NEO COFFEE BAR

Overall — 3.5÷5.0
Open concept coffee bar serving up Japanese influenced lattes, cookies and cake rolls. Service was great as you would expect from many Japanese establishments.
Liked the texture of their matcha latte but could have definitely been more potent in flavour.
Cakes are moist but pretty standard for the most part. Would like to have seen more intricacies with their desserts but I think the simplicity in their menu works fine for most folks.
Great place to chill or study (if you can find a vacant table).

love this place! great drinks and great food! I’ve been here a few times and have enjoyed whatever I got every time. the rolls are definitely and must try. they aren’t too sweet, just enough sweetness. can’t wait to come during spring/​summer when they have seasonal flavoured rolls
love the look of this place as all

I found this place to be a precious gem. It was designed beautifully and the food and drinks were heavenly. I distinctly remembering having their seasonal matcha latte, cookie and roll and it was divine. It was both appealing to the eyes and your mouth. The latte was creamy and frothy and didn’t taste overly sweetened and had the right amount of matcha. The cookie and roll were just as good. The roll was fluffy and creamy and the cookie was soft and had just the right amount of chewyness.
I found myself in love with things from the takeout design boxes to the little décor they had on the counter to the way they displayed their pastries and sandwiches. It was an overall great experience for me and I would definitely come back and try more of what they have to offer.

Beautiful design and décor, it has a wooden /​polished industrial look going. The place is a little short on seating space so it might not be ideal for studying during peak hours.
The matcha latte had a nice subtle bitter taste to it, and was not overwhelmingly creamy. They ran out of the matcha flavoured roll sponge cake while I was there so I settled on the apple — light in texture and sweetness. I’d go back for the atmosphere and to try out the matcha sponge cake again.

One of the best coffee shops in Toronto!
Really knowledgable baristas, skilled, super friendly, and they all, and i mean every single one of the employees, provide above and beyond service.
Their baked goods aren’t too overly sweet, and they make most of it in house, right behind a glass room where you get to watch!

This place is really conveniently located after my George Brown classes for me to get a coffee when I’m tired of Starbucks. They have a great variety of coffees and teas and you can taste the care they put into each product especially their baked goods.
Walking into the location its gives off a nice zen feel like feel. Its a relaxed atmosphere with an upscale touch and its a great place to study or have a small group meeting.
My only complaint is the hours of operation, for a great location the hours are short so you can’t stay too late. I’ve never been to a coffee shop that closed so early but I might just be picky.

The taste of coffee is not great, but their pastries are better than other franchise coffee shops. I like their Green tea pastries collection. The place is very clean and has lots of space. I really like it. Neo Coffee Bar is located in a trendy area and there are many students in the bar. The bathroom is nice. The bathroom itself has a good space and clean. The bathroom is on the ground floor and I do not need to use narrow downstairs which we often have to use in coffee shops in downtown. It is hard to find a bathroom, but I feel happy when I find it!

match roll cake with Japanese chestnut compote was a okay, match taste didn’t stand out.
I’ve tried better ones at petite nuage
and service was just okay…
well maybe they have the best coffee, not likely that I’ll return, at least not for the roll cakes
the atmosphere and décor were great though

Eh, it should be 3.5 star rating. Good place but not fresh food. I came there one Friday afternoon with my friend to try their famous sponge Roll cake but a little disappointed. My friend and I ordered Matcha and London fog respectively. The matcha cake matched well with the sweet chestnut and black tea cake was perfect with sweet potato. They were both not too sweet. BUT the london fog seemed to stay in the board for loooong time because the sponge cake was becoming dry outside and sweet potato crisp on the top was not fresh at all. I was very disappointed, it should be perfect dessert if freshly baked.

I stumbled upon Neo when I was walking home from the St Lawrence Market. It’s tucked under a building near Federick St. First impressions is that the design of the space is really cool. It has a nice modern feel to it. The only thing I don’t like is the seating. Seems like there aren’t enough seats for the amount of people who come through this coffee shop. My friends and I had to wait and watch for people to leave. The washroom was also hidden behind the wall (the door blends in with the wall… didn’t even realize there was a door there) as most people kept looking downstairs.
They have a nice selection of desserts. I tried the matcha cookie. I personally love matcha so this cookie is so delicious. It has a lot of matcha in it and the white chocolate gives it a nice touch. My friends ordered the shingen (soy bean) and matcha roll cakes. Matcha was okay, nothing to rave about (coming from the matcha enthusiast). The shingen was delicious and I would recommend it if you order a roll cake. I would like to try London Fog roll cake next time since I’m a fan of earl grey tea.
The drinks are good. I’ve had the espresso before and I think their espresso is top notch. The aroma of the espresso is sweet and has a great taste. I usually like their vanilla latte. Their latte art is also super good. I do enjoy seeing the art I’ll get when I go there. I had a matcha latte yesterday and it was good. It wasn’t anything I can rave about, it was good but it’s not the best I’ve ever had.
Neo will definitely be a staple for my weekend coffee and dessert cravings.

