Juice & Java Cafe

This place is great. Good soups, sandwiches, omelettes, all made to order. The wonderful woman who owns it is so busy, but always in a great mood. I love the egg white omelette with feta and tomatoes. The breakfast sandwich on ciabatta is good too. Usually they have fresh squeezed orange juice, but they’ve switched to lemonade for the summer.

I was relieved to read some of the other reviews of this café and see that I wasn’t the only one who didn’t feel that welcome. I’ve tried this place four of five times now and have just decided that though I want to like it that the quality of food and service make it a challenge. On my last visit I ordered a blueberry smoothie and ham and Swiss crêpe. The crêpe was perfectly fine but the smoothie was bland. The bigger issue is that the layout of the front order area is disorganized with things apparently placed randomly and the place overall doesn’t come across as that clean. There was shelving in construction in the main order area with no signage to be cautious. In the meantime I noticed sandwiches being made with Wonderbread and have heard comments about pastries having come from Costco. I support small businesses in this area all the time but this one needs some quality TLC.

Best review ever what can I say here it’s one of the best restaurants I’ve ever gone to

Terrible food and service — don’t bother.
Ordered a couple of smoothies for my daughter and crepes. Smoothies were supposed to be right up. Never showed. The crepes came after a loooong wait at which point we asked for the smoothies. They made it up once my daughters finished their crepes. I ordered a montreal smoked meat sandwich — it was HORRIBLE. The meat was mush and super salty on a tiny sandwich with also very salty mustard. I was supposed to have a glass of water, I gave up waiting and went and got my own. I guess that bent the servers nose out of joint as my daughter said she rolled her eyes at me when we left. We won’t be back.

We were looking for an independent coffee shop after our walk on the beach. We found Juice & Java. Went in. Looked pretty cute — big menu, lots of choices for tea and coffee and the even had a crêpe menu. Our order was taken by the owner and our drinks made. We grabbed our drinks and walked up to the loft area and passed by the crêpe spot. The floors were filthy, garbages overflowing, food and refuse on the floor. I thought — hmm… someone will be sweeping that up soon… Went upstairs. More garbage and food on the floor, tables not wiped and just generally kind of felt disgusting.
We ordered a mixed fruit crêpe — I wish I had taken a picture of what was supposed to be in it — but I didn’t. I do know it said strawberry, blueberry and mango (and other fruit) and apple sauce. We got apple, banana and strawberry with some kind of sweet squirt of glaze over the top. No blueberries, no mango. I don’t mind — they just should let you know in case the reason you are ordering it is because you love blueberries and mango! The crêpe was good, the chai latte was good, the coffee was fine.
My husband used the mens room and said it was dirty. Hand towels on the floor, none left in the dispenser. They do have an air dryer so he could dry his hands.
So on my way out I discreetly spoke to the owner. I said — ‘You’ve got such a cute place here, great menu, great food, but it’s totally filthy’ He said ‘We’ve had 1,000 people in here today, I can’t keep up with the mess.” Really? If you sold a minimum of 1,000 drinks you can at least hire someone to clean. The sink was full of water and dirty dishes. The counters were full and messy and probably dirty. I mentioned that he had only 8 reviews on trip advisor and 4 of them were complaining of the lack of cleanliness. He replied ‘I’ve only been on trip advisor for a short time — they just signed me up’ Weird — he has a review from 2012…
Anyhow — I would love a local, small, really cute coffee shop like this to be successful. But not if he can’t be bothered to spend the money to hire someone to clean. His excuses were lame. My local Starbucks sees more people than this café and they keep it clean. In the restaurant business you can’t be too busy to clean. Only too lazy or too cheap.

Rather mediocre coffee and pastries. Tables and counter aren’t very clean. This place could be much better.

Love love love this place
I keep coming back every week
Love the atmosphere and the people working here. Feels like at home.

Looks rather promising from the outside, so I thought it would be a nice place to hang out or grab a casual lunch. Coffee wasn’t really to my liking, but maybe I’m a coffee snob. I couldn’t finish the sandwich I ordered either, and I don’t think I’m a sandwich snob, it just wasn’t very awesome… but maybe other items on the menu are better.

This was my go to morning coffee spot, before my long commute uptown!
Staff is SUPER friendly, coffee is always fresh, with a choice of different blends, (raspberry chocolate is to die for)
I never ordered a crêpe, due to time but, my husband has, and says they are just Devine!
Always an array of baked goods, and a huge smoothie menu.
GO, if u haven’t been!

Nice quiet place to get some work done while enjoying one of their delectable, grilled sandwiches. Mango & Tango smoothie is so refreshingly awesome

I like the line on supporting local businesses, because this is a great example of one that is part of the community. And I don’t mind giving it 4 stars because it’s justifiable! The food is freshly homemade in front of you, with some great creative and tasty combinations. The coffee is not bad, but definitely better than the chain coffees (Starbucks & Tim Horton’s). The prices are reasonable. The atmosphere is really great, with lots of space, with a variety of seating options. Great to do work in, chat with a friend, conduct a casual meeting, or even bring a larger group (4 or more) to pull some tables together and hang out. I hear where some are coming from with the perceived attitude, however, I really think that is just the personality of the owner (slightly more chilly European who thaws after continued interaction). Lots of great veg options for those that desire such!

