The Best Cafes for Free WiFi in Toronto
Free WiFi access in Toronto should be a lot more common than it is. But with the powers at City Hall uninterested in bridging the digital divide or otherwise undertaking initiatives to increase wireless internet penetration, it's up to individual business owners and non-profit groups like Wireless Toronto to make the internet accessible in more places outside the home.
In the downtown core, free WiFi is particularly spotty no thanks to the presence of Cogeco's $5 an hour OneZone and the lack of free WiFi at many of the major coffee chains. Even a number of popular independents (B Espresso and Manic Coffee to name two) decline to offer the service, instead choosing to focus on what a Manic staffer told me was "the enjoyment of loving coffee."
Then there are places like Zoots which could have been a haven for laptop-toting caffeine-seekers. Free WiFi is available but management limits the duration of their customers' stay by not permitting the use of their power outlets (the official explanation being that the building can't support the additional energy consumption from laptops).
But all is not lost. Look a little below the surface and there are a number of great cafes that not only serve up free WiFi but know how to make an above average brew. One such option is Quaff Cafe which just opened last week (too late to make this list). With ample power outlets and enough tables and chairs to seat a small army, it coulda been a contender.
So where to go when nothing but unlimited, fast internet access will do? Here are 18 of the best cafes for free WiFi in Toronto.
Dark Horse Espresso Bar (Chinatown)
With two Toronto locations, Dark Horse has WiFi seekers covered east and west of the city. But it's their newer Chinatown outpost that's the clear winner here. The light-infused post and beam space had trendy communal tables, dreamy scones and rich, dark Americanos with hypnotizing swirls of crema on top. More...
Red Rocket Coffee
There are plenty of stellar cafes to choose from in Leslieville (just see lower down in this list) but Red Rocket ranks best for WiFi thanks to its killer combination of great space (good lighting, plenty of tables, patio in the summer) and one of the most extensive drink menus in the city. More...
White Squirrel Coffee Shop
Located right across from Trinity Bellwoods Park, White Squirrel wins points for its prime location and its perched second level seating that leads to welcome distractions from all the commotion down below. A communal table makes it easy to get work done with a group of friends. More...
Jet Fuel Coffee
Jet fuel has the requisite cheap, large and strong drinks to keep the energy up for a long day of work or study. A few days slurping coffee and surfing the net here and you just might be treated like a regular. More...
Tinto Coffee House
Tinto has the perfect setup to camp out and spend the day. Their Latin American infused menu has enough variety for three meals a day, and ample seating means there's never a feeling that you need to clear out to free up a table for the next customer. More...
Tequila Bookworm
At first blush the size of this cafe can be deceiving, but a little exploration reveals the two large second story rooms to be near-perfect destinations for casual business meetings, study groups or comfy, quiet spaces to chill. Open super late 11pm most night and 1am on weekends. More...
linuxcaffe
Open to 11pm six nights a week, this hub of Toronto's open source community is one of the better spots to seek late night solace with a laptop. They serve Ideal Coffee and plenty of great snacks (including wheat free). Just make sure there's not a live band playing on the night you plan to cram here for your finals. More...
The Common
The Common is the sort of sublime, light-infused space with the right combination of tasty distractions (Nutella on toast) and neighbourhood feel to inspire creativity. No wonder local scribes make this cafe their daily hangout. Just make sure to get here early enough to nab a table. More...
Crema Coffee
What's not to love at the Junction area cafe that makes some of the best coffee-laced drinks in the city? Did I mention they have a Clover? Big windows and ample seating round out its appeal. More...
Saving Gigi
The owner may be crusty (according to some) but don't let that detract from this beautifully restored corner cafe on Bloor. A large communal table makes this a perfect spot to collaborate with 8 of your closest internet seeking friends. More...
Communal Mule
Of all the cafes on Dundas West, the newest of the bunch takes the prize for the most laptop friendly. There are plenty of seating options, a good amount of natural light, and a vibe that makes spending hours working here seem more like hanging out in your best friend's apartment. More...
