Excellent! I'm not sure why Canadians seem to love Starbucks so much - every time I pass one, the line is out the door - ridiculous. Coming from NYC and having Starbucks be one of the most mainstream coffee shops ever existed, I was yearning for something different - accessible via PATH. Along came SJCB. Watching the well-trained baristas make my drink was testament to how good the coffee here is. The fresh coffee beans are ground (not by machine), then put into this thingamobber (I'm no barista... sorry), then pressed, then stuck in the machine. Out comes your delicious espresso drink. My vanilla latte was not too sweet, just vanilla-y enough, frothy, and delicious. Only thing I would ask for next time to for an extra hot drink. read more

SJCB, catchy name along with coffee that keeps you going back. My friend took me here a whole ago, and I wasn't sure of what to expect. The place itself is sort of a hidden gem in the path, you would only know about it if you work in the financial district. It's located just off Of FCP. The coffee here is absolutely great. It has a distinct bold flavour. It reminded me a lot of a coffee store called Blue Bottle which is also based out of Seattle, where they are known for having the best coffee. The service is good, make sure you bring cash only. They do not accept any other form of payment. So save your change! The place itself is eye catching when you walk by and has a very hipster feel to it. But overall has a really fresh vibe. I've only had the coffee and none of the special drinks and I was already blown away. I'll definitely be checking it out again to the different items they offer. read more

This is not a hole in the wall. It is a line in the wall. They do not have their own seating, but the corridor has a few tables for maximum exposure to the hordes of ants walking aimlessly one way or the other and, of course, walking two minutes east gives one access to the food courts. The service here is good. The girl working mornings is polite. Keep that up. Both the latte and the hot chocolate at SJCB were disappointing however. They were not bad, and obviously they were better than Starbucks, but then again who or what isn't better than Starbucks? With that said, all the accolades about SJCB's coffee are a bit of an exaggeration. The latte and hot chocolate could use a little bit of depth and taste. I tasted too much foam and water and not enough richness. Both beverages could be a hotter as well. The 'hot' chocolate was a lukewarm water-chocolate. Not as bad as it sounds, but nothing special here either. I think Second Cup remains my favourite coffee/latte/hot choco. They only accept cash. read more

Despite it being a pretentious hipster-run joint who previously scoffed at the idea of accepting anything but cash, the espresso drinks here are out of this world. Rich espresso that's not burnt tasting or watery. Yum! Glad that they eventually came to their senses and got a POS terminal to serve their financial district location. :) read more

This is a great simple coffee kiosk in the underground PATH. You wouldn't usually find a little independently run place like this in the PATH, so it's nice to see something different. Their menu is simple and they offer a few sweets if you are in the mood. Based on what I see I think they get them from the same local bakery as many other independent coffee shops that offer quality baked goods. The service is quick and the baristas authentic looking (A lot of wool caps. It must be cold back there). My only complaint is they don't offer anything other than brown sugar and 2% milk or 10% cream to put in your coffee (maybe they have it behind the bar?). But, I came for the coffee, not the extras, so SJCB is one of my favourites at the moment - tied with Jimmy's and Thor. Also, cash only. read more

Right on. The Sam James Coffee brand has extended to the financial district and I, for one, couldn't be happier. I've been a fan of his coffees and now it's in close proximity to work. No more lining up at the usual coffee chains for this gal, I prefer to support my local entrepreneur who makes pretty darn good coffee instead. The small yet stylist coffee bar is built to cater to a busy crowd. There's two espresso machines ready to churn out cup after cup to the caffeine-addicted customers. It was quiet when I got there but I firmly believe this place will be one busy spot in a few days. read more

Favorite and best coffee shop in toronto. Glad its in the PATH. read more

Sam James Coffee Bar - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Quick service, strong coffee, and friendly baristas! This local favorite was only about a five minute walk from our hotel on York Street, so the location is convenient as well. Around 10:45AM, there was no line whatsoever. A hidden little gem! read more

Sam James Coffee Bar - Classic decor, love the warm lighting. Just wish they had some seating! - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Best coffee in the PATH by far. Menu board has the standards and everything is good (espresso americano latte etc) but they can make pretty much anything on request - new favourite: cortado. Cookies and pastries all so tasty. Absolute best is the brown butter donuts every Thursday. I'm actually pretty happy it's only once a week otherwise I'd be in trouble. To the the thousands of Starbuck drinkers downtown - you need need to ditch them and get some real coffee! read more