I’ve been here several times recently and have become a bit of a regular even though I don’t live anywhere nearby!
I just love the cosy sofas and plush seats here. The seating and general atmosphere (notice the huge bookshelf stocked with a variety of publications for free reading) are really conducive to relaxing, having a chat and enjoying everything Juice and Java has to offer. This is a nice change from the take out or work chat/​study culture in many Toronto cafés. And if all the seats are taken, you can grab a take out and stroll on the beach!
The food here is delicious. I’ve sampled quite a few of their offerings — the chocolate chip cookie, a simple bagel with cream cheese, and a bacon, brie and applesauce crêpe — and all have been delicious. The crêpe seems to be very popular in the below reviews and I can see why! Great combination of ingredients, in just the right proportions, and the crêpe was cooked perfectly. I don’t even care of the cookie is from Costco (I don’t believe it is) — it tasted fresh and delicious and that’s all that matters.
I’m not a fan of their hot espresso drinks, the espresso tastes too weak and watery for my liking. For some reason though, the same espresso tastes much better in the iced drinks?! I love their iced mocha in particular. Their English Breakfast tea is also very nice and authentic.
Staff are generally nice, but the service almost always seem a bit chaotic and disorganised whenever I’m here. Give yourself time, especially if you come on the weekends. That is my only minor criticism of an otherwise excellent and unique coffee shop in Torontos best neighbourhood!

I agree with Christopher that this is a tough place to rate, and with Wayne in regard to supporting local businesses. Many times I have seen the owner pop out in the morning to pick up fruit or other ingredients from local stores (in my opinion justifies a little higher price, although I don’t feel the prices are high). Comfortable surroundings with wifi and local patrons sitting typing away or meeting with friends or colleagues.
The food and beverages are solid with a number of options. What makes this place difficult to rate is the service — I keep getting the sense that I am a burden when ordering. No smiles, sometimes even a sigh… and the orders are straight from the posted menu without substitution or special request. I even brought a friend in with me and she was taken by the attitude as well. I would like to keep returning as it is convenient and good, but I’m now fond of the whole «not feeling welcome aspect». The winter is a tough time for everyone, the last thing you need to do is make it tougher on customers. I sincerely hope the attitude changes.

My go-​to coffee place in the beach to relax and chill. Definitely recommend the latte and crepes.

Their service is perfect. The matcha green latte was excellent, and the savory crêpe was one of the best I’ve ever had!

They sell costco cookies And stale Danishes. Slow to make egg salad sandwich. Should have gone across street to Subway for a sandwich. Servers were cordial.

I try to support independent coffee houses whenever possible because I like supporting social and economic diversity and people with the courage to go off on their own.
This one makes it easy. Lots of freshly-​made and relatively nutritious light meals.
The starstruck joint almost kitty corner to here has stale plastic wrapped sandwiches and sweet nothings, delivered the night before by a long Gordon Food Services truck — neither the food not the processing jobs go to the neighborhood that supports the store.
By contrast, Juice and Java gives back to the neighborhood in many ways. Local art on the walls. Food ingredients mostly bought from the family-​run grocery a block away. Staff who stay a long time and get to know people by name. A shelf of books anyone can take from.
As I argue in Food for City Building, government should support local businesses that go out of their way to support the neighborhood in the same way that governments support the film industry to shop locally for labor and services.
Because it makes a big difference to a main street when everything is give-​and-​take, not just take.
wayne r

Really slow and terrible service. Food was not good. Coffee was mediocre (note that coffee is really hard to fuck up).
Overall the place is dirty and run like an amateur effort at the whole independant hipster vibe.
Save yourself, don’t go here.

In my opinion, this is a tough place to rate.
The location is great and lots of good seating available, both indoors and outdoors.
Espresso was a little too watery for my liking. The girl who helped me was efficient although she lacks in the customer service area. The crêpes here are awesome and the guy who prepares them makes up in kindness and approachability. But, while the crepes are good I find them to be a little overpriced.
As mentioned at the start of the review, a tough place to rate. You might be extremely happy or extremely disappointed depending on what you come here for…

Great space. It was relatively quiet (I was there on a weekday afternoon), very spacious with lots of seating options (tables, comfy chair, benches), well decorated, and in a good location.
This place has so many options: sandwiches, soups, crepes (both savory and sweet), smoothie. Where to begin? Since I was looking for a late lunch/​afternoon snack, I opted for the Veggie Crêpe, which is a savor crêpe with sundried tomato hummus, lettuce, red peppers, cucumbers.
Unlike some of the other reviews, I found the service to be great. The ladies behind the counter were really nice and they answered my questions about the food. My food was then served to me very quickly after ordering. Granted, it seemed like a slow afternoon so maybe it’s different when it’s busy.
The food was tasty. It wasn’t anything spectacular but the hummus was good and the veggies were fresh. My only critique of the crêpe would be that it was served with what appeared to be a ranch dressing on the sides as well as on the crêpe itself. I’m not particular found of whatever the sauce was and would have preferred it wasn’t on the crêpe at all. I would have asked for my crêpe to be served without it had I had known there was going to be sauce on it. The hummus adds a decent amount of flavour to the veggies so an additional sauce is not necessary.
The crêpe was about $ 7, so it was decently priced for lunch.
The food was good and fresh and the atmosphere was great. I’ll definitely return in the future. It’s nice to have an independent café in a sea of Timmy’s and Starbucks.
I’m rating it 3 stars only because it was decent but nothing really outstanding. I look forward to trying more items here.