The Grind House

Pretty lacklustre place. They have free wifi and their drinks are decent. They seem to have paid attention to the other reviews that pointed out the lack of latte art as my drink had a leaf on its foam. Although the place was empty except for another person and I, the café was incredibly loud. A staff member (the owner?) talked very loudly for about 20 minutes, complaining on and on and being pretty inappropriate. It was very irritating. When they finally left, the remaining baristas cranked up the music to an ungodly level. The other customer fled immediately so I was on my own to try to ignore the screeching vocals that just wouldn’t stop. It was very unpleasant — impossible to read quietly or (I imagine) to attempt to carry on a conversation with someone else.
Probably won’t go back.

Nice little independent coffee shop in Kensington… it’s the one that seems to always be over-​looked among all of the shops serving coffee here. I stop in occasionally when I’m feeling less hipstery than Pamenar and want something closer than Moonbean.
The VIBE: Deathly quiet. This is an «everyone stare at their laptop» kind of place. Actually on my last visit, there wasn’t even background music. Cool sort of lesbianish photos of women adorn the walls at the moment (I’m not being homophobic… I’m a homo and it definitely has a queer feel to them). Slightly limited seating for the space.
The COFFEE: It’s decent and fair trade. It’s not the best coffee I’ve ever had… standard drip brew into the giant vacuum dispenser. Not the quality of Moonbean, but better than Starbucks. They had a Clover machine for a while, but it was always broken and now seems to be gone.
The STAFF: Friendly but minimal interaction. Wouldn’t want to disrupt the silence.
OVERALL…hmm…I guess I’ll go with OK. Perfectly adequate… not disappointed, not excited. I don’t think I’d want to come here for a social outing but might be a good place for an intense study session (if you can get a seat).

Came here to try their drinks thanks to the Indie Coffee passport. Got a cappuccino as that will be my baseline from now on. They were nice enough to give me one even though it’s not on their list of items for the ICP.
So the drink itself tasted fine, especially for a cold day. When I was presented with it something didn’t look right, I realize now there was no foam art. Not that it makes the drink taste better, but I guess now that everyone is doing it you tend to notice.
The space itself is pretty cool, close to College St than Dundas St. One thing I wasn’t sure how it fits in is on the coffee jacket they have bones, I don’t get it.
I had to give it a 2 star though because compared to some of the 3 star the taste didn’t hold up.

If you have never been to Kensington Market then that is the first item of business for you. The second, visiting the local shops and experiencing the atmosphere because it is great. While you are experiencing Kensington in all its glory stop in at The Grind House.
This is a small little place at the north end of the market on Augusta St. and it delivers some decent coffee. I was not overly impressed by anything, but just satisfied and it met my expectations.
I had a Cortado, which was well made and the coffee art was very unique. I didn’t try any of the food because I went there specifically for the coffee. Although, a bunch of people came in and just ordered food. So, I started to see how they made the food. I looked around a bit, no stove, no burners, just a toaster oven and a toaster. Then I heard some beeps, a microwave.
I know it is tough to do food right, but I have listened to enough professional chefs and they say don’t ever go to a restaurant that uses a microwave.
I think the coffee is great and the food could be good too, but I wasn’t impressed by the use of a microwave.
I would come back for a coffee, but not for anything else.
This place meets expectations.
That’s it.

I was attending an event at St. Stephen’s and ducked out for coffee. I started to head for Second Cup on the north side of College and then said «screw this, it’s Kensington! There’s better coffee to be had!» So I popped down Augusta and settled on the Grindhouse.
Nice little indie coffee shop selling good organic coffee. They seem to focus mostly on espresso but they also have something on drip for those of us who want boring plain old coffee (that’s still good). It’s a pretty small narrow space with not much room to sit; when the weather’s good and there’s a patio it’ll be better for that.
For now, just get some good coffee to go, stir it with a «biodegradable stir stick» (a.k.a. a piece of dry linguini) and face the world.

