Coffee x Cake x Community
Neo Coffee Bar opened in August of 2015, located in the popular St. Lawrence Market neighbourhood. With an emphasis on creating a community space to share, they have created a serene coffee experience with their use of concrete walls, warm wood accents and emphasis on minimalist design. Upon walking in, there is a serene feeling as you glance from their coffee & food bar, glass walled kitchen, and its open space.
When it comes to their cafe & bakery, they have a seasonal-rotating menu where you can see some Japan influences within. All their food is made from scratch from local vendors who share the same 3 values: simple, sustainable, and never pretentious. In addition, their beverage section includes: Espresso, Drip Coffee, Neo Coffee Bar Specials, Uji Cha, Sloane Tea, and Uji Matcha.
New Store
Their second location at Bay & College opened up in November of 2019 