Station 1 Coffee House

28 Main Street East

Grimsby, Ontario

905-309-4000

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Coffeecology.com for more info.

I work with people from all over the area in my profession as a massage therapist.  I always appreciate where they come from and where they've been and inevitably my blog comes up in conversation at some point.  I get the BEST information about great places to go from people I work with and patients too.   I had heard through the "grape-vine" that a new coffee shop had opened up in Grimsby.   I live in Stoney Creek, so I had an excuse to have my husband drive me around in the gorgeous fall weather and check it out.  The owners of Station 1 have joined forces with the most clever people in the local coffee selling business to make a fantastic, friendly, and unique cafe in Grimsby.  I gather (from the name and look) it was an old fire station, the main front doors are two huge, rolling doors that open it up to a large cafe/patio combo with lots of seating.  I was in love immediately with the parking, seating and inviting quality.  I was excited to see that they carry Coffeecology beans roasted locally as well as free-trade, organic with a variety of delicious, homemade treats including vegan chocolate cupcakes and macaroons.  

1)coffee- $1.85 small $2.10 large $2.10 iced (nice to have choice) 9/10

2)roasted- Coffeecology is locally roasted 9/10

3)service- quick and friendly 7.5/10 (no interaction with customers)

4)assessibility- 9.5/10 large, free parking lot, main access road

5)flavour- medium roast was delicious, hot and full flavour 9/10

6)Eco-friendly- recycling, composting, bio-degradeable cups 9/10 

7)cup size- good size mug for coffee, Americano as well 8.5/10

8)food- cupcake and Helly Dolly was big, sweet and rich, vegan and vegetarian choices 9.5/10

9)ambience- bright, clean,sunny, fun music, spacious seating 9/10

10)wifi- free, access is posted (friendly gesture is appreciated by bloggers like me) 10/10

*overall 9/10. 

** as an after thought I wanted the business card for my blog info. When I asked for one, I got a weird vibe that I didn't understand other than they were busy and didn't want to get it for me.  The server went in search of what I thought was their information and came back with a free coffee card...I was confused but appreciative.  I still feel funky that they thought I was searching for free stuff, ah well.  I think Station 1 is super and certainly worth a trip down Hwy# 8 or mountain country to enjoy it!

Fine Grind Cafe

37 James Street

St. Catharines, Ontario

905-348-3214

When checking out places to go for a coffee in St. Catharines you don't have to go far on James or St.Paul street to find a cafe or bistro with alluring signage and seating (some have added a patio on the street...very unique).  Neil and I chose by default a lovely little place called Fine Grind, the write up online steered us in the right direction and we were so happy.  Our greeter/owner was a smiley guy (didn't catch his name) that answered all my questions and spent time explaining about Jim the coffee guy that is his source locally for fair trade/organic beans based out of Niagara Falls.  Neil and I both ordered the *gasp* bottomless cup and a cookie.  I asked about vegan treats and foods and he provides both due to demand.  How wonderful is that? 

We took our seat at the back of the store on the couch (dopple ganger of our own) and our drinks were brought to us as we proceed to add the wifi password to our various devices!  All around us are odd bits of art work, paintings and carvings to keep you interested and a book shelf of reading material ! 

We drank our coffee, ate our cookies and complemented the baristas, there may have also been a rousing fist-bump for a coffee shop well found! Thanks Fine Grind Cafe! 

1)coffee-$1.50 per cup, $2.50 bottomless 9/10

2)roasted-locally roasted, organic and fair-trade 9/10

3)service- 10/10 fast, friendly, brought to us

4)assessibility-8/10 metered, street

5)flavour- 7.5/10 Guatemalan, medium roasted

6)Eco-friendly- china cups, paper for take out 8/10

7)cup size- 8/10

8)food- vegan choices, cookies were very good 8/10

9)ambience- 10/10 music, comfort, quiet, service, books, conversation

10)wifi- 10/10 free

*overall- 8.75/10 so fantastic!