I’m a fan of any place where you can get gelato for $ 2! It was delicious and just the right amount for a yummy treat. I’ll be back.

Had the frozen hot chocolate again, it is still good.
It was $ 4.50, so not crazy priced, the barista was nice.
Lots of seats on the patio, but they need to police it a bit more, there were lots of non customers sitting there.
The wifi didn’t work either.

I don’t drink coffee but I picked up coffee for my colleagues. The place seems nice. Prices are comparable to the other coffee places on the street.

I remember stopping by The Grind House this past summer when I was with my cousins browsing Kensington Market. We saw that they were selling gelato and decided to drop in. I got a small cup of gelato and even though I don’t recall what I got, I think it is pretty cool to find a café that sells them during the warmer season. However, I didn’t get the chance to actually sit down and enjoy a cup of coffee there at the time.
I got to speak with one of the owners, Irene, regarding their menu when I arrived with my Indie Coffee Passport. As you can see, they have an extensive menu that any hunger you may have coming in would definitely be satisfied. They mainly outsource their baked goods from Wildflours and Whisk Bakery from Etobicoke. They also use Clover, a brewing system that makes French press coffee.
It has a comfortable atmosphere and overall a really nice place to sit down in. They also sell art from local artists, which they do not take any commission on, so the artists get 100% of the selling price. If you happen to really love The Grind House, you can buy a t-​shirt for only $ 15! If all the other cafes could jump on board with selling their own t-​shirts, I think that would be wicked.
The drink I chose was the white mocha latte. It wasn’t sweet but it was one of the lattes where I didn’t have to add any more sugar to make it bearable. I definitely liked how it looked, even though there was no latte art. What can I say, I like pretty looking drinks.

Needing a bit of an energy boost after taking in the sights and sounds of Kensington Market, I stopped in at The Grind House for a quick caffeine fix. The cappuccino that I had was truly terrible — one of the worst I’ve ever had. It tasted incredibly burnt and bitter, and it seemed as if the drinks were prepared with little care or skill. I took two sips and ended up throwing most of it away.

Nice little coffee shop whild’st traveling through Toronto’s Kensington Market. Had the lox bagel sandwhich which was better than expected.

Kensignton market a hub for all places hipsters throng. I guess I always feel out of place when I visit this area, not for the vibe I get rather than the disappointments it hold for me.
Last years Indie Coffee Passport (ICP) didn’t improve my opinion of the cafes here I probably had one of the worst cappuccino here (I Deal Coffee)
The outside area immediately appealed to me as the sun was out and there were plenty of chairs to sit.
The inside is quite nice as well. The have the legendary Elektra machine for espresso and it goes well with the theme here.
Now for the cappuccino
Espresso: Mild
Crema’: Medium
Milk: Average at best frothing. Not much in terms of micro foam.
Latte Art: None as the milk was just poured on.
The drink itself was nothing special.
2.5 with the help of the setup.
Hmm maybe I should try café Pamenar as pretty much I have given up for a good cappuccino here.
Update for ICP 2013. Tried the Cortado on this visit. It did fare much better. Also the helpful baristas tried and offered a solution to the espresso shot extraction problem I have been having my new purchase.
Deserves a bump up to 3 stars.

Beginning first with coffee, as every day should, my original plan to visit Thor was quashed by their absurd hours and as such a detour was made to visit the Kensington market. Perhaps an obscure choice for coffee, the main point was actually not coffee at all but instead browsing the market and people watching but as luck would have it we stumbled upon Grind House where both coffee and people watching were of the utmost quality.
Passing through the outdoor crowd of hipsters, pot heads, hippies, and otherwise seemingly normal youngsters and making our way into the store the first thing to note was the smell — a mélange of roasts plus notes of baked goods — and relatively sure that this is what heaven smells like a young woman greeted us and asked if we were ready to order, a simple decision for myself the moment I saw they had not only a clover, but also sun roasted Ethiopian Yirrgacheffe. Rich and thick yet smooth on the finish with notes of cocoa, caramel, and even a sort of ginger tone this was a complex brew that required minimal sweetener and good enough that after wandering the market some more I returned for another cup and a 12oz bag to take home.