LIT Espresso Bar
This Roncesvalles cafe is a bit on the dark side, but the friendly service, tasty panini and reasonable prices make up for it. Plus, there are always at least a few other WiFi addicted customers here to keep you company. More...
Drake Cafe
With plenty of locals and tourists descending on the Drake for breakfast, lunch and dinner, hogging a table for some free WiFi can get a bit stressful. But on off-peek hours during the week it's hard to beat the corner of Queen and Beaconsfield for a quick WiFi hookup and prime people-watching. More...
Merchants of Green Coffee
You need to do a bit of work to find this cafe, but once inside you'll be rewarded with a surprisingly bustling environment complete with in the know locals stopping by for some of the freshest beans this side of Guatemala. More...
Te Aro
This newish Leslieville cafe may not have a ton of tables to plunk a laptop, but the beauty of the space more than makes up for it. Plus, the Kiwi-accented owners are super friendly and always have a nice selection of magazines to distract. More accessible power outlets would be a welcome addition. More...
Remarkable Bean
This Beaches area cafe is open from 7am-10pm 364 days a year which means its probably the city's most reliable option for a WiFi hookup. With on-site baking and roasting it's also one of the best smelling work environments ever. More...
Tango Palace Coffee Company
This darkly-lit Leslieville stalwart opts for dainty purple chairs and smallish tables which can make working here a bit cumbersome. But redemption is at hand with a secluded back patio (summer only) and hours that extend to 11pm daily. More...
Sideshow Cafe
This cafe takes on some of the personality (and customers) of the Circle of Gravity next door which means it can be a common occurrence spotting jugglers and others dressed in colourful costumes in between sips of your Americano. More...
Comments (58)
My vote is for Cafe Taste on Queen in Parkdale. It's more of a wine bar, but open afternoons and a great place for me to get some work done while enjoying an espresso or glass of red.
I say nay to Dark Horse Espresso - they don't have any electrical outlets at any of their communal tables.
That was the huge drawback for me even though Dark Horse provides for a beautiful place to hangout and work.
I'm a transplant over at Te Aro here in Leslieville, until Dark Horse resolves that issue, I won't be headed back there anytime soon.
How about the east side? on the Danforth Cafe Frappe has a packed patio all summer long with blazing fast internet
I have to disagree about Dark Horse. I went there and couldn't connect. The host said, 'it's been acting up' and they had a guy to look at it but it wasn't working. Fortunately, someone/business living close by had a unsecure connection which I used while there. And yeah, no plugs...
Aside from cafes, Toronto Public Library branches are good places to get free wifi Internet access. There are currently 40+ branches with free wifi access - with more branches being added this fall.
For a current list of free wireless branches: www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/wireless.
I hope more coffee shops follow Manic Coffee and Sam James Coffee Bar and decline to offer wifi. If you care more about wifi than a vibrant atmosphere focused on coffee please just go to Starbucks or something. Please don't take up multiple seats just to browse facebook when cafes are busy.
Aroma! Awesome and healthy food, which to me is important because I want to eat something more substantial and less carb-y than pastries with my coffee, and friendly staff.
That's okay, though. It's sometimes hard enough to get a table at the Annex location without the vote for "best". I wouldn't want an influx of BlogTO readers to leave me without a seat. :)
Scratch Cafe on Bathurst a few blocks south of St. Clair is also nice.
Thanks SO much for the tip! I had no idea the libraries had wifi. I tried to use one of the terminals at my local branch, but they were all occupied by headset-wearing guys who park themselves there all day (unkempt and unwashed, with their desk space littered with empty pop cans. It made me think twice about touching the keyboards.)
I was at Dark Horse on Spadina for about a half hour this morning, and I used the internet. It was fine. I'm really not sure what the expectations are here? How many electrical outlets is enough? My guess is the outlets are where they are, my laptop has a battery in it, doesn't everyone else's?
Also, the coffee is good there, maybe it's because my mac connects pretty easy to wifi connections. This could be a PC thing.
Disclosure: I run a design firm and the Gladstone is my client.
Because of this, however, I go there when I need to get in some quality time with my laptop.