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! 

Homegrown Hamilton

27 King William St.
Hamilton, ON

Facebook.com/homegrownhamilton
Instagram.com/homegrownhamilton
Homegrownhamilton.com

Coffee*Cuisine*Community

Homegrown is in an interesting part of Hamilton where there are great coffee shops very easy to find. If you haven't been to Homegrown, there is a parking lot directly across from it, don't park there like I did because its ridiculously expensive and there is plenty elsewhere. That aside, I was pleasantly surprised by the welcoming feel in the entryway of this cafe (art, roaster, food counter and lots of space) and enjoyed the ambience immediately. I found my eyes were drawn all around the cafe to see all the sights, interesting people of all types and enjoy the sunlight flooding in the front windows on this weekday afternoon.

I like to feel like each person can make a small difference in the world and the owners of Homegrown clearly feel this way as well, you can buy fair-trade coffee, and the latest wonderful social responsibility is the addition of suspended coffee. I bought a suspended coffee today; the small purchase of a coffee in advance can be given to someone who doesn't have enough money or is having a tough day. Its wonderful!

I visited Homegrown today to have a coffee, eat some lunch and buy some of their home roasted coffee beans, and was happy that i did. It was really quite lovely how no matter how busy they got, you never felt rushed (I found I was trying to rush myself😀) and they were very happy to answer any questions for me. We had homemade sandwiches, coffee and desserts and it was really delicious. I love to think that in Hamilton we have wonderful places like this for us all to enjoy and support independent places of business, and I highly recommend that everyone does.

1) coffee- small $2.25 large $2.75 8/10 (Mexican medium roast)
2) roasted- in house roasted and fresh 9/10
3) service- relaxed, friendly and warm 8/10
4) accessibility- street parking is cheaper but harder to find 8/10
5) flavour- was a bitter thin, I would like to try again 7.5/10
6) Eco-friendly- glass or compostable cups, vegan choices and soy milk 9.5/10
7) cup size- big and glass 8.5/10
8) food- freshly made to order, vegan/vegetarian choices, 8.5/10
9) ambience- relaxed, inviting and smells amazing 8.5/10
10) Wifi- available upon request for free 10/10

*overall 8.5/10 a super place to enjoy coffee, fresh food and live music in the evenings!!!

C.J.'s - Cafe on Bronte

2416 Lakeshore Rd.W.
Oakville, ON
L6L 1H7
905-465-0411
Cj@cjscafeinbronte.com

Check out what's happening at www.cjscafeinbronte.com!

I went shopping downtown Oakville on the Monday of march break with some friends of mine and my daughter for something completely unrelated to coffee, but somehow it became completely successful with a lovely place called C.J.'s on Lakeshore off Bronte. This little place was recommended by a local shop lady and was great. We were greeted by a free wifi sign, vegan/health related book shelf, signs for supporting women in Peru and an aroma that was wonderful. I was impressed by the free parking (not often found in Hamilton unless you know where to look;) as well as plenty of seating for groups of people to meet and chat. C.J. The owner was there to answer any questions and offer an array of 4 coffees to taste, teas to order and a hot chocolate with whipped cream piled high!

1) Coffee- $2 for regular and $2.25 for large ($1.25 and $1.50 for refills) 9/10
2) roasted locally? - London, Ontario (fireroastedcoffee.com) 8/10
3) service- the owner C.J. Was friendly and accommodating 8/10
4)accessibility- Bronte and Lakeshore, free parking (no evening hours but 7 days per week) 8/10
5) flavour- medium roast, lovely taste 7/10
6)Eco-friendly- china cups, organic/fair trade, London Ont. 9/10
7) cup size- 2 sizes, big cups with cheap refills 9/10
8) food- vegan wraps with veganaise, many other tasty treats for everyone (I didn't have any)
9)ambience- friendly, funky, artistic, books, plenty of seating, 2 patios 9/10
10)wifi- yes 10/10

