Milky's Coffee
Milky's Coffee is where beautifully crafted drinks meet impeccable design, making it one of the most aesthetically-pleasing cafes in the city.
This minimalist retreat at the bustling corner of Dundas and Bathurst is no more than 300 square feet, but its airy white and woodsy design makes this cafe a world all its own.
The most striking part of Milky's is undoubtedly the 1,300 pieces of custom elongated wood that make up the space's walls and ceiling.
Designed by Toronto-based architecture firmBatay-Csorba, the space is a mix of diamond-like, two-toned oak panels that stretch around the cafe to create a fascinatingly geometric, circular effect.
Milky's founder Fraser Greenberg, who is also the longtime owner of the King East hardwood flooring companyRelative Space, says he wanted to create a "Canadian-style" cafe informed by the Dundas and Bathurst area, where he's lived for years.
Save f0r its coffee equipment—which includes the Sanremo Opera, a beast of an espresso machine and apparently the first in the city—the cafe is decorated with tiny refined art by local creators.
Mini vases from Toronto studiosAkai Ceramicsand gold works fromMercury Bureauare decorated with flower arrangements from floral design shopFlurin the Annex.
The cafe's abundant natural light gets a boost from a couple of really cool lighting structures, including subtle light strips that change with the sun's cycle, so as not to disrupt our delicate circadian rhythms.
Caffeine comes by way ofLandscape Coffee(formerly Pig Iron Roasters) while tea comes from Pluck, and food like gluten-free baci cakes and crostatas come solely viaForno Cultura.
A cappuccino ($4.50) makes for a great accompaniment for some of Forno's mandorle noce biscotti.
A menu of signature drinks created by Coffee Program Director Gareth Hoom include drinks like the Chinatown Fog ($5).
Using Pluck Tea's Spadina blend, the drink has hints of ginger, lemongrass, and lychee. It comes topped with a sprinkle of Earl Grey tea leaves.
The Delirium ($5) uses a single shot of Landscape's Steel Wheel espresso, oat milk, turmeric, and ginger honey infused in a super cool infusion vessel calledThe Porthole.
There's no seats here (you'd probably stay forever if there was), but there are a number of counters to post up and enjoy the view.
Herman Wong