I'm usually hesitant to leave negative reviews based on one experience, but I'm inclined to believe that this is typical. I came to the library, and decided to get a latte while I'm here. I made the unfortunate decision to get the Golden Latte. I hate payment terminals that nag you to tip; I picked up my own order, what am I tipping for? Pay your workers better! Anyways, with a modest tip, this tiny portion (350mL?) came out to over $8! I had to ask to make sure they gave me the large size that I asked for (they did). Now, onto the drink itself. DO NOT get the Golden Latte. I really doubt anyone would actually like this thing, at least not the way it was prepared for me. It is downright disgusting and not drinkable. If you've ever had raw Tumeric, this was basically a good latte with a ton of raw tumeric dumped in. It was so bitter and unappetizing. It's possible that the barista accidentally put too much Tumeric in my drink, but I don't have any reason to suspect that The only reason I'm giving this place 2 stars, despite being served an $8 drink that I couldn't take more than a few sips out of, is the friendly staff, the nice seating, and the location.

Totally love the atmosphere and the aroma of coffee brewing and the donuts and muffins and backed goods 🤩. The perfect place anytime day or night to sit and have a cup of tea or coffee and grab a bite to eat. The seating arrangement is great for working individually or in a group. The cafe has ♿ access and is in a great location. The staff are friendly and helpful. Five stars for trying your best and it shows 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻.

Nitro Cold Brew looks nice, tastes terrible. Costs about 5 dollars but wouldn’t even worth a buck. The place is nice. Normal coffee selections are okay. Staff is friendly and helpful. Just don’t drink that one.

This location is situated inside the Toronto Reference Library and is cozy and warm. I got a cappuccino (5.59$)- a little pricey. It was delicious, though.

UPDATE: Balzac's reached out to me via email to resolve the customer service experience. They had a regional director visit the store and try to understand the situation, ensured employees would know how to handle said situation in the future, and also provided me with a response acknowledging a valid complaint, while sharing their perspective. I am impressed with Balzac's management/leadership here to make the extra effort to respond to me and my girlfriend's issue. I'm changing the review given just how much care the company has showed. Thank you Balzac's! Old Review Below: Be wary of the customer service at this location. Me and my girlfriend had a horrible experience - and this is coming from fans of Balzac's. My office goes for Balzac's runs and she studied at Balzac's through her schooling. My girlfriend's phone battery had died and she remembered that some Balzac's locations offered chargers to patrons. We walked in and asked the cashier if they had a spare charger for customers we could borrow. The cashier asked "Apple or Android?" - We said "Android." They unplugged a charger from an outlet behind them examined the port, and put it down in front of us. We thanked them and expressed how grateful we were to get the charger. We ordered a drink and tipped generously for the help. When I went to get a seat, my girlfriend ordered and went to grab the charger, but this cashier stopped her and took the charger away from her. They then grinned at my girlfriend and proceeded to help the next customer. We proceeded to go ask for a manager to share our experience and were told "we don't have management here" and "that's not how we operate." We then proceeded to voice our concerns to the employees that would listen. They were just as confused by our story. What was bad was these other employees had to apologize on their behalf, and the employee who was the source of the problem stood there listening to all of it - did not bother to say anything. We wanted to share this feedback because we enjoy Balzac's but be leery of the customer service at this specific location.

It was quite busy when I visited Balzac's café (Saturday afternoon), but I enjoyed my espresso with vegan brownie a lot! It was yummy. Moreover, the busy atmosphere shows people really like this place. And now I know why they do, I would like to come back👍👏🌟🥰

The Good: The space is good, generally clean, and clear bathrooms. Coffee is fine. The Bad: Location has only large cups, if you don't order a large, you'll get a very small coffee regardless of what you order, but delivered in a large cup. Having this happen once wouldn't be an issue, but it's happened 5 times now, when I said something I begrudgingly received at most 1/2 ounce more, as if I was trying to rip them off. I messaged their head office 5 days ago and received only an auto update that they would forward the issue to management. It takes a lot for me to have to come and write a not so great review, but here I am... There are lots of coffee shops in the area, I suggest trying a different one, this one doesn't care about our business.

This place hits. It nails everything when it comes to a big space with lots of seating. Should be a remote work staple. Gets dinged though because it's part of the library and a chain. Reduces the authenticity factor by a smidge. 💓 Vibe - 4/5 🪑 Seating - 5/5 ↔️ Space - 5/5 📶 Wifi - 5/5 ☕️ Coffee - 4/5 🚻 Bathrooms - 3/5

Carrot cake - good but I already forgot I ate it. Was just ok. Friendly staff. Coffee americano nice.

Great coffee one of the best in Ontario for my taste and for a chain shop, simple menu, fast service, convenient, this locations adds a good vibe.

Very delicious rich espresso! Their oat milk does not taste chalky like other cafes and their mocha does not taste chalky like other cafes. Would highly recommend :)

Good and reasonably priced coffee in Toronto. I was happy when ones employee, Christina, asked "for here or to go?" and clarified "for here in a mug or cup?", encouraging customers to make the sustainable choice. It's hard to find many cafes encouraging reusables.

