Everyday Gourmet is located at the lower level of the St. Lawrence Market South Building. Since 1979, the café has specialized in teas, spices, and most dominantly, coffee. The shop sells a wide selection of coffee varieties that are all roasted on site (if you’re lucky, you’ll be able to catch a glimpse at this process when visiting).
Using 20 distinct types of green coffee beans, Everyday Gourmet creates over 50 varieties of Arabica coffee of varying roasts and flavours (St. Lawrence Market, 2020). Their hours are in conjunction with the St. Lawrence Market, which can be found here.
Located in the heart of Toronto’s downtown in one of the world’s most popular food markets, Everyday Gourmet is surprisingly underrated – and they really don’t deserve to be.
WHOLESALE
Everyday Gourmet is a narrow shop with coffee beans and accessories surrounding you at every turn. The shop utilizes every centimetre of its small space. Walk in, look up, and you’ll see merchandise even lining the ceiling. If you can’t tell from the pictures, by no means is it a fancy coffee shop, but a homey and eclectic coffee bean marketplace.
Their beans can be purchased in-store or online. In-store, you are able to pick your beans from the variety of turnstyle dispensers and glass jars, which will then be weighed at the counter. Online, beans are sold in bags at half a pound, 1-pound and 5-pounds, and start at $7.25.
CAFÉ
The shop hosts a coffee bar that I frequent every time I visit the Market. Their menu is vast, selling a range of classic café fares (such as lattes and cappuccinos) to rarer menu items (such as red eyes and turmeric lattes).
Everyday Gourmet also boasts a seasonal menu. I love this current menu, which includes drinks such as orange chocolate lattes and cherry hot chocolates. The fruitiness shines through and makes a very unique and delicious beverage; their orange chocolate latte tastes like you’re drinking a Terry’s Chocolate Orange. As for their classic menu, I typically go for their Lily (which is 3 parts espresso to equal parts milk).
All the beverages are very reasonably priced, ranging from $1-$5. For a point of reference, the $1 range is for a small brewed coffee, and the $5 range will get you a XL flavoured latte. The shop’s tea sells for $1.85 for any size, or featured loose leaf tea for $2.50. As for espresso-based beverages, these start at $3. Alternative milk is also sold at the café for only $0.50 more.
As for eats, Everyday Gourmet sells a few baked goods - mostly cookies, including Italian biscotti and amaretti. They also sell a few local grocers, such as gourmet chocolate bars. If you’re in the mood for a bigger snack, I’d suggest visiting the other stalls at the St. Lawrence Market. As the coffee shop only hosts a few stools anyway, Everyday Gourmet is definitely not a place to sit-in at, but rather to grab a great cup of coffee and wander through the Market’s stalls.
SUMMARY
No trip to Toronto is complete without a visit to the city's famous St. Lawrence Market. No matter if you're a tourist or a local, if you're a coffee lover, Everyday Gourmet is a café not to miss out on. With beans roasted on site and a very affordable menu, the shop is perfect to pick up coffee beans or grab a drink to go (as the café has no seating). Although there are limited eats, there is a wide coffee menu including fun seasonal beverages. Despite being in one of Canada's most-visited markets, the coffee shop is not as well known as other Toronto coffee shops; it truly is a gem hidden in plain sight.
