for those who would want to de-​stress from a long day at work. They also brew each and every coffee individually to ensure freshness, all within five days after they receive their roasted coffee beans. They serve some of their drinks in beer mugs as well, so you would be sure to be caffeinated! One of their specialties are their open-​face toasted sandwiches with a side of greens for $ 8.50 (tax included). Customers have claimed that CSI Coffee Pub’s sandwiches taste homemade! The café doesn’t use stamp cards but their drinks are at a great price ($ 3.50 for a latte in comparison to $ 4 lattes at other locations).

I came here as part of Indie Coffee passport 2012 (ICP)
I had read up on this space before coming over and admire what this centre is trying to achieve. Now with the feel good stuff out of the way lets get down to business
I ordered a cappuccino and waited for my drink looking at the space which is quite big. More of an open space with all sort of meetings going on. The space is kept spick and span. Good setup.
Now the drink itself here is the verdict
Espresso: Medium
Crema’: OK
Milk: Frothed OK
Latte Art: average.
2.5 Star for the drink
With the space and setup I would say 3 stars overall.