The Coffee Lab

Editor's Review

It seems that coffee companies these days are opening colossal and convoluted cafés and roasteries in cavernous spaces and warehouse lots. But what about going the other way—trying to simplify things by creating "the world’s smallest café"? Owner Joshua Campos, with his self-proclaimed tagline, has done just that. With previous iterations around the city, including at one point a space inside a used bookstore, Campos now finds himself on Spadina Ave in a glass enclosure with just enough space for his single group Slayer and a Mazzer Major, let alone himself.

Six days a week Coffee Lab is serving up incredibly high-quality tea and espresso based drinks out of this 18 square foot takeaway window multi roaster. The selection of beans changes regularly and includes everything from local roasters to international heavyweights like Coffee Collective and Tim Wendelboe. Although most drinks are served to go, in a lovely touch of class and a nod to tradition, espresso is only served in ceramic to be enjoyed over conversation with the barista. And in case you are worried of walking right by the discreet space, just keep your eye out for the large phonograph horn on the standing bar to draw the attention that this place emphatically deserves.

Reviewed by Peter de Vooght.

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Cafe Features

Coffee + Drinks