The Abbott

Love this place. Tucked away in Parkdale you’ll find this little café. It’s always busy but you won’t have to wait for your order. Good coffee and snack selection

I have recently moved to Toronto and have been indulging in exploring all the great coffee shops along King St and Queen St West. Unfortunately this was not one of them. I ordered a skim cappuccino and not only was it the most expensive I have paid for so far it was also the worst. It tasted like drip coffee with frothed milk on top. Very seldom do I not finish a coffee. Was disappointed as on all other fronts this is a great coffee shop with a chilled vibe and ambience. Wifi was great and the service.

Great little coffee and sandwich shop near King and Dufferin. I had an excellent Americano, huge sandwich and cookie, for about $ 10. I liked the little benches outside to sit and eat, and the inside space was nicely decorated. Friendly staff treat you well too!

+ Great customer service, SUPER friendly staff (more like friends!!)
+Great customers, a lot of local regulars
+Kid friendly… toys and books a huge bonus
+Communal table
+Coffee is good
I love this coffee shop, it is a lot friendlier than the ones on Queen West and the banana bread is always yummy!

Was excited to go here having recently moved into the neighbourhood, but wasn’t really impressed, unfortunately. The coffee was on par with St@rbuck$, which I’m not really a fan of. We also bought the banana bread which was dry & not very tasty, and a muffin, which was very good. The woman working was super friendly and fast. If you enjoy SB coffee this’ll be a good place for you.

I love this place. Their coffee way better than Starbucks or Second Cup to me. Staff is freindly. Free Wifi available. Not pricy. They have great wooden tables and chairs to enjoy a coffee.

Coffee here is lacklustre at best — I only pop in when I have to. It’s usually in the morning when I find out that I’m out of coffee beans, or milk. Sorry, it’s the truth.
This problem is easily fixable by the owner. Replacing their coffee blend with a better roast from a different manufacturer, that doesn’t taste like swill, will do the trick.
Hope this gets to the proprietor.

Fair trade, organic, and great lunch /​healthy snack options (nothing worse than overdosing on sugar because your apartment doesn’t have wifi and the cafes have no real food!) love it here at the communal table. Highly recommended!

3 Stars.
The Abbott is this cute little place found in Parkdale just off of King St. and it is beautiful. This place seems to be well thought through in terms of its look. I came in just before close, so there weren’t many people here, but I could just imagine this place full of people. The communal table is almost a staple in all coffee shops and The Abbott has one of those.
The coffee was average. The taste just seemed to lack that punch and left my mouth feeling very dry after each sip.
Although the coffee was average there is something about this place that tells me to tell people to come here. Maybe it’s because the past few places I have been to just aren’t that welcoming, but this place truly has care written all over it. The staff are very friendly and willing to serve; they want to make coffee for YOU, not because you are paying, but because you are YOU.
Overall a pleasant experience. If I am in the area I may be back.
That’s it!

My neighbourhood café, so I’ve been many times. The coffee and espresso drinks are almost always great, and the service is friendly and quick. Muffins can be a little sad, so I usually skip those. Comestibles aside, I love the décor and in the summer there are chairs for sitting outside.

Part of the gentrification of Parkdale, this cute «country kitchen» café is at 99 Spencer is just south of King and a few blocks west of Dufferin. Three years old and owned by same three amigos that brought you the Great Hall and Lakeview Lunch.
It is charming and quaint… set up like a ye-​olde general store. Tiny tins and well-​worn books are lined up in perfect rows… tiny tables are thick unfinished wood and the back wall is rustic exposed brick. Funny flavours of tea and coffee lip balm are the impulse buy item by the cash-​only cash, and snacks are fruit, nuts, chips and cereal.
The demeanor of the staff is good old fashioned friendly (I almost want him to be wearing a bow tie… no wait I *do* want him to be wearing a bow tie…) but the lighting is cool and crisp halogen which reminds us we are part of the new generation of west King West.
A larger study table for groups or multiple laptops and mismatched chairs add to the charm. Textures are everywhere from a stucco ceiling to mosaic-​tiled floor that might reveal a 3D image if you unfocus your eyes. A perfect place to shoot an indie movie scene.
I threw some ground clove on top of my yummy mild and smooth latte just cuz it was there, and the scent adds to the clean-​cut vintage décor. The only non-​sequitor here is the not-​old-​not-​new all-​Beatles soundtrack:
«My baby don’t care!»
99 Spencer…