A great addition to this neighborhood. First of the design of the store itself nice and open concept and in addition it is comfortable (take note the café nearby which is all style over substance).
The desserts were very good and I will update once I have tried other items. This visit I tried the matcha white chocolate cookie and London fog cake. They use organic items so the higher price is justified. Both items were quite good.
As for the cappuccino hmm it could have been better though if they rotate their beans it might improve on the next visit. Here is the verdict on the cappuccino:
Espresso: Medium/​strong flavor
Crema’: Decent
Milk: Frothed very well with nice microfoam.
Latte Art: Good
I personally didn’t like the coffee bean they used hence I would rate it 3.5 stars. The desserts are solid so overall 4 stars and I will be back.

The matcha cookie was soooo good as was the matcha latte. Prices are reasonable, considering the quality of the food and beverages. I also love the Japanese-​inspired aesthetics. A must come!

I’ve been to Neo a couple of times since it opened and it’s quite a nice little coffee shop. I recognize the owners as I believe one is from Nadege and the other from Voodoo Child. The space is really nice — spacious, modern, light, extremely clean and chill. It has a slightly exposed, industrial vibe with lots of concrete and wood. I like combo of cute, tiny single tables up the front (something different) and booths and a communal table up the back.
They serve all your well known favourites — lattes, americanos, espresso, flat whites, cortados and pour over. They use De Mello Palheta beans which gives a strong and velvety coffee and non dairy milk offerings include almond, coconut and cashew (hipster on fleek right there). They also have a Japanese, matcha kinda thing going on with their baked goods, all of which look absolutely stunning (I guess I’d expect nothing less from a Nadege alum).
I think this would be a nice place to work during the day. They have free wi-​fi and there were some people there with laptops so I’d assume there must be some outlets around. The staff are very friendly but definitely without haste.
One barista impressed me with her recommendations of different non-​dairy milks for different coffees based on their sweetness and frothiness. Based on signage they have won a few latte art awards. The latte art on my almond latte wasn’t all that but it’s harder to do. Only a few places around can pull of something exceptional with that material (Riddle Room, M Square, some people at Dineen).
Tip: To save you some awkwardness — the bathroom really is past the back wall and not downstairs like it would seem. The subtle sign they have doesn’t really do the trick because the door almost completely blends in with the wall. But, evidently, if you push on it a discrete washroom appears as if from nowhere.

Someone told be about NEO this week and I hadn’t heard so had to check it out as I am a bit of a coffee connoisseur. The latte was a perfect flavour — smooth and mild. I love it.
This place is really cool. The café has a cosmopolitan feel and coffee and snacks are top notch. They are ballsy to open up right across from Starbucks but I think the overall experience will help them build a following.

3.5÷5.
*Snotty barista. I inquired whether they had lactose-​free milk and got a «Uh. no why?» response. Seriously if you don’t have, just say sorry no we don’t, why give me an attitude?
*nice décor with an open space. Music was quite nice and not overbearing.
*Other than their Japanese-​style pastries, the selection of coffee/​tea is just similar to other café. It would be nice if they have a specialized Japanese coffee/​tea.
*Other than chocolate and matcha roll cakes, the shop also offer seasonal flavors such as Ontario peach or raspberry. You can buy either a slice/​half/​or the entire roll cake as well.
*they should put a sign to indicate where the washroom is as almost every customers accidentally went to the basement (office).
–Ontario peach & Rosemary roll cake — $ 3:
Though the roll cake wasn’t as moist and airy as the one from Petite Nuage, it was still delicious! The cake itself was infused with a slight hint of rosemary and the texture was really fluffy. The cream was not too rich nor too sweet and I love how you are getting huge chunk of fresh and slightly firm peaches here. There was a slight crust on top as well which gave some crunchy texture with every bite
–London Fog Latte — $ 4.25:
The tea tasted like a typical Starbucks London Fog tea, nothing special. My friend said he didn’t like the coffee here and Fahrenheit was way much better.
–Neo Choux — $ 2:
The neo choux is essentially a Choux Crème (or cream puff) which is filled right as you order it. The pastry was light and crispy, however I thought the inside was supposed to be hollow to fill the pastry cream in? It was incredibly messy to eat this since the pastry cream was watery, not as custard-​y texture as the one from Petite Nuage.