Open, airy, hotel-quality service, free wi-fi, power outlets, a menu that evolves over the course of the day and either fair trade coffee or a range of local beers makes it the perfect spot.
Proximity to my office doesn't hurt I guess, but neither does a front desk that can occasionally dig up a left behind laptop cord when I'm out of juice.
B
Thanks very much for this list. Whenever I find a place that's free-wifi-friendly, I try to let my friends know on twitter and chat it up. Now I can link to this too.
Along with Linux, my go-to place in the my area is Better and Better (the ones with the banana bread). It's Reunion Coffee and no great whiz-bang ambiance, but it's clean and bright, the bakery is solid, the prices very cheap and the people could not be nicer.
One chain that has saved me more than a few times is Timothy's. There are at least a few locations that have very strong signals and only require a button-push on a simple TofC page (tip: Select Sandwich has the same, I've found). And when I use their wifi, I also tend to buy their coffee, and even more if I'm sticking around. We're helping each other.
Several weeks ago, a friend from England in town for a conference asked me for a nice place with free wifi where he could have a good lunch and get some work done in a relaxing environment on his downtown path that day. I told him about Greenavi Cafe, which fit the bill perfectly, as he told his friends around the world. Unfortunately, they won't be able to take advantage of it, since it's gone now. But it reminded me of the value of cafes and coffee houses as ambassadors for the city.
You know, I don't get this vibe about how the focus should be on either great coffee *or* free wifi. Beyond the coffee itself, a coffee house is about being welcoming, letting you do your thing (while being respectful of others) and be part of your community, and I happen to think that wifi can be a part of that idea. The community is around you, but also with whomever (friends, business) around the world, and it's great to have an atmosphere that encourages creativity and connection in all senses. That may sound kind of Kumbaya, and sure there are those weaselly wifi hogs out there, but it comes down to customer service - how you want to be perceived by customers and what you want them to think your place is about. You make your choice, and I'll make mine.
On what basis do Spot Coffee, Urbana Coffee and Kindred Cafe come up short? Are they too convenient to downtown, or something?
Thanks Tim for posting a great useful article. In the Annex, you can count on Lettieri Cafe which requires a weekly pswd which sometimes works at the Green Beanery across the street, too. I think there are 4 plugs & classic rock playing in the background. T-cafe (Ol' Dooney's) is a new place and has plugs everywhere, but the connection is slower, and sad to say they were blaring Brit.Spears/ Backstreet Boys on the speakers. Locals-- please speak up on their music sense. Gotta break in the newbies if they want to stay in the neighbourhood... Bagel World Cafe has the best connection and good for jazz, but they're gone for the summer. Coffee refills and best bagel sandwiches ever! Hopefully, they're up and running soon. Aroma's plugs are wonky-- but once you're in, you're good to go a la cappucino! For good music and internet, you can't beat Linuxcaffe.
Thats fantastic you can search for porn at all these places.
Who knew Toronto had become so liberal.
Thanks for this list. Now how about another article on pubs with free wireless!
Sticking to coffee, in the downtown east area I second the recommendation for Bisogno on Sherbourne north of King. They recently got a new stronger wireless connection than they used to have. Hank's, Jamie Kennedy's cafe near the foot of Church, also has great coffee and free wireless. Finally there is the Lettieri on Front St. near the St. Lawrence Market, which uses Wireless Toronto (requires a quick free registration and then is pretty reliable). They have mediocre coffee but friendly staff.
I was at York Woods branch one day and this kid was listening to this random hardcore rap mix without headphones. I swear some people can be extremely inconsiderate sometimes. Not to mention he was right next to the little kid area.
that said the Wifi there is pretty good at most libraries.
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I don't think it's fair to come down on a coffeeshop for not offering free wifi. That's not their business model. Especially if it really is a place for coffee connoisseurs. That's like listing areas you can get free ketchup packets and then complaining that the Apple Store doesn't make the list on account that they claim it is for 'enjoying the Apple Computer experience not consuming fries'.
I agree. 90% of the time I see people using wifi in a coffee shop their using Facebook or other social media in public doesn't make it any more social. Get a smart phone already and you can have access all the time cause you pay for it.
