I Deal Coffee

Ideal Coffee has great coffee. Plain and simple. The $ 2.50 Americano is spot on.
I have never personally encountered rude or bad service here that others describe in their reviews. In fact, my experiences have been excellent– fast and efficient service.
The drawback here for some may be that Ideal has limited seating inside. If you need a place to hang out, run your off-​site office, or meet a large group, it is not very accommodating.
If you just like coffee and appreciate a place besides Tim Hortons or Starbucks every now and then, Ideal is a nice find.

Big fan of this place. Great coffee and usually the service is pretty good. It’s awesome out front since they redid the patio area, but I wish they would do something about the huge number of their regulars who smoke so close to the patio. I know it’s Kensington, but it makes sitting outside in the summer pretty unpleasant.

love this place. the coffee is great quality, they have honey and almond milk, and the clientele is thoughtful and friendly. i go here to socialize and bounce ideas and life stories off of people that have very much been though the same things as i have.

This is the only coffee place proximal to me with a decent brew but other factors make this place kind of a begrudging choice for me. There always seems to be some behind the counter fraternizing going while there’s a growing line of customers. There’s ample staff on weekends but not enough on weekday mornings. They often run out of a certain roast (and this morning we got the wrong one). I like the art and ambiance — it would be a great place to read a book or crank out some work — but the staff really limit this place’s potential. I even overheard two staff members discussing a third who is rude in his discernibly intrusive advice to patrons. Professionalism and customer service mean something to me. To be honest, while I’d like to love this place, if there was a Starbucks closer to me I’d probably end up going there. (Sorauren location)

Nice atmosphere. Cute front patio. Friendly staff and most importantly amazing espresso.

The first time I came here was to buy the wonderful book «Kensington, I Remember.»
It was a lovely read with lots of nice little anecdotes that truly capture this neighbourhood.
The author stated that she wrote the book while sitting in this café. Wanting to experience it for myself, I came here this morning for an Americano.
Maybe I should have ordered drip coffee. Maybe I should have thought ahead and headed to the ATM prior to my visit. But I didn’t, and it seemed like this completely ruined my barista’s day.
I was standing in line reading the menu and the barista impatiently told me no less than three times that she would «be right with me,» despite my insistence that she take all the time she needed, I was in no rush. As I went to pay, she glared at my debit card and told me that it was 4 $ minimum, and that she had no gluten free baked goods I could add on. We settled on charging me 4 $ for the Americano, and giving me 1.50 $ back in change. I felt bad, so I slipped it in her tip jar and received an eye-​roll in place of a thank you.
I would have forgotten all of this nonsense if my coffee was good. But there were coffee grinds floating in my cup. Gross.
Less than ideal, but I’ll deal. The patio is cute.

I Deal usually has a nice range of beans on offer for their espresso drinks, and the baristas pull a decent espresso. The beans they roast in house are decent, although their decaf usually tastes far too bitter for my taste.
Their espresso usually tastes clean and has a nice crema, a sign their baristas know what they’re doing.
I like that I Deal only uses organic milk, and they have a number of non-​dairy milks for those of us who can’t drink dairy.
Pro-​tip: if you are thinking of buying beans and a drink at the same time, go here. They give you a free espresso drink if you buy a pound of beans.

the best thing about this place is that they fresh-​roast their beans, but the worst thing
is that you have to put up with snide «service» from the staff.
the prepared drinks are ok, but why bother when you can get better from Pamenar or Moonbean a mere few minutes away? (plus, these latter places have – GASP – friendly service!).
pro: free drink when you buy a pound of beans.

I’ve been to several I deal coffee locations, and they’ve all been good experiences. This is my most recent. I ordered the ice mocha. What’s different about the way they do it, is instead of coffee, milk and a squirt of some overly sweet bottle syrup, they use organic chocolate milk and an espresso shot. It’s excellent! Not too sweet, but just enough. Their strong excellently flavoured coffee balances out the chocolate milk perfectly. The ice-​picked shards are a nice touch.

