Our Faves

Hipster Haven

Rated this place:

They have perfected the Americano and spoiled me from enjoying most other coffees.

The shop is beautifully decorated with lots of wood and exposed brick with a great collage of frames and cool photos along the wall. The crowd - and baristas - here are uber-hip.

They keep a great stock of interesting magazines.

I'm not sure I see what all the hype is about

Rated this place:

Manic is good, but it's not great! I think that people are caught up in the "hype" and swayed by the amount of "hipsters" that flock to this shop. I don't enjoy riding the bandwagon. Their coffee often tastes burnt and their baristas are not always the friendliest when prompted to offer up a choice from the menu. They don't have wifi!

BuzzBuzz

Rated this place:

Manic's espresso is quite good. Their baked goods are fresh and tasty. Friendly service. Good atmosphere. They have bench-seating out front, which is a nice touch. More streetside benches - especially on a great people-watching strip like college - are sorely lacking in this city.

• Favourite thing(s) at this place:
• espresso

Latte-licious

Rated this place:

This new-ish coffee place at College and Bathurst serves great esspresso based drinks as well as really amazing regular filter coffee. The croissants are deadly delicious - as buttery and soft as any you can find in the city. Scones, cookies and other baked goods also don't disappoint.

I stop by at Manic on my way to work most mornings because I can't resist the coffee and pastries. It's not the cheapest cup of joe in town, but it's ethical, it's delicious, and it's worth it.

• Favourite thing(s) at this place:
• latte
• coffee
• croissant
• scone

Coffee

Rated this place:

Service is always fantastic, the daily drip is always fresh when you are in a hurry, but the clover takes the cake. Great croissants, tea biscuits and muffins to finish off the experience.

• Favourite thing(s) at this place:
• coffee

Latte

Rated this place:

Top notch lattes. Tight competition with Moonbean. A great place to chill, read, relax, gab, etc.

• Favourite thing(s) at this place:
• latte

Coffee

Rated this place:

I have to say I have been converted... Manic is the best coffee I have had in awhile. I love Ella's and Le Gourmand but Manic is the apple of my eye right now. Kudos Manic, it is clear you take coffee very seriously.

• Favourite thing(s) at this place:
• coffee

Espresso

Rated this place:

Manic is the espresso lovers coffee shop. They use Intelligentsia beans (http://www.intelligentsiacoffee.com/), which I haven't been able to get since leaving Vancouver, and the baristas assemble their drinks with great pride. I think I actually recognize one of the baristas from Cafe Artigiano in Vancouver - which serves quite possibly the best espresso coffee in the country. If you love espresso, go here. Quickly!

• Favourite thing(s) at this place:
• espresso

Latte

Rated this place:

It is made with direct trade coffee and tastes amazing

• Favourite thing(s) at this place:
• latte

Coffee

Rated this place:

They do a fine set of espresso drinks with pretty latte art but the Clover is where it's at. Certainly the best cup of coffee in the city, it's far from watery and has a rich depth of flavours that reveal itself slowly in varying tones as you sip to the bottom. No need for sugar here, the staff are sweet enough to keep you coming back.

• Favourite thing(s) at this place:
• coffee