I Deal Coffee

Got too ambitious with an almond milk cortado, it came up cold and poorly extracted. Super disappointing, but options limited are limited in this area

Love their coffee! Hate the line ups. During rush hour only one person is making the coffee! The ambiance is nice. The sweets are great addition to the coffee experience. I have bought my beans from here and love their selection of coffees.

My soy latte was pretty good but The Sweetie’s almond latte could have been better.

This is a tough one. First of all, I really wanted it to be perfect. I live in the area and miss the proximity of awesome cafes that downtown locals have. So my hopes were high that this one would be my go-​to chic caffeinated getaway. The good news, and the reason it’s scored ⁴⁄₅ stars (3.8 really) is because it’s beautiful: the furniture is well designed and the lines flow well through the space. The clientele also feels different: most are quite chic, well-​put-​together characters out of fashion magazines (the ones that showcase über «now» understated fashion). Business meetings seem to be held here on the hour, all by people who definitely put thought into how they wanted to present themselves.
[Yes, I know this is a café and this review should basically be about the coffee, but I’m the type to go out for coffee for the atmosphere, so this part is really important to me. So important, actually, that it probably weighs more than the coffee experience itself.]
As for the coffee, the cortado was a little sour but that may just be my preference for a specific type of bean (Lit in Roncesvalles makes the best for my buds). The service was also lovely, nothing to complain about there. But the worst thing about this place is that it doesn’t look like it’s been cleaned for a few days. I will be back, one more time, to see. I really want this place to be my go-​to, so I’m hoping it’ll be clean and shiny the next time I’m in, if for no other reason than to do the interior design justice. Here’s hoping…

This is the third location of i deal coffee that I have been to thus far and is currently my favourite one. Compared to the ones in Kensington and Ossington, the environment of this i deal coffee is much more chic and sophisticated. The furniture actually matches! And there is a cozy fireplace to boot. Everything to do with their coffee operation is still consistent with the other locations. The prices to buy the coffee beans are the same, $ 16/​pound and $ 17/​pound for decaf. They still charge an extra 25 cents if you wish to take your coffee on-​the-​go. The newest thing they are offering is coffee beans from Café Solar. These are fair-​trade coffee beans produced with solar energy and harvested by local women in Latin America.
Originally, the store used to be a gelato shop. i deal coffee decided to keep the original gelato freezer and equipment to make gelato. There is no gelato available in the winter but it would be for summer. I really like this concept because it gives customers more options to try something else rather than just coffee.
Gift cards are available for purchase if you would like to get an i deal coffee fan a little something! Minimum $ 5 on the gift card.

Great coffee! Finally good downtown coffee that is uptown. Small place with very limited seating but very conveniently located just 5 blocks north of Lawrence. Clean and friendly staff. Minus one star as I found my cup to be a bit pricey. But you get what you pay for.

My first Unilocal comment — fitting that it is about coffee.
I am giving 4 stars — a high rating, but I think deserved in this case.
Like many, I have become pretty disillusioned with the larger chains — brewed coffee typically lacks taste, and the barista staff tend to be more focused on processing customers than making the best coffee possible.
Enter I Deal.
This I Deal location was a welcome addition to the neighborhood. The focus is on the right thing — great coffee, and that is why you should consider trying it out. When you walk in, keep in mind that you are likely used to the speed of ‘processing’ customers found at the chains. You need to temper those expectations. They don’t push magical buttons that generate mediocre coffee in record time — they take care to pour you an excellent cup, with espresso only drinks sporting a delicious layer of crema and drinks with milk topped with a little artistic flare. Contrary to other posts, these two attributes take skill and experience, both of which these baristas have. And the coffee is well worth any additional time that you may have to wait.
Personally I like the edge of the place — staff are shaved here and pierced there, and if they are all wearing black on the same day it’s by sheer coincidence. The music is also not the musak pumped out in most other spots — also good.
A few cons: A lack of power outlets is an oversight for any coffee shop. Also, their Demerara brown sugar has been rock hard recently.
I Deal is well worth a visit if you are due to travel in this part of town and you’re looking for a great cup of coffee.

