Dineen Coffee Co. - Toronto

The main coffee shop in Toronto that I had on my Toronto Bucket List was Dineen! My last name happens to rhyme and it just felt like I needed to hit it up! Not only is it a rhyming match made in heaven, but they have latte art!

We walked here from the George Street Diner for some after breakfast coffee. It was a mildly stressful morning so far because the BFs iPhone turned into a brick once we left the US even though it had an international plan. Super bummer.... but we spotted it and I was beyond excited!

I was really loving the beauty of the building it was in! Holy architecture, friends! How beautiful. I couldn't wait to get inside there and sip some latte goodness.

BUT before that... check out how gorgeous this place is inside:

It was very busy, so after a bit of a wait, we ordered a couple of lattes so I could admire the latte art - always something I seek out when visiting a new city. Most of the tables were filled, and the only free spot was crammed between people so we waited for something else to open up. The lattes took several minutes, so something did open up in time! We ended up sitting behind the counter by the pretty mirror, eventually moving to a beautiful marble high top spot closer to the front windows.

Lattes arrived and they were stunning... the BEST part about them was the beautiful latte art. They were standard lattes otherwise. I didn't see a very extensive menu, but I do believe they had a vanilla latte which I may opt for next.

We hung out for only about 40 minutes total because we had a jammed schedule for the rest of the day. We had a date with the Eaton Center to hit up the Apple Store to see if we could fix the BFs iPhone... we mapped out the path to the next destination and literally as I was leaving, I noticed this gem:

Literally don't know how I missed it because this is where we found a spot to sit, but it shows me that this gorgeous building that we were in really did have some preserved history. Check out some information I found online below if you're interested in the Dineen Building:

"Known as the Dineen Building, the property at 2 Temperance is a surviving example of a late 19th-century commercial building in the city’s financial district. It was built in 1897 for W. and F. Dineen Co., a producer of hats, caps and furs."

"Through a restoration method called adaptive reuse, Mr. Smith and his various tradesmen are resurrecting the building to look as it once did, while making it work in a modern context. The structure’s masonry, sandstone balcony brackets, cornice, decorative ironwork, windows and main entrance are all being retouched and revived, while electrical upgrades and a new elevator are being installed. Age-old J.J. Taylor vaults found deep in the basement are being polished and placed in the lobby. Whereas the building’s exterior exhibited a mucky, grey hue in recent years, Mr. Smith is reconditioning its deteriorated bricks to resemble the radiant, buff-yellow ones it once had."

Check out this amazing picture with the building shown in the bottom left corner.

I love it... and I'm 100% glad we stopped here. I will visit again if we get back to Toronto. :) Another honest 10/10 for stops in Toronto. History, lattes (with latte art!) and a beautiful atmosphere (not to mention lovely company!) made this a great coffee shop visit.

-Laura