I have wifi and I have coffee,
I'm not your carbon copy,
but your first draft jalopy.
Peace!! I'm out!!!
Exactly. I love the fact that I have instant Internet access at anytime, no need to search for wifi hotspots. Besides, you can still sit in a cafe surfing on your smartphone instead of lugging around a laptop (or netbook).
Still, I'd rather sit outside at Nathan Phillips Square with my iPhone and ice cream surfing the net.
all said and done the linux place sound like a cool place to hang out. I think I'll check it out and due entirely to this article.
Great list!!! especially great that it is in time for back to school. While U of T is a great place to study, sometimes you dont wanna be surrounded by hundreds of students typing up essays maniacally.
I would add to the list the Art Square Cafe on Dundas, across the street from the ROM. They have decent coffee, excellent crepes, interesting art and free wifi inside and on their patio.
I agree that Bisogno and Art Square should be on the list. Also include T.A.N. Coffee (at Ossington & Queen - on Queen). Great owner, and fresh roasted coffee on site.
Some people simply can't afford to buy a smartphone (myself included.) I refuse to pay the ridiculous monthly rate my friend apparently pays for his iPhone.
Instead, I have a low-end iTouch - small and portable, WIFI accessibility with no system charges. Considering that I don't need to obsessively update my FB status every minute, it's the perfect option for me.
Thanks so much for sharing this great post. I LOVE coffee, and coffee shops, I wish I can visit all of them.
: )
Well, if that isn't serendipitous! I was just thinking the other day that I need a café with free wifi and good coffee. Now, if one of these also serves beer I'm all set!
No Warm Welcome for Students at Zoots
You'd think that a local coffee shop would be happy to have students come and work at their locations, loading up on coffee and snacks and meals. Not so at Zoots (1438 Dundas Street West). Despite having installed multiple outlets along each wall (now covered with duct tape) and hosting free wifi, the owner of Zoots cafe not so subtly informed me that they do not want students and writers to come in, buy a coffee and do some work, as this goes against the 'vibe' they are trying to create. This is unfortunate as all other staff and owners have been nothing but friendly. Well, after finishing up my (outrageously priced) $2.75 glass of iced tea, I packed up my computer and headed to Ideal Coffee (162 Ossington Ave), which has always been a welcoming, friendly and not to mention reasonably priced placed to sit and think and write. There is no wifi, but that can be a good thing! And I should know, I am in my 12th year of university... which might be pathetic, but I plan to be a Dr. (finally) by the end of the year!
ps. I should note that I am not and have never been an employee or owner of either coffee shop. I am just a lowly/lonely grad student looking for a place to break up the solitude once in a while...
Want to echo the poor strategic thinking. Was there for a quick mmeting before on Tuesday.
Laptop ran out of juice, and we were informed that we weren't allowed to plug in because they don't want people to "camp out".
Moronic.
The place was practically empty.
The morning snacks hadn't arrived yet.
They lost 3 regular customers, got 2 (unrelated) bad reviews here (so far), and turned what would have otherwise been enthusastic support into bad PR.
Shame, thy're around the corner from us.
As someone who works in cafe that has been mentioned here - I'm gonna have to put in two cents.
If you see that tables are filling up and you've been milking your americano for an hour - can you get out? Or camp at another table with someone else who's taking up three top with their laptop?
It's unfair to our tip jar when people camp out and we loose business because it takes you an hour to check facebook.
Great- a listing for free wifi. Great - more people ignoring the atmosphere around them... seems to defeat the point of going out into the world for a little adventure.
Dear Barista
As a past barista and server/waitress, I always tip mightily (even when it's to go) and yes, if a place is busy, I free up my table as soon as I'm finished my drink or meal. And if a place is filling up before that happens, I often offer to share my table and happily do so if someone asks. This happens regularly at Ideal, and I think it's one of the nicest parts about the joint.
However. At the time I was informed that my presence was unwelcome at Zoots, there was only ONE other customer in the cafe who, I might add, was also doing some work on her computer.