Love this place.
A girlfriend and I came here one morning to do some work and ended up having some top-​notch americanos and ended up both being unable to resist their breakfast cookies! Ahhhh sooo goood!
The girls behind the counter were really knowledgeable and put up with all my questions about ingredients and sourcing etc.
I also noticed they serve bagels and sandwiches if you are in need of such.
Will be returning again :)

Enjoyed a great latte at the Grind House on the streets. I wish they had more tables and chairs outside…
Yet another great spot for people/​dog watching in this nice neighborhood!

The entire time, the only thing holding me together was the consolation that I would later get to write a two star review. Now that I come to Unilocal and see all the four and five star reviews, I wonder if my experience was one of a few. Regardless, my soul has waited long to vent.
Initially, I was excited by The Grindhouse, another coffee shop contender among the other spots in Kensington. Tucked below an awning and beside a tattoo parlour. The baristas seemed funky too — mohawk and blonde hair, tattoos, naturally.
But the expressions on their faces were pure annoyance. She growled at my boyfriend and I, hurrying us to place an order. Then rushed my London Fog to the point that it affected the taste. The drink took less than a minute to complete and tasted like lukewarm milk. Throw in the Twinings teabag as an afterthought, and this is a recipe for disaster.
Despite what my fellow Unilocalers exclaim, I will choose Pamenar in the future.

I’ve never actually sat down and savored the space inside, but I’ve come here for a quick coffee a few times now and each time it’s been a very solid coffee experience.
They have a nice varied menu that’s not too pricey and although my latte was once a little bit too strong for me, but the next few times around it worked out great.
The staff have also been very easy going and friendly nothing to complain on that front. There is free wifi but I’ve never actually tried using it so I can’t comment on it’s effectiveness.
It’s a tough call between Moonbean, Pamenar and this, I always make a spontaneous decision mainly based on laziness as to what I would rather pick out of my favourite coffee places in Kensington. But the bottom line is while this may not be the top spot for a sit down coffee for me, it certainly does a good job in providing a quick, cheap, friendly cup… although if my memory serves me right, I didn’t see any latte art on my cup. Not that it really matters… but still.

I remember this place back before it was Grind House. I believe owned by some Latinos who were wanting to sell gourmet coffee but at ridiculous prices. New ownership and name this coffeehouse is now called Grind House, I decided to check it out.
Here’s what I found notable. First off they have a Clover machine, one of the few to be found in indie cafes due to Starbucks buying up the company and also because they are $ 12,000 a pop. Unlike Crema (who also own a Clover), Grind House has upwards of 6 – 7 coffees for you to choose from to have brewed by the Clover or other method if you so choose. All these coffees are fresh ground per cup by the way.
It’s a small café but they do have seating. The server I spoke to was helpful and friendly. My coffee was tasty (went with a Cloverfied Mexican Chiapas) and about at the price you’d pay for the same at Crema. I like this place, I’m a fan, however it just seems a travesty that a coffeehouse with a cool name like The Grind House would not just run with the name and decorate the place like an ode to Grind House cinema. One of my beefs with Toronto indie cafes is that they all go for the same visual aesthetic. It’s not necessarily a bad aesthetic, it’s just all the bloody same. There needs to be a Bovine Sex Club equivalent to the café scene here in Toronto and The Grind House should be it.
At any rate, I recommend.

Super friendly staff and very clean and hip atmosphere. They always seem to be adding new things and improving their menu. Free Wi-​Fi is a bonus too. I believe the only shop in Kenington Market to offer Gelato and Fresh Squeezed Lemonade.