2.5 Stars
Coffee shops seem to be a downtown thing. The really good ones are more or less downtown and I always struggle to find a good one in the north part of the city. It is possible I have been looking in all the wrong places, but I don’t think so.
It’s nice to see an ok coffee shop which is not a big franchise. «I Deal Coffee» is a franchise as they have 3 locations in Toronto, but it is of course not one of those big conglomerates.
This place is designed very well. It has a beautiful feel to it. The lighting is great and gives a good vibe. A couple downsides, hardly any plugs. If you are coming here to work make sure you have power on that laptop of yours… I didn’t. The other downside is it doesn’t really have that homey feel, which makes you feel comfortable. Yes it is beautiful, but sometimes the most beautiful things don’t make us feel at home.
The coffee is as expected. The cappuccino I got was basically a Cortado… not what I ordered. Nonetheless it was decent.
All in all it’s not bad, but it’s not great. I probably won’t come again because I am from downtown and rarely make the trek up here. If I lived around the area I would consider it, but I would probably check and see if there was another one around the area
Finally, something most people would never see, the bathroom. This place has the most beautiful bathroom I have seen in a coffee place. Not a reason to come back, but still nice.
That’s it!

This place is pretty different from the Ideal cafes I’ve been to before (Kensington and Sorauren), but the coffee was just as good as the chain’s other locations and the sleek, modern interior was a nice place to sit and enjoy my americano. Bonus points for the spacious and clean bathroom.

My favourite place to buy locally roasted beans. The Prince of Darkness roast is fantastic.

Poor Service, Poorly Made Coffee, & Tasty Sweets.
When i Deal Coffee opened up on Yonge St. (North of Lawrence), the neighborhood really didn’t have many options for coffee that didn’t come from a large franchise. «i Deal» still being a franchise, came as a refreshing site. Staff were excited to meet new people and give insight to customers about their products or brand.
This is not the i Deal Coffee that resides there now though. The service is unexplainably slow. Not for a good reason, as in «they spend a long time to perfect every drink.» No that’s not it for sure. I would label it more with inexperienced barista’s who have a vibe of, I don’t want to be here and I certainly don’t feel like even pretending to care about the well being of our customers. One may say they are understaffed, but on days when they have 2 or 3 staff working, their lack of communication skills (to do with work — as opposed to their weekend plans) and their frazzled composure, results in equally slow and un-​energetic service.
I have always enjoyed their baked cookies, muffins, and gelato; Non of which is made in-​house. So why do I still visit? I really make a strong effort not to anymore. They were just the only option that was open. Sad times.
If you love the place, please don’t take offense. This is hopefully useful constructive criticism. There is nothing wrong with the coffee beans them selves, just what is made with them & those who make it.

The barista was very knowledgeable about their fairtrade coffees and made suggestions as to what we should order. He seemed passionate about his job, and I really like that. Cafes should offer a warm inviting feeling and this is what I received when I walked in.
Décor was earthy, organic, and hip. You would normally find this in downtown, so it’s nice to see a café like this opened up in around my area. Now, I don’t have to travel all the way down to Queen or King for my fairtrade caffeine fix.
The only downside about this café, I would say, is that they don’t serve food. And their pastry selection was quite small. Other than that, their lattes and cappuccinos were good.
I have been to a lot of cafes in Downtown Toronto and I can’t say this is my favourite. But, I will definitely return again for a non-​Starbucks option coffee.

I Deal Coffee just opened up a brand new coffee shop up at Yonge and North of Lawrence.
I personally don’t like both locations downtown as the Kensington Market location always packed with lines out to the front door… and the Ossington location is also meh for me with all those mismatched garage sale furnishing…
This brand new I Deal is a pleasant surprise with nice, chic and open interior… definitely a place to chill and enjoy a good cup of espresso beverages… with organic, fair trade and locally roasted beans!
They also has home made gelato… though there are only a handful of flavours.
I Deal Coffee, Welcome to the Neighbourhood!