To be honest, I think it is totally fair if that is what the cafe owners want to do. That's their business strategy and that's their prerogative.
But why not put up a sign? That way there will be no tension and everything will be out in the open. That's why I decided to post this here. So that other people looking for a nice place to get some work done and have some coffee, snacks, and the occasional meal, will know not to go to this location.
That's all.
peace.
Oh, and let me please add that everyone else at Zoots has always been friendly and sweet to me. I really appreciate that. And if you are one of the Baristas at Zoots, thanks for that. I hope that you are paid well enough and that your employers treat you well. Take care.
Barista, instead of anonymously posting, please have the courtesy of mentioning which business you work at, so that we can avoid offending you with our atmosphere-killing laptops. I'm sure your bosses would appreciate you doing that.
Considering that I live in a small and airless apartment, I like to periodically take my laptop out to use at a cafe. I DO appreciate the atmosphere, as it gets me outside and around other people, and I enjoy listening to the background-chatter as I work. Working for hours alone at home (as I often do) can be incredibly isolating, so being in an outdoor environment can do wonders for my mind and overall sanity.
But since you apparently find this so offensive, I would suggest (as Jean mentioned) putting up a sign at your place of work to make your policy clear, as it's obvious that your cafe is sending mixed signals by offering WIFI but discouraging its use.
But since you apparently find this so offensive, I would suggest (as Jean mentioned) putting up a sign at your place of work to make your policy clear, as it's obvious that your cafe is sending mixed signals by offering WIFI but discouraging its use.That's really not fair. It's not about discouraging WIFI use it's about encouraging business. The Starbucks model isn't the create an environment where people can just sit down and do nothing. You can go to a library for that. The model is to create an environment where people will want to stay so they buy your consumables rather than leave. If noone is buying your consumables it's a waste. That would be like going to the grocery store and just standing infront of the sample guy and for the next hour you just each every sample he puts out. The samples are supposed to drive you to shopping not be the reason you're there.
That said. I do not agree with all the cafes without plugs THAT is actively discouraging WIFI. Kicking out the bad customer when you don't have any other customers THAT is discouraging WIFI.
This list of WiFi spots should be (hopefully) be encouraging people to hang out and buy coffee(maybe not every visit i guess but sometimes).
I'm sorry, but I honestly don't know what point you're trying to make.
You know what's not fair? Going to a cafe offering a free service, but having their employees silently judge me for having the gall to stay and USE their free service (and then anonymously griping about it on the internet.)
I don't have any issue with cafes choosing not to offer WIFI - I completely understand the reasoning for it. If you decide to offer it, but apply restrictions to the usage, you need to make that abundantly clear to the customers. Otherwise - why offer it at all, if the employees obviously feel so negatively about it?
Hello All,
disclosure: I have met Tim briefly before at a student mentor day at OCAD, he is a smart guy, this is a great topic, and ironically I have something to contribute.
This is all healthy and good..finally a discussion about this Toronto wifi situation that is actually getting somewhere. This timing could not have been any better.
I am a recent graduate, and I have been job hunting. In my spare time (I do work full-time) I have been waltzing 'round Toronto looking to find free WiFi. WiFI vistas, little micro-vacations from my everyday scrape through the same patterned route. I have posted my very recent findings online and have been itching to keep posting them, but they stack up faster than I can post. There is a world of them that I would never have found otherwise.
I also have some very good insight as to why businesses should offer free Wifi and I take no prisoners on that front. Businesses should understand the anecdotal pregnance of the word business. Busy cafes, bars and retails are built on the traffic of loyal and new customers. People notice this. This foundation creates a brand culture, which is why the idea of a brand experience or 'lifestyle' can continue to exist for people. Creating more traffic in any way that enhances the experience of your brand and provides the customer with some kind of odyssey or ownership of the brand within it, is the crux of hundreds of the most important brand cultures today. This may sound all far flung, but the 'third home syndrome' is not new for urban areas. Businesses should get on to this free WiFi tidal wave and ride it. If you are a customer and you have a coffee and camp-out, what will you do tomorrow..buy a coffee and camp out?..hmm, sounds like a well patterned customer if I own a business. They must enjoy my business, this is in fact encourageable. Exposing more wifi locations will limit laptop powwows at dark horse, and prevent wifi from feeling exclusive. Free WiFi should not be restrictive or expensive, it is what it is..