*overall 8.5/10 super place in the heart of Oakville! <3

http://www.cafefemenino.com/

The Naked Sprout

4040 Palladium Way, Unit #11
Burlington, On
905-319-2293
www.thenakedsprout.com

Get naked, go raw

The Naked Sprout is a special place, there aren't many places that you can go eat or drink and feel as good about how you eat and what you've eaten. This is one of the few completely vegan, raw, gluten free restaurants in the Hamilton area. Is pretty cool to go there with someone that is not vegetarian and have them experience great food in an awesome environment and have them not even notice that it's vegan, let alone healthy. I have been many times but spent time thinking about my coffee today (more than usual) and asking the regular questions about the beans and where they came from. My coffee today was roasted in Toronto at the Birds and Beans cafe and were Peruvian. In researching this roaster, I learned about the above average care the beans were grown in to preserve the environment in which they were grown. The people that grew them were properly supported financially, which secures the property from being exploited, and continuing to keep them remaining shade tree, bird friendly crop. Wonderful to feel great about what you're drinking!

1) Coffee- $3 for a bottomless cup (pricey but I got 3 cups of the best coffee included, I left fully caffeinated and happy about the coffees origin:) 9/10
2)roasted locally- Toronto 9/10
3) service- 8/10 excellent
4) accessibility- quite a distance to travel on north Walkers Line, worth the trip 7.5/10
5) flavour- 7.5/10 (great taste, could have bean stronger or made with a different method)
6) Eco-friendly- 10/10 other than growing it themselves you can get any better
7) cup size- bottomless and a big, gorgeous pottery cup 10/10
8) food- vegan, gourmet, delicious, brunch menu 8/10
9) Ambience- hipster vibe, approachable, great bright setting, brought dessert with a birthday candle 8/10
10) wifi- no

* great place for anyone looking for great, tasty coffee with no concern for unhealthy additives!
*overall 7.5/10 great food, good coffee

Kelly's Bake Shoppe

401 Brant Street,
Burlington, On
L7R 2E9
Www.kellysbakeshoppe.com

Well, I have to say I had an expected good treat today at Kelly's Bake Shoppe, what I wasn't expecting was to have a fantastic cup of coffee. I try to go to Kelly's sister store Kindfood whenever I can to enjoy amazing vegan and gluten free food and sweets but the bake shop in new having only opened 2 weeks ago. I had a snicker doodle cookie and gingersnap and paused to eat before I continued on my way Christmas shopping. *gasp*! They have a brand new coffee machine in all it's shiny steel beauty, unfortunately there was a sign saying it had only arrived today and I wasn't going to get any. I went up to one of the owners and commented on how happy I was that they were going to sell coffee now, Kindfood didn't sell it. Well, it pays to talk to people because she asked me if I wanted a cup:D

I am pleased to say that Kelly's carries a coffee that is not only extremely delicious, but locally roasted in our own little city of Stoney Creek. I checked out the label and my tasty coffee was from Balzacs, roasted down on the service road in Stoney Creek. They don't have a store front so I wasn't able to get any till now. Worth the wait! I highly recommend Kelly's Bake Shoppe for their amazing vegan cupcakes and cookies, but especially for the coffee (coconut milk or almond milk available for adding if desired, not me, just a bit of sugar for me;)

1) large coffee - aprox. 14 onzes $2.25 plus tax ($2.54) 8/10 a bit too pricey
2) roasted beans - 9/10 locally roasted and local business
3) service - 9/10 excellent
4) accessibility? 8/10 parking lot next door ( have to pay in stupid Burlington)
5) flavour - 9/10
6) Eco friendly - 9/10 vegan options for coffee and treats
7) cup size - decent cup size, re-cycleable paper
8) food - vegan ( the epitome of Eco-friendly because its vegan and paper/plastics are recyclable
9) local ingredients - no but gluten free, animal product free and chemical free so it's just fine
10) wifi - nope, nice windows though (get it?;)

Super experience!