It‘s nice that there is a place to get something to drink right inside the library. Both service, atmosphere and my matcha latte were okay. However beside the convenient location there is no reason why I would go there before another place. So my rating is a solid middle of three stars.

My usual picks at any cafe are a latte and a croissant, and it's fascinating how these common choices can vary so much between different establishments. Balzac’s brightens my mornings.

I've been a regular at the Balzac's Reference Library for a very long time because I work nearby. However, I've been disappointed with the coffee lately. I always order a medium cappuccino with macadamia nut milk because I can't drink regular milk. This coffee is not cheap. With a tip, it amounts to over $8, but it was worth it to me to have an enjoyable cup of coffee in the morning. In the past the baristas made this beautifully and it actually looked and tasted like a cappuccino. However, the current baristas are either not capable or don't feel like putting the energy into creating a decent macadamia nut cappuccino (doesn't look or taste like a cappuccino), so, Balzac's, you lost my business. I suggest you put more time and effort into training your new baristas and do some quality assurance because I'm sure I'm not the only one that's noticed the decline.

It has a big space, it’s useful If you need to stop or wait for someone, but I think the coffee could be better, it’s burned. And is not a place to stay to long because the chairs aren’t comfortable. I can’t judge the desserts, but they seem to have a good quality.

They have some amazing coffee and croissants here. A nice place to sit and work…

Great coffee and great staff! Warm and welcoming atmosphere!

Service was nice and iced brownie was sooo good (much better than from Starbucks). Flat white and brownie is a perfect combo for $9. They also don’t use plastic lids for coffee cups that is a plus for me.

Balzac's coffee is always good and this location inside the Reference Library is no exception. Fresh decor and windows along Yonge St make it a bright space where friends gather. It can sometimes feel a little pretentious and overpriced but the convenience factor wins the day for me and I always stop in when I'm visiting the library.

Coffee is really just average, London fog is a joke. However their pastries are good. Staffs I encountered are all cold and robotic. Honestly, robots probably would do better than them. No I’ll not tip to have a piece of cookie to go lol especially with that attitude.

Had a nice cappuccino here the other day. Good atmosphere for having a drink with a friend, reading or meeting with a small group. Some people working, other people socializing. Didn't try any of the food but our drinks came out fast. Latte art included.

Dude on cash was friendly and understanding, I didn't feel rushed at all. But girl on bar definitely needs an attitude check, barely even acknowledged me at the handoff. $10 for a medium coffee and a cookie didn't exactly scream regular occurrence to me either. Take your money and support a local café.

The main reason I've been here a few times is because of its convenient location. But the drink I ordered fell short of my expectations for flavor. Positively, there is a nice atmosphere at the place and the service was good.

The atmosphere and the drinks were really nice; however, the customer service was terrible. The barista guy was extremely rude and unwelcoming. His whole attitude was like we are not welcome… nice location but probably won’t come back

A wonderful cup of coffee makes reading (its attached to TPL) interesting.

Pretty nice coffee shop! Lots of seating area to read or work and the coffee / cake was decent. They could reduce the plastic for those who dine in!

Good coffee and treats. Nice space to hang out when visiting the library.

I can't believe I've never seen this place even though I've been walking past the library for the past 3 years. Their Iced Matcha Latte... oh my GOD. So good. I may be exaggerating because it's a hot day and I'm drenched head to toe, so the first sip of that delicious green beverage just completely floored me. Pricing is a little high (around 4-6 dollars for every drink), but around this area I think all cafes will have this price. There is free wifi from the library.

Excellent coffee. Quiet and relaxing environment for the intellects :)

was wonderful. I loved the vegan cookie. The window seats are really sunny but nice place to study and enjoy some snacks

Cute place to have coffee and study. Right in the reference library which is one of the best I've been to. Def recommend as a study spot!

Nice and cozy place to sit for a while and use wifi or write something. Its usually crowded and some people are so laud on their phones. Also please don't steal their washroom keys or they will need to hang them to even bigger key chains:))). Totally recommend it. Did I mention that they have amazing staff?

Shout out to the amazing Barista staff who are friendly and helpful. Great coffee selections and a nice clean sitting area makes this a lovely respite to get out of the cold before heading in to the Library.

Coffee taste little bit burn, and it’s extremely hot. The place so cozy and just beside the library

Very nice place, coffee is great, bakeries are good and seating area are very nice and well-lit. Great place to work and focus. One star down for customer service though! the staff are not friendly at all, monotonic, mask faced, not very helpful either. Which I don’t understand why, since the place is actually quiet and not bustling with people.

I've been going there for many years and have great memories of it; very good coffee, clean and comfortable with great street level views, perfect for reading on a winter Sunday morning. Highly recommended.

Perfect location on younge st and inside the Toronto reference library. Great for a snowy winters day! Americanos are great and their cookies are tasty.

Best cup of coffee ever 😭

Nice atmosphere, very good coffee and friendly staff!!

Definitely benefits from being next to the library. Every time I do some work there I fall into the trap. Coffee really is not good, though not the worst I've tried in the city. Toronto coffee standards are pretty low.

Love everything!!! I miss coming to this place.

Atmosphere is good. Cookies are good. The coffee is NOT good. Tastes burnt and definitely not worth the high prices.