I recently began writing a blog called 'Free Wifi in Toronto', I began on the 4th of September, and I make a qualitative review of free WiFi locations in Toronto. I am going for volume, I ask business owners and operations managers before I post them, and outing free WiFi vistas in Toronto is actually quite fun. I've just begun, but tune in if you wish..I will hand curate any location suggestions, thank you
Great post. Glad I found this post. I've been looking for a free wifi cafe for a while. Thanks
I work in a cafe where we are happy to point out where the outlets are and where the wifi was there for the office but not passworded so we happily told customers which network was ours.
I'm not saying "Get the f*** out," I'm saying - Please, when you see a primarily full cafe and you've had your fair turn to enjoy your $2-$3 purchase, please be kind enough to look around you and realize others would like their hour to rent a table.
As an aside, we don't tell people we have wifi unless they ask.
I'm not being rude, I'm being truthful. Yes! Bring your laptop. Yes, get out of your airless apartment. When you notice that there are people waiting for your table, share and share alike.
We would be please to offer you free internet (Optimax) at the cafe, drop in and visit.
Cafe 260
260 Richmond Street East
Toronto, OM
416 368-922
www.cafe260.com
I love food/coffee establishments with free WiFi. Love 'em, love 'em, love 'em. I got busy in my freelance adventure before I got around to setting up a home office, so I rely on places like Starbucks, and Kramer's, a Yonge/Davisville pub (funny, because I rarely drink). Hemmingways in Yorkville also offers up free WiFi (the menu and food presentation need a major update -- oversize '80s plates and a laptop don't fit on a table together -- but still I go).
I have a tendency to stay a LONG time because I actually get a lot done in a not-home environment. The bustling energy helps keep me focussed, strangely enough. Thing is I'm going to have to set up my home office soon because in return for their free WiFi access and available outlets, I spend a lot of money in each establishment. At least one meal (sometimes two), coffee, maybe a snack too. And if wait staff is involved, I tip well.
Thanks for this posting, Tim. It'll help me procrastinate re: the home office a little while longer.
There's a pretty simple solution for the cafe owner who doesn't want laptop users using up precious table space: put a frickin' time restriction on the free wifi. Make it 45 minutes or an hour. When their time's up, ask people to buy something else to get more time, or find another cafe. Personally, I try to do this anyway if I'm staying a long time, but it's ridiculous to complain about people using a service you offer. We aren't living in a communist society and, unless you make your policies clear, there's no such thing as a "fair turn", nor are your customers "renting tables." If you really view things that way, then why on earth are you running a cafe? And if you're not the owner of the place, then why on earth do you care?
Been to Bulldog's off Church Street twice and both times, the barristas (different ones) were snotty. And their coffee wasn't great either! My fave places for latte are Mercury and Lit Espresso. Sam James is good too.
So how long before we all have data plans and Wifi Cafes start going the way of the pay phone...?
'HitTheRoad' It does happen already, but I think pay per minute isn't the only way to go. Cafe owners want the sales of products and the delighted return customer.
I think wifi memberships across multiple cafes and arrangements of that nature all depend on how well wifi'ers mobilize towards that goal. Wireless Toronto is a neat idea. It would be nice if there were cafe's that bundled beverages/products with wifi services and joined forces to make sure there was a nice flow of steady customers to locations. I think a time-limit on wifi is courteous and sometimes necessary though. Maybe cafes could upgrade the cash machine like 'Aroma' and give out limited-time wifi passwords on purchase receipts. But for cafes that want to seem lo-fi, boutique, and super-hip with wifi cachet, you should expect that in that environment, super-cool services and excellent coffee, will get you busy with super-loitering or paying customers..
Hey Will
Im sure Darkhorse is going to miss you ordering a $3 beverage and planting yourself there for 6 hours on your laptop. Yeah, that would be great fro business.
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