This space is absolutely stunning; quite the juxtaposition from The Rooster Coffee, also in this neighborhood. The leather couches and high ceilings make studying or lounging that much more hip. The service was great and the lattes were quite good – a bit more bitter, but good. They also bring glasses of water around, which is refreshing. You get that café feeling with a hint of Japanese hospitality. I did try their dark chocolate sea salt cookie, but it was quite dry. Should have gone with one of their roll cakes. There’s always next time.

3.5 star rating.
I love the layout and design of this new coffee shop, very modern and minimalistic. After hearing about how great the roll cakes were, I tried the matcha azuki and the shingen (soy bean flavour) with my friends. We all concluded that the shingen is a definite must try and is way better and more flavourful than the matcha azuki. The matcha was lacking in flavour I think. The roll cakes are not that sweet so perfect for those who like desserts that aren’t too sugary.
I also had their cinnamon maple latte, but it was nothing amazing. Overall, if you live in the area. it’s definitely worth a try!

Need an afternoon pick me up? Look no further — bright and roomy décor, there are parisian style seating to seclusive booth seating for the laptopers, even communal table for the single and availables. This café gets an A for seat variety and décor.
We had came for the cake, and i had pistachio and raspberry, and she had the shingen. Both were really moist and not overly sweet. The shingen has decadent cream that resembles to coffee and thick chewy rice cake, it’s definitely a winner!
I also took home the matcha and it was still moist the next day. But perhaps the matcha flavour has escaped overnight! My matcha craving has yet to be satisfied!
I’d go back to try the rest of the cake and i also spot cream puffs and matcha cookies.

I sense the baristas are just mellow. They may give a standoffish, uncaring vibe, but they’re just chill people. They won’t greet you with a hearty hello or hearty goodbye. They have introverted resting faces. Service was just fine; no pressure, no up selling, straight to the point.
I had the Shingen cake ($ 3.50), and latte ($ 3.50). Cake was similar you’d find at Asian bakeries (light and fluffy, not dense with icing like Western cakes); Shingen had soy bean cream, red bean paste. My latte was well made, nothing extraordinary.
Aside from blah service and Japanese style cake, you’d really want to visit for the interior design. Very modern wood walls, communal tables, U booths, a bench for individual seaters, and copper touches. Ceilings are open concept with exposed piping and concrete walls. White marble counter tops.
Mellow indie rock playlist (chillwave? Synthpop? Stuff you hear in a Sofia Coppola movie?), played a lot of Wild Nothing.
The entrance to the washroom is trippy. It is hidden behind a wooden wall with no indication that it is a washroom. No washroom sign. Almost everyone gets confused and walks downstairs to the kitchen/​cellar. The washrooms are really nice. Fresh flowers. It’s nice enough to sleep in there.
I’d drop by again if I was in the neighborhood and also not in the mood for barista chit chat.

Neo Coffee Bar is a new coffee /​pastry /​sandwich shop located near King & Jarvis on Frederick St.
First, the coffee: it’s good! We came in on opening day and tried the standard drip coffee, which was free. I’m no coffee connoisseur, but I really enjoyed it. Strong but not overly so, and none of that terrible aftertaste you get with Starbucks etc. Not the best coffee I’ve ever had, but definitely better than most. They also have a pretty intense-​looking espresso setup, and the Americano and latte were we had were good but not the best in the area. We will probably stick to nearby Tandem for our pure coffee needs.
The other major claim to fame of this place is the Japanese pastry chef. We tried the cream puff (which is filled right as you order it) and the matcha cookie. The cookie was ok, but the cream puff was excellent and definitely on par with the bakeries we’ve been to in Japan (and better than Beard Papa). The open pastry kitchen is pretty neat, and fun to watch from the seats at the front. They also have sandwiches for lunch, but have yet to try those.
We’ve come back a few times now to try the rolls, which as per the advertising are the main feature of the pastry section. The matcha roll had a nice texture, but the flavour of matcha was very slight. It was disappointing, to be honest. The Shingen roll on the other hand was quite good: a noticeable roasted soya bean flavour that was unique and delicious.
Overall, the desserts were good, but not as mind-​blowing as we hoped for based on the pre-​opening hype.
The space itself is worth mentioning as well. This is much larger than your regular coffee shop — there is seating space for at least 30 or 40. The décor is very concrete, but manages to be pretty warm with comfortable benches. Not many plugs though, and none of those giant arm chairs you see in many coffee shops though, so I don’t know if this would be a good hangout/​study place. Finally, the music selection tends more towards indie/​alternative than ‘hip’ coffee shop far, which may or may not be your cup of tea. Personally, I liked it.
Overall, this place is a very good coffee and pastry shop, and we will be back.