Phase two of the INDIE COFFEE PASSPORT is to check out the two IDEAL COFFEE Cafes… one on Ossington in the little Portugal Neighbourhood, and one in Kensington Market at 84 Nassau (tricky to find, there is only a logo, no sign… looks like a coffee cut at the centre of a grade seven atom diagram).
I tried a regular COFFEE LATTE on Nassau as well as a CHAI TEA LATTE on Ossington (with the the understanding that this was «special treatment»… even though the latte on the list of passport drinks does not specify tea or coffee… details details…) The coffee was strong and delicious, and the tea was weak and bland. Granted tea lattes are tricky to nail in general, few places can make it strong enough… so stick to the famous Ideal fair-​trade, organic, fresh-​roasted coffee beans and you’ll be pleased as punch. Or rather as pleased as a fairly paid, socially responsible coffee bean farmer.
There is a real eco-​vibe at Ideal with their cute «clean spoon» and «dirty spoon» jar system instead of stir sticks, and the eco-​pressure to use a real mug if you are staying in-​store to sip. The ideals at Ideal are more then just a name with their commitment to community. Nassau folk are noticeably friendlier… and in the summer that patio is always hopping with strong political opinions and bike helmets. Local artists’ work adorn the walls and the clientele is mostly «in the know» bohemian Kensington-​types. Bonus is a free drink when you buy a pound of their signature on-​location roasted coffee grounds.
At 162 Ossington, the feel is a little more slick and eco-​smug, and filled with studious laptops and button down shirts. But the café is fresh and bright, there plenty of delicious muffins to choose from (including vegan options) and a variety of seating styles from bar stools to long wooden bench. Good place for a quick work meeting, or to ride the wi-​fi but less cosy then its Kensington counterpart.

A dive. A wonderful, old school kind of dive if you like those kind of places. This is one of those places where the product they sell might just be eclipsed by their cute little front patio with a proverbial «Ready to chill? Chill here,» sign. Coffee is not bad but I much enjoyed relaxing up front with a few friends drinking our java.
It is rather small and the indoors is definitely as charming and it was not as well lit when we were there. The patio it is still worth the one visit, during the summer, during the Winter I do not think it might be as cool.
However not as cool as Holy Oak café, but still pretty good taken into consideration it is located in Kensington.

I mentioned briefly in my previous review for i deal coffee (Ossington) that I preferred that location over this one. I take that back.
During my previous experience when this i deal coffee was the FIRST café I had ever been to in Toronto, I wasn’t fond of it at the time. This day, I arrived around 4 PM, when the winter night arrived much sooner. The two previous visits I had with the café, it was during the day. So when I got inside the café, the atmosphere was much more different than I last remembered. The inside was illuminated in red and had such an intimate atmosphere. I actually wanted to stay and experience the ambience because it was so nice. Unfortunately, it was incredibly packed and had absolutely no available seats (except for a couple of stools, but there was not enough space for me to sit and study). I was disappointed that I didn’t get the chance to immerse myself at this location to fully re-​evaluate my opinions on it.
The popularity of i deal coffee could definitely be seen with the mad rush I experienced. It took maybe ten minutes before I had the chance to quickly talk to the barista, Stefania, about the café.
The food and drinks served are the same at both this and the Ossington’s location. This is the first location out of the three in Toronto (with Yonge and Lawrence as the third) to be opened about seven years ago. About a couple of months ago, this location decided to post art pieces from local Toronto artists on the walls. They change it up about once every month and have up whatever images they feel fit with the café’s environment.
This location has a front patio with benches and seats, some made out of tree trunks. Despite winter dawning, there were a few people that still sat outside in front of the café and enjoyed their coffee.

I’m on the fence about this place.
The coffee and hot chocolate were both delicious. The café itself has a very relaxed kitschy feeling to it. Which I generally like. But I sort of feel like I Deal has taken it too far, and is taking advantage of «kitschy» cool, and just plain using a grungy old shop with clutter and crappy finishes, and old materials, and trying to call *that* kitschy. It sort of feels dirty.
And then there is the bathroom — it is about 4 square feet, and the walls are covered in years of peeling posters/​ads/​wallpaper/​who knows what else… and they REEK of urine. Not surprising since it’s a co-​ed bathroom, and in the tight quarters, I have no doubt that many men have missed their target. I had to hold a scarf over my nose while I rushed to get out of there.
I really WANT to like I Deal, and I loved my drink and snack (butter tart bar)… but other factors prevail I think!

