Haute Coffee is located at 153 Dupont St, at the corner of Dupont & Davenport. It’s open 7 days a week from 7am–6pm*.
The café is cozy and can seat around 16 people comfortably. Patrons have the choice of sitting at benches or counter stools, but if you’re going to the coffee shop with anyone, the stools are your best bet. The benches are made for one, with a table and outlet accompanying each seat. They’re perfect for people who go to cafés to get work done.
The café has a Parisian theme with a white, yellow, and black colour scheme. They play light French music, and its wooden and ornamental accents make you feel transformed when entering the shop. I especially like their ceiling and statement chandelier.
If you were to look up the café on Google, its reviews will rave about the kind staff, and after visiting, it's evident why.
My barista was friendly, kind, and asked every single person how they were. During my visit, I overheard her and a customer chatting about a documentary playing in the background (the shop has a large TV near the counter). She encouraged the guest to stay and watch the film in its entirety. It’s a sweet sentiment to encourage customers to enjoy and make the most their visit.
Haute Coffee accepts cash and debit only, offers free wi-fi, and has its own app that allows customers to pay and collect points for their purchases.
At the café, drinks range from $1.90 to $4.70, all pastries (called “Nibbles”) were $3.75 or less, and their food menu was roughly $10 or less. Although I didn’t get anything to eat during my visit, the pastry case and menu looked very tempting. It should be noted that some of their food menu is only served on weekends. Given the size of the café, I’d try to go early on weekend mornings, if desired.
I went on an early weekday morning (roughly 7:30/8:30am), and had no problem finding a seat. Most patrons, including a slew of regulars, got their coffee to go.
I ordered a large misto which I thoroughly enjoyed – especially because the café’s ‘large’ is true to its name.
On top of this, Haute Coffee offers a wide range of milk substitutes, but it will cost you $0.75-$1.10 per substitution. Given the affordability of the coffee in general, paying extra for almond milk (or whatever your dairy-free preference is) doesn’t seem too devastating.
As well, the café offers “coffee enhancers”, aka Baileys, Kahlua, and brandy. Those should make your coffee date even more interesting.
*Given the COVID-19 pandemic, hours and offerings depicted in this post may be skewed as businesses adapt to better serve its staff, customers, and community.