Cafeography
Toronto · Leslieville & Riverside

Cafés in Leslieville & Riverside

Queen Street East from Riverside to Leslieville, with Broadview Avenue and Gerrard Street East.

Photo: Arpan Parikh, Pexels License

Leslieville grew up in the 1850s around the Toronto Nurseries of George Leslie and his sons, and many early residents worked as gardeners or brickworkers.1 Tanneries and metal works later left contaminated land; between 2000 and 2010 the area gentrified, and its old factories now hold film studios and condos.1

Between Leslieville and the Don River is Riverside, part of South Riverdale, where many of the Victorian and Edwardian houses were built as working-class boarding houses.2 Queen Street East ties the two together, with the 501 streetcar running down the middle of the street.3

Local tip: The earliest coffee in Leslieville is at The Donut Factory, 101 Pape Avenue: from 05:00 on weekdays, with no closing time at weekends; Mercury Espresso on Queen Street East opens at 06:30.

At a glance

28Cafés listed
10With opening hours
00:00Earliest opening
01:00Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: The Donut Factory, from 00:00 (Mon–Fri 05:00–01:00 · Sat–Sun Open 24 hours).
  • Most listed streets: Queen Street East (8), Gerrard Street East (5), Broadview Avenue (4).
  • Most common features: wheelchair access (14%), bakery café (11%), wi-fi (11%).

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Coffee chains in Leslieville & Riverside

Queen Street East's espresso bars

The east end had independent espresso early. Matt Taylor, who had worked at Bulldog, opened Mercury Espresso Bar in 2006;4 it is at 915 Queen Street East and opens at 06:30 on weekdays. Dark Horse Espresso Bar started in Riverside the same year,5 and has a café at 630 Queen Street East.

Pilot Coffee Roasters began in 2009 in a converted car garage in Leslieville, roasting as Te Aro until it took the Pilot name in 2013.5 Its café is at 983 Queen Street East. In between, Jimmy's Coffee at 806 Queen Street East opens daily 07:00–18:00, and Purple Penguin Cafe at 889 from 07:00 on weekdays.

Broadview Avenue

The Broadview Hotel, a red sandstone Romanesque block built in 1891–93, was the tallest building in South Riverdale for many decades.2 Up Broadview Avenue, ALK at 100 Broadview is a vegan café open Friday to Monday, 09:30–15:00, Silhouette Cafe is at 253 and Lady Marmalade at 265. Rooster Coffee House is further north at 479 Broadview Avenue.

The House of Refuge opened at Broadview and Gerrard in 1875 and later became Riverdale Hospital; the area joined Toronto in 1884.2 Riverdale Perk Cafe, at 633 Logan Avenue, opens daily 07:30–17:00 with outdoor seating.

Gerrard Street East

Gerrard Street East has its own run of cafés. The Gerrard India Bazaar, also called Little India, began in 1972, when Gian Naaz took over the Eastwood Theatre and reopened it as the Naaz, showing Bollywood and Pakistani films; South Asian restaurants and shops filled the empty storefronts around it, and the 506 Carlton streetcar serves the strip.6

Donutlan at 688 Gerrard Street East opens at 07:00 every day, Issho Bakery at 583 Wednesday to Sunday, and Hailed Coffee is at 801. Further east, Dineen Outpost is at 1042 Gerrard and The Magpie Cakery at 1125, open from 07:30 Wednesday to Friday. South of Gerrard, Carlaw Avenue has Java Roasters at 262, Shirley's First Break at 284 and Fruitful Market at 327, which opens at 08:00 every day but Sunday.

Early and late coffee

The Donut Factory, at 101 Pape Avenue, opens at 05:00 on weekdays and stays open until 01:00, and it runs around the clock at weekends. Mercury Espresso follows at 06:30 on weekdays, then a group of cafés at 07:00, including Jimmy's Coffee, Purple Penguin and Donutlan.

Sources

  1. Leslieville, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  2. Riverdale, Toronto, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  3. Queen Street (Toronto), Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  4. Sacred Grounds: The rise of Toronto's third-wave craft coffee scene, Foodism (November 15, 2017), accessed October 2026
  5. Brewed in Canada: 5 Toronto coffee shops to support, NOW Toronto (March 5, 2025), accessed October 2026
  6. Gerrard India Bazaar, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
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FAQ

Leslieville & Riverside cafés: questions

When did Mercury Espresso Bar open in Leslieville, Toronto?

Mercury Espresso Bar opened in Toronto's east end in 2006. Its founder, Matt Taylor, had worked at Bulldog Coffee, the first café in the city to offer latte art. Mercury is at 915 Queen Street East in Leslieville and opens at 06:30 on weekdays. Dark Horse Espresso Bar started in nearby Riverside the same year.

Where did Pilot Coffee Roasters start in Toronto's Leslieville?

Pilot Coffee Roasters began in 2009 in a converted car garage in Toronto's Leslieville, under the name Te Aro, and took the Pilot name in 2013. By 2025 it had nine Toronto cafés. Its Leslieville café is at 983 Queen Street East, on the same stretch as Mercury Espresso at 915.

Which Leslieville cafés in Toronto open earliest?

The Donut Factory at 101 Pape Avenue in Toronto's Leslieville opens at 05:00 on weekdays and runs around the clock at weekends. Mercury Espresso at 915 Queen Street East opens at 06:30 on weekdays. Jimmy's Coffee at 806 Queen Street East and Donutlan at 688 Gerrard Street East open at 07:00 every day.

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