Tinto Coffee House

Had brunch there a few years ago and still remember how delicious the food was

ahhh, my love for roncey includes frequenting this café. I’ve been going to this place since it first opened and fell in love with their fresh salads, delicious wraps (parima is one of my favs) and baked treats. They have since added more items to their organic menu including sandwiches featuring more protein (chicken or tofu) that are also quite delicioso, love the palermo. Their orange honey vinaigrette is sooo delightfully tart and sweet at the same time in some magical combination that I have not yet figured out how to recreate at home.
I have noticed however that the salads have declined in portion size over the years, smaller in amount provided, no more sweet bursts of corn niblets… this is probably my only complaint… but still does not deter me away from their delicious goods.
It’s a great place to work or catch up on some reading, the vibe is relaxed and chill… I find the best time to go is after the lunch rush on a weekday, finding a spot upstairs or by the window makes for productive (or lazy) yet enjoyable afternoon. It is also a great place to go with friends.

Not much to add to what has already been written, except:
— Try the apple banana loaf! Really delicious!
— Se habla espanol aqui
— This place hosts a monthly event «Classical Revolution» (live chamber music)

I like the concept of tinto — a fair-​trade café, free wifi, healthy food. In practice most of their menu is beans wrapped in a tortilla which despite having delicious-​sounding additions (e.g. goat cheese, aubergine, sweet potato) all taste similar and — even worse — bland. Is there a shortage on fair trade spices? All in all, a rather uninspiring selection of $ 12 burritos.

I was looking for a coffee shop with WiFi, and stumbled upon this cute little café. I went to the counter and asked for a latte and the barista said she would bring it to me.
After looking around, I realized that this place was more of a restaurant as they have a menu, table service, and beer. I sat down and began working on my laptop hoping the WiFi wouldn’t suck (*cough* Dark Horse *cough*).
The WiFi was great and easy to connect to. My latte arrived and tasted satisfactory (it wasn’t memorable but it wasn’t bad). If I was in the area, I would definitely stop by again. and maybe try some food.

I spend a lot of time here so I figured it would be worth a review.
Overall, I think Tintos is one of the better WiFi Cafes to get some work done in the city. The ambiance always makes for a very productive session. WiFi is reliable, coffee is good, and my favorite snacks are the apple banana bread and the supposedly ‘jam-​filled’ corn muffins. I have to say though I’ve had a few of those muffins and have yet to find more than a smudge of jam at the bottom. But now I’m knit picking, there are many good reasons to make this a regular spot.
Good job Tintos!

My friend Elise told me about this place back in 2007 and never took her seriously until I walked in 6 months after I gave birth to my daughter and haven’t stopped going in at least once a month for my Organic Food Fix.
I love, love the Carrot Cake, the Red Iced Tea, The Vegan Salad’s and of course I can’t pronounce the names when I’m ordering BUT of course the servers always help out. I can’t believe it’s been 2 years that I have been going to Tinto’s and NEVER get bored with it.
I have recruited a few of my other stay-​at-​home mom’s, when a place is good we need to spread the good word… See you at Tinto’s

Nice place to hang out or meet people … Free WiFi if you need it … A bit over priced (probably b/​c everything is ORGANIC)

I had mixed feelings about Tinto.
The first time I went to try it was on Sunday at about 10:30 am and it was closed. This seemed odd to me seeing how it’s prime coffee-​drinking time. But I was determined to give it a chance, so I went back on a Monday at Noon. It was almost completely full. I spotted an empty 4-​seater which was quickly snatched by a caffiene-​addicted young mind with textbooks to read and $ 5 in his pocket. It felt fairly crammed, and I was resigned to sitting in an arm chair by the window.
There appeared to be an upstairs section which was closed. A short while later a waitress came, took my order and snatched half of the table away from the student; turning it into two 2-​seaters. For a place preaching «Free-​Trade» on their menus, this seemed pretty Capitalist to me.
However, I was digging my spot by the window. Perfect for drinking a coffee and reading a good book, bright and good view of the street.
I ordered my trademark double espresso. I personally cannot tell the difference but some people say it tastes better when served out of a porcelain cup. For those who know the difference, this is your place.
To eat, I chose a wrap called Buffo al Trote — Sweet Potato, black beans, cheddar. Which was served with a salad — $ 12
Full Menu:
The wrap was grilled and a surprisingly tasty combination. At first, all I could taste were cheese and black beans. I completely forgot about the sweet potato until part way through when I noticed a very subtle sweet starchy taste characteristic of sweet potatoes.
It was composed of nutritious ingredients depending on your specific needs. Beans are high in protein and fibre. Cheese in Calcium and fat. Sweet potatoes are high in Vitamin A and a source of Vitamin C and dietary fibre.
Sitting in an armchair felt awkward and reminded me of eating at home in front of the TV. Except here I had a large window, and Roncesvalles as my magic box.
What I saw out the window was unsettling. The entire street is being torn up in a year-​long construction project to repair water-​mains and streetcar tracks. I’ve heard it should be completed in late 2010. From Tinto, I saw orange construction fences all around, and just as I finished eating a giant machine started hammering very loudly at the pavement outside.
The spacey music, calm atmosphere and fair trade coffees couldn’t drown out the pounding of the construction outside! It reverberated clearly through the restaurant. I was glad to be finished my meal and on my way.
What a shame. Roncesvalles is one of the best neighborhoods in Toronto, and I’m not sure how it could be improved upon with significant construction. I felt sorry for those who had just arrived or beginning their meals. It was very loud and disruptive. Construction like this will almost certainly take an economic toll on the businesses in the neighborhood.
I’m sure there are other who have had better experiences at Tinto. It seems like a decent place to grab lunch or coffee. I am always on the lookout for a new place amongst the wide variety of bakeries, coffee shops and restaurants on Roncesvalles. Maybe once I’ve seen the others, I’ll go back to Tinto. When the jack-​hammering stops.