One of the last stops for me on the Indie Coffee Passport 2012 (ICP)
I didn’t enjoy my cappuccino last year so decided to avoid it this year altogether.
I ordered a hot chocolate instead and my friend ordered a chai latte and blueberry muffin.
Hot chocolate fared better than the cappuccino. Nice chocolaty taste with a big dollop of whipped cream and chocolate syrup (satisfied my dessert fix) 2.5 stars.
Chai latte was pretty bad apparently and was not warm enough with the muffin not helping much either.
2 stars.

What a phenomenal coffee shop. My roommates have recommended this place for months but I never went because I thought it was just another Caucasian coffee shop recommendation. I’m not racist, but white people love to be like, «Oh, check out this pub/​coffee shop I go to. U’ll LOVE IT Nish!» Then when I actually go, it’s just some hipster barista serving up weirdness like vegan apricot fig squares or some strange gluten-​free, fair trade, not-​tested-​on-​animal coffee! Anyway, I went into the abbott and asked for a french vanilla latte. They didn’t sell french vanilla, but the guy said he could come up with a concoction that carries the same vibe. I tipped him $ 2 immediately. He deserved it cuz he was confident in his ability AND he had a very symmetrical body. THEN, he asked me if I liked whipped cream. HECK YA I like whipped cream mister!!! Then handed me that cup. I sipped the latte and my knees buckled. I don’t know what happened, or how I ended up on the ground, but when I came to, I asked, «Is this heaven?» and the symmetrical guy was like, «No, this is the Abbott.» FIVE STARS!!!

Tiny.
A bit charming with one longish communal table for laptops and a few plugs. Some exposed brick. Underwhelming neighbourhood so I can see a lot of people coming here for some joe on their way to work.
Definitely small but better than the front would indicate, however I still see it more like a ‘grab and go’ location then a place to come and relax, assuming if you find seating.
It is worth mentioning, because of the layout and since this place is short on space, when you walk in, you are literally only a few feet from the counter and tables, no hallway or isolation from the elements outside. So in Winter, this place must get cold as a freezer, as people come in and out, specially for the people who want to ‘hang out.’
There is also tight café bar for people to sit/​stand next to the barista counter, which would arguably be the warmest place in the whole place since it is the furthest from the door.
I thank the Indie Passport for showing me this venue however there is not enough of a café to come back for a visit, unless of course you live say, down the street.

I previously went to The Abbott this past year and fell in love with it. I love how it is nested under a steel staircase, tucked away on the side street. Considering the horizontal space of the café, I really like how they maximized and decorated the space. It has such a homey feeling to it.
There is a large wooden table, which allows for any group work or a crowd of three or more to enjoy their coffee. There are also 5 small round tables, which only holds up to two people. This café has a much more intimate atmosphere though, perfect for catching up with an old friend or have a date.
So for my second trip to The Abbott, I was prepared to get the information I needed for this review. I got to communicate with the friendly barista, Dylan, who answered my questions regarding their menu. When I chose the double shot latte, I forgot to asked for latte art, something I love to get if a café does it. Dylan was sweet enough to make me a fresh latte on the house to attempt on designing a heart (the latte in a white cup under the menu section). So you could say that night I was very well over-​caffeinated with two cups of lattes. The double-​shot latte was bitter in the beginning on the first sip, but immediately was fixed with three spoonful of brown sugar.
I was there for a good couple of hours, working on my homework. The Abbott is a neighbourhood café, therefore, I noticed a lot of patrons being familiar with each other. I really enjoy how The Abbott has such a welcoming feeling to it. It’s one of the few cafes I intend to return to if Indie Coffee Passport no longer existed.