I’ve been here a few times and maybe the charm has worn off, or maybe I am getting older and crankier. The inside has the filth and dirt of Kensington Market charm down pat. The teas are always served in glasses with a knitted tea cozy (which comes courtesy of Lettuce Knit). Maybe the wall colours are too dark. It’s just a very dark room inside! The bathroom is graffitied to the point where you can spend hours inside reading everything, but the people waiting for the bathroom would eye you suspiciously after coming out. It gives the appearance of being dirty, but I want to believe they clean it regularly.

The crowds at this establishment defy all logic. I mean they do have seating area in front so maybe that’s the charm.
I ordered my cappuccino for here as I prefer it in a ceramic cup.
Big mistake the ceramic cup had grime all over. Now for the main drink it was completely off with a scalding hot espresso shot and poorly frothed milk. No crema to speak of and technique that I relate too. Just a a very poorly executed drink.
Probably a first for me I just left the drink half way.
Stay away folks you can do much better.
The seating is surprisingly uncomfortable.

In case I ever have visitors who are looking for a great (or ideal, haha. oh.) cup of coffee, I bring them here. They report that it is supremely fresh and it is awesome that they roast on premises. I also like the quirky cups and reuse of scientific washers to wash their ceramic ware. However, what not to like about this place: there is barely anywhere to sit, the windows are always fogged up (insulation anyone?) and it’s super cold in there. No wifi in this age is also criminal. The verdict: the longer you sit in there after you’ve finished your coffee, the faster it loses its charm.
I would love if they offered other non tea or coffee products, such as ciders or smoothies.

Is it just me or does this place not have any sign up front indicating that it’s «I Deal Coffee»? I wanted to use my coffee passport so did not want to walk in expecting a free drink to find out it was something else.
Once I did walk in, I was glad that my intention was to take my drink «to go» as this does not seem like a coffee place I would want to spend too much time at. It was small and looked a tad dingy for my tastes.
I think I was more disappointed than I should have been because I was probably expecting too much, to add to it my latte was nothing fantastic and lacked art :(But the barista seemed friendly and probably sensed that I was not the type of person that usually frequents Kensington locations?
That said, it’s not the worst coffee experience I’ve had and I am more than willing to give this a second chance to see what kind of coffee they «deal»? Since that’s their namesake, I probably shouldn’t be too harsh till I try some straight up coffee to see if it is any good.

Ideal Coffee does have this old charm of a coffee bar that has been around for so so long and no one knows how long it has been…
For sure the process of waiting in line to order your coffee really sucks because this place is so small. People has to be share the small, narrow hallway while they wait in line with people going in and out. With only 1 barista managing the whole shop really slow down the whole process! (thanks for my friend who waited in line for me, while I enjoying the nice weather out in the patio doggie watching and people watching!)
The cappuncino I ordered was A-​OK. with nice milk foam. a little strong roasting taste… hmmmmm… so joyable when looking out of the window at the falling leaves on a nice sunny Autumn day.
Indie Coffee Passport is so welcomed!

Cappuccino is 3 to 4 *Star* as when I came with an address in hand from the Indie Coffee Passport, I still had to question myself where this I Deal Coffee was located. I guess this brings a Coffee Hunting element to the Passport.
I looked for the shop name to confirm but without the shop name displayed visually from outside, the only thing that lead me to believe this was actually I Deal was the customers with Coffee Beverages within this immediate vicinity.
That Barista Lady was simply amazing she was completely action-​packed non-​stop machine, but even with such praise she was working alone and had me waiting roughly 10+ minutes (–0.5 Star) near the doorway where everyone else stood as they waited as well. 3.5 *Star*
The seating is quite unique fascinating that brings back memories of Cafeteria seating or Old School Office seats or even history Diners. I took a photo of the Galaga Arcade table. This LEVER Mech Victoria Arduino is a very nice sight to behold. A bit of muscle work involved but as noted above, Super Barista Lady handled it no-​prob.

Awesome coffee, friendly baristas. Seat is kinda limited, since they only have 3 actual tables, the rest is more like a coffee table accompanied with loveseats.
I love the fresh coffee beans smell since they roast beans on the site!