Great coffee. You will never want Starbucks coffee again. I usually get their Americanos and they are great! I just have to be remember to bring cash! (They only accept cash). Right under the Sun Life Building. It is a great location as it is right in the PATH. The baristas are all super nice! SJCB is definitely one of the best coffee shops in the city. PS. Bang Bang Ice Cream has SJCB Espresso Icecream. :) read more

This is my go to coffee spot. The coffee is very good and strong :) The people who work there are super friendly and the pastries are amazing! Please note it is a cash only place read more

Sweet muppety Odin, what a discovery. I've been walking past it for ages and never stopped, but today I had a few extra minutes and decided to treat myself to an Americano. The line up was short (pretty rare, fromy experience) and I was greeted by a very genuine and friendly server who took my order. I was initially pretty confused ("that was so quick, why are there so many people waiting around?") And then I actually watched the barista. He clearly took his job really seriously: he was really precise about grind, out, tamp etc. I watched him measure his shot and scrape a bunch of grinds off (back into the dispenser, which is great because I hate food waste), and check it again before the tamp, clean and pull. He also made a real effort to make all the lattes beautiful. It actually broke my heart to watch someone just snap a lid on theirs before appreciating how much effort went into it. My Americano arrived about three minutes after I ordered it, and it was pretty fabulous. There was a lot of crema, which really impressed me. I make Americanos on a professional machine and they never turn out half as nice as this. And it was Delicious! Straight up, it was the best Americano I've ever had. It had notes of chocolate, low acidity and a really round finish. My biggest problem now is that this location is over a km from my office! For the love of kittens, go here! Get coffee! Be one with the coffee loving universe! read more

Perfect. From a gigantic coffee snob. Great drinks Killing the espresso game. Awesome staff. Wicked baked goods from local Toronto bakers. Cash only. If you're a milk and sugar type, i dare you to do without... unless it's the foam on your cappuccino, of course read more

Passed by this hipster coffee shop like a lot of 9-5s in the area.. I knew their coffee wouldn't disappoint judging by the superficial look of it. wow, what a pleasant surprise... my first sip of the cappuccino has so much depth and flavors to it... haven't had a good cup of cappuccino in a while ;) P.S. Cash Only read more

Sam James Coffee Bar has great coffee. Honestly, if you're downtown skip Starbucks (they don't know how to make a good cup of coffee). It can be a bit tricky to find. Go to the Sunlife building, head downstairs and follow the path. You'll see it on your right hand side. The coffee doesn't come in silly american sizes - just normal coffee sizes. Be warned though: it is cash only! Enjoy :) read more

Super tourist wandering around some underground tunnel looking for a coffee shop, but did eventually find it and was out of the cold for the adventure. Delicious coffee and great service! Just make sure you bring cash! read more

Where would I be without you SJCB? I have been going to this place for quite a while, and whenever I want some good hipster coffee, but am stuck in the financial district, this is my go to. Lattes come fast and with pourover art, with shots always coming out nicely. It's a little pricier than the nearby competition, but you can definitely see where the extra money went. The coffee is roasted right here in Toronto, and delivers on freshness and taste. The pastries are also quite good, and in the mornings and afternoons there's always a lineup of suits waiting to get served by the often tattooed hipster baristas. It's a great sociology case of meeting of two cultures, right in the PATH. read more

Ok honestly no. 2 stars so you'll actually read it... Espresso tasted like it had salt in it. It's an espresso not a french fry. This is one of the coffee shops in the city that people say "is good" when they wanna impress a girl on tinder. But I drink coffee for a living so trust me on this and keep walkin read more

Consistent enough across the different location. This location on King St is always busy. With no shortage of coffee joints in First Canadian place underground, this is definitely one of the best choice of coffee in the financial district. Unless you're pressed for time, then don't get in line waiting for your to go latte or americano. Definitely a strong coffee to try. The good thing is, the baristas try to give your java doses as soon as possible. Just remember to perk and open up your ears, be ready to pick up your java with the long queue. read more

Sam James Coffee Bar - To go choice - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

I had their vanilla latte for the first time and I am hooked! Definitely one of my favourite coffee places in Toronto!! read more

Sam James Coffee Bar - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Since trying the small, premium and hipster coffee joints like this one and Jimmy's, I can't go back to Starbucks anymore. This place, in particular, is my go-to in the mornings on the way to work. It's a bit on the pricey side and can sometimes be a longer wait than other places but it's worth it leaving my place 5 min earlier to drop by here. Aside from the coffee, love the boston cream donuts as well - a must try! read more

This simple coffee bar has incredible service, fabulous coffee, and a lovely decor. The quality is very high and worth putting on your coffee crawl if you're a connoisseur. read more

Enjoyed a decent latte in the Financial District =) read more

Sam James Coffee Bar - At the Exchange Tower in the PATH - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Love the coffee and have been pleasantly surprised with their food options. This is a staple for me when I want to splurge on a $5 cappuccino. read more

yes, this is a great place with great espresso. Cash only is a slight annoyance but this place is worth carrying cash for.

