Sestres- pastry and Coffee Shop

Vegan and Gluten-free Shop

191 Ottawa St.N.

Hamilton, Ont.

L8H 3Z4

www.sestrespastries.com

Sestrespatries@gmail.com

905-545-5040

Hamilton Ontario has a few special areas to shop with strong communities and interesting places to shop, Ottawa Street is one of them.  I have been going to Sestres for quite a long time, since it opened a couple years ago.  I am a huge fan of small business, friendly service and environmentally responsible shops and this one meets the criteria very well.  

When you enter Sestres you are met by a large array of pastries that are separated by gluten-free or vegan, honestly you would never know if you judged by looks and taste alone.  They have all kinds of coffee service too including the choice of soy milk in all the drinks.  When I went for a coffee recently they had begun to serve lunch as well, limited choices but delicious and safe for consumers that want to eat and not worry about their diets.

1) coffee- small- $1.60 med.-$1.89 large-$2.00 8/10

2) roasted- unclear where in Toronto but organic and fair trade 8/10

3) service- excellent, friendly and prompt 8.5/10

4) accessibility- Ottawa and Cannon Street with street parking or local lot 8/10

5) flavour- 7.5/10

6) Eco-friendly- china cups available in cafe, Eco sourced 8/10

7) cup size- 3 sizes to choose from with decent size 9/10

8) food- vegan/gluten-free food and pastries that would appeal to anyone 8/10

9)ambience-small,friendly and family friendly 8/10

10wifi- ????

*overall 8/10 support one of Hamilton's wonderful family owned cafes on a wonderfully eclectic street! 

The Cannon Coffee Company

179 Ottawa Street North
Hamilton, Ont.
905-700-0088
Facebook- Cannon Coffee Co.
Twitter- @cannoncoffeeco

"A beautiful artisan coffee shop on Ottawa Street at Cannon. Come by and say hi and try a ridiculously good waffle sandwich."

I had a pretty fabulous Monday on the start of March break, had two coffee dates with friends and they were fantastic. I had made arrangements to meet my friend on Ottawa Street, I hadn't tried the Cannon Coffee Company but had been following them on Facebook, I knew they carried Detour Coffee and they are known for their food and friendly atmosphere, what better place to meet a friend than there? I was immediately excited by the sign on the door (some clever person had cross stitched a welcome sign) and my estimation of this shop was correct. The Cannon is a friendly, neighbourhood type cafe, they make their own food from scratch and the waffles are cooked as you wait, my lunch pal had one and they provided maple syrup for the ham, apple and cheese as a side. I ordered a bowl of soup (I love soup almost as much as coffee) and the special was broccoli cheddar and was really good. The lovely girl serving today was friendly, answered my questions and was patient as the cafe filled up with satisfied customers on a dreary, rainy Monday. I ordered my coffee and discovered they use the "pour over" method with a lineup of drippers, the coffee was delicious. I have become more and more aware of the quality of flavour with the style of serving coffee, The Cannon was super!

1) Coffee- $2.25 reg $3.50 large 8/10
2) roasted locally- detour from Dundas/Burlington 9.5/10
3) service- coffee was quick, food took a bit (I understand they are hiring) 7/10
4) accessibility- Ottawa and Cannon with lots of lots nearby 7.5/10
5) flavour- full, fresh and quick 9/10
6) Eco- friendly- china cups available, not sure about soy/almond milk 8/10
7) cup size- regular size was about 10 onzes 7/10
8) food- fresh, delicious and unique 8.5/10 (took a bit too long)
9) ambience- fun, bright, relaxed, original cups and t-shirts for sale 8.5/10
10) wifi- yes 10/10

Overall rating- 8.3/10 it's a great place to check out!