I like Tinto, as a place to chill out with a cup of coffee and a magazine mostly, but when it comes to their dishes of food or smoothies I’ve never had a good one. So bland. Spice it up Tinto! And please don’t give me another $ 4 «smoothie» made of mostly ice.

Had to post this quick update to share three new discoveries at Tinto today:
1. HOT Beck lookalikes. I sat across from one. I hummed Mixed Bizness to myself as I surreptitiously stared.
2. Dark chocolate brownies with a hint of coffee flavour. Yum-​o!
3. Huge glasses of red iced tea, which is Hibiscus, Rosehip and Red Raspberry Leaf, sweetened or not.
Oh, and I had the burro chiquito again. I dream about this thing. It’s so perfectly spiced and pressed, it makes me want to open up a panini shop.

Good coffee. Good burro chiquito. A bit expensive, but very healthy tasting (in a good way).

Great, great café. I had a delicious chicken and avocado sandwich, with just the right amount of spice, and the neighborhood is fantastic. Wonderful atmosphere, with a great amount of light and a cozy back room for just chilling with your book or computer. Some pretty solid coffee also, although not its selling point.

Spend a year working from home and you’ll start looking at cafes with new eyes. Mine always dart around for available plugs because no matter how much caffeine you consume you won’t last long if there’s no place to keep your laptop juiced up with power.
At Tinto we snagged a large table with easy access to an outlet. We stayed for more than six hours and never once did the staff so much as nudge us to be on our way. Instead they sweetly served us mint tea, hot chocolate, whole wheat English muffins with cream cheese and jam and my favorite — the burro chiquito, a wonderful confluence of sweet potato, black beans and goat cheese held together in a grilled tortilla.
The free wifi was reliable and for the most part pretty quick. There’s plenty of room at Tinto too — I was surprised with its spaciousness. And in case you’re not there to work, they sell magazines and serve wine.
Tinto’s pretty much got it all!

Bright open café in Roncyville. Lots of a vegan and vegetarian options on the café and it’s nice to see an independent café that is dedicated to its social values by using local ingredients and sustainable packaging. Staff are friendly and I just love that there are lots of tables in the two seating areas with couches added in for extra lounging. Good place to get some work or studying done. Plus they are open till 10pm on some days nice to see a café open that late that isn’t Starbucks.

I am a big fan of Tinto, and try to make a point of visiting whenever I am in the Roncesvalles area. This Latin American café specializes in quality organic and fair trade coffees, and is also just a wonderful place to spend a peaceful afternoon.
One thing I like in any coffee shop is their ability to offer milk alternatives like soy, and unsurprisingly Tinto delivers on that front. They don’t really even have a menu up to speak of, other than a board with specials. If you ask for a coffee-​based drink they can likely make it, and if not they can probably come up with a suggestion of something else they can make based on what you like. There are usually a number of baked goods on offer as well, although in my experience the coffee is the showpiece.
The shop itself is very well-​lighted, with big windows providing a lovely natural light source. The seating is also more plentiful than you might expect and generally comfortable for settling in with a good book. The shop and the people running it also seem to be very involved in the surrounding community, and as such they support, hold and advertise many local events, especially those relating to the arts. Overall a great place with a relaxed vibe and a no-​worries attitude (no one pushing you to buy or get out).

Tinto does a brisk business in organic, fair-​trade coffee, and they have a rather comprehensive café menu too, with a number of soups, sandwiches, wraps, and pastries. I was mildly surprised to discover that they even sold beer and wine (unusual for this kind of place), but alas, you can’t get it to go like the coffee.
You can get soy milk in your tea, and even the postcards for sale by the door are socially conscious. But Tinto’s politics aren’t obtrusive if you’re indifferent to such things; it’s easy to relax in the spacious, multi-​level, modern seating area.