Another one of those coffee shops that I would never have visited if it weren’t for the Indie Coffee Passport. My americano was not the best I’ve had but certainly not the worst and it was mighty strong, so if you want your coffee drinks made strong by default venture in here.
I enjoy the small space it occupies, rickety benches alongside a communal table and smaller tables off to the other side. It’s a joy to look around the walls in here as they have copies of old declarations of sorts and pictures and then you look over to behind the counter and you see a Jack Layton bobble head.
The barista was friendly, wireless was reliable would have liked to see a bit more food options but for a coffee shops it does enough and more. I would recommend that it be a grab and go location for you, but they have an AC so in the summer it might prove to be a very welcome escape from the heat.

Great, friendly neighbourhood coffee shop serving up a range of tasty hot beverages and baked goods for very reasonable prices. A small coffee and hefty peanut butter cookie ran me less than $ 3.00! Needless to say, you gotta tip on value like that.
Lovely environment with lots of daylight for reading and they have wi-​fi. Little memo, watch out for the squeaky front door!

A strange and hidden location for this vintage-​like come hipstery décor chic coffee shop. (Yeah, that is what I wrote and even I can’t believe I haven’t thrown any more adjectives in it).
I cannot believe how close this is to me and I had not seen it for the, at least, year it has been there. That’s right! I live in the neighborhood and walk or bus by it and have missed it.
if its goal is to be hidden gem, they have completely succeeded. Parkdale needs more cafes as well as shops like this but say on the main strip. This has every potential of being that haunt for the folks that live here. I give Parkdale ten years to become an IT destination. As queen west west becomes crowded this area will be where the cool will go.
The Brew. All in all not bad. I would go back again with the hope of not getting the same barista. I am not sure what she had said– if her first try at making it was unsuccessful or she just forgot. But her customer service skills left something to be desired. It was not as if she was pleasant but I sure felt awkward for taking a few moments to think about what I was going to order.
If you order an espresso, be warned there are no lids for the cup it comes in. I wish she had said something. Had I known that, I would have ordered something else or asked my drink to be in the cup with a lid. Seriously, what do they do when someone orders a bunch of drinks and has to carry them — a lidless beverage is not cool and in the winter extremely distressing. I was really upset about that.

This coffee shop is a bit hidden.
I live 5 min down the street and have passed Spencer Ave numerous times on my way to the school playground or No Frills, but how did I find The Abbott? On Unilocal!
So far I have been there 3 times.
I like their coffee although I find it varies in strength and taste.
The first time I was so wired after drinking half the cup, I had to save the rest for later.
And that never happens.
But it sure tasted good.
The other 2 times it was fine in terms of the caffeine intake, however I felt the taste was a bit off.
Not sure what happened.
I guess I have to «investigate» further.
I didn’t try any of the bakery items yet as the other reviews have made me a bit suspicious.
And to be honest, nothing they had, looked amazing enough that I felt the need to try it.
The shop itself is cute.
I like the communal wooden table.
They have free WiFi and I think I saw a few outlets as well.

Dear little coffee shop that recently popped up at the end of my street…
Thank you.
Thank you for being so adorably vintage and rustic-​chic.
Thank you for letting me order a straight up espresso with steamed milk without using fake italian-​sounding words
Thank you for making a damn good espresso
Thank you for making a wicked latte
Thank you for offering cacao OR chocolate to sprinkle my foam with (there’s also cinnamon)
Thank you for being completely fair trade and organic
Thank you for being vegan-​friendly to my vegan friends.
Thank you for not being a snob and having staff that tolerates my lame banter.
Thank you for having window seats so I can people watch.
Thank you for not being overpriced.
Thank you for being right by my house.
Thank you for giving away free buttons.
Thank you for promoting local art initiatives and independent businesses.
Thank you for being in Parkdale.
I like you, I hope you stay a while.