This place is fantastic. The staff are always really friendly in a genuine kind of way - they all just seem like really nice people! Coffee is great and so is the Americano. But wait: you absolutely must try the best croissant in the city... So buttery and flaky and delish - and they have one that is stuffed with ham and cheese, but not the usual processed crap. I presume from some local deli... nice and fresh. Seriously - go here. read more

My "go to coffee shop" on the walk in to work. Always happy to see Masa's face there, he is so friendly and caring! I buy beans from this location as well to use in my french press. Recommended this spot to my American colleagues when they visit Toronto. read more

When I read that there was a Sam James location opening on King St. West, I almost fell off my chair. This is probably the only thing that makes the PATH bearable. After months of drinking Tim Hortons and Starbucks, this was a welcomed change that excited me greatly. It is located at the entrance of the SunLife building in a quaint corridor. The lattes are just as good as the original location. I was sad to see that they no longer had the lemon/cranberry scones that I loved as they changed their bakery supplier. I will definitely have to try their new goodies and update this review! read more

Fantastic americano!.. Felt like i was back in Europe for a short moment. Best americano in the financial district !

One of my favourite coffee places in the path. I love their cappuccinos and lattes - so good! I don't like their regular coffee as much, there's a bit too much of the 'sour' after taste. read more

Great service, coffee and eats. They make drinks not on their menu such as the Cortado - my personal favourite! You can get lactose milk but not sure about soy. Not open on the weekends probably due to its location. read more

Best espresso in Toronto! A tall step above the typical starbucks/second cup.

Mmm best coffee in Toronto! I've tried their regular coffee, Americano and vanilla lattes and they were all far more superior than Starbucks and Tim Horton's. The vanilla latte is hands down my favorite- smooth and not too strong or sweet! :) I think the best time to go is 9:30-10AM when the morning rush hour is over- takes less than 3 min for them to make your latte :). Salted chocolate chip cookies=amazing. Cash only! read more

An oasis in a desert of terrible coffee. Can be a little inconsistent but even their worst shot/drink is better than anything else in FiDi.

I think a coffee place should first and foremost be reviewed for its quality of coffee. I worked in the PATH and have walked by this place many times but never stopped to try it. This morning I decided to give it a try. The service was friendly and the baristas and cashier were very nice. I ordered a dry cappuccino. I understand that these are not easy to make as it requires mostly foam. What I received was a regular cappuccino. As someone has mentioned before, it was lukewarm. After 5 minutes, I found it to be barely warm. As for the quality of the actual coffee, I found it to be not good at all. I like my coffee strong, why is which I order espresso- based drinks. This one tasted like water. There was no flavor in the coffee. The quality of the beans does not seem to be high. Overall, I would not go back to this place. As others have said, even Starbucks or Tim Hortons are better. read more

What a great little coffee shop that I went to twice today. Both the decaf Americano and almond milk cappuccino I had were great. Will repeat again when downtown. read more

Arguably the best coffee in the city, made by baristas that know what their doing. Cash only does not make sense considering the location and speed advantage of tap. read more

So hoping for more. Impersonal, poor food, challenging counter layout and just plain bad tasting coffee. Dale Carnegie knows that my favorite word is my name, so does Starbucks who are close to their goal of automating every process to become the new McD. Yet I was just a number at this high end, wannabe designer coffee enterprise. A number? I am puzzled. Have tried the Harboard location a few times, but figured I must have missed the good baristas. So thought I would try this location. It wasn't hard to get to the counter, but it was hard to get attention, then hard to juggle the food and pay, and confusing as to what my number was. My first thought was that next time I would get food somewhere else. Then I tasted the coffee. At the next coffee bar I went to, I asked them what was wrong with the coffee at Sam James. They just laughed. I guess I am not the first to ask. read more

One of my favourite places to get an Americano in the PATH- I definitely go out of my way to come here. Lattes have nice pourover art but a touch too sweet for my liking. Cash only! read more

Hands down, one of my preferred places to have an almond milk latte/cappuccino. Soy-based espresso drinks are easier to hit the mark with, but the elusive almond milk beverage... Oh, don't get me started. Firstly, it depends on the brand of almond milk being used (I noticed they use a higher quality almond milk than other cafes I frequent). Equally important are the quality of the bean and finesse of the barista, both of which the very hip folks at SJCB have in spades, so the end result is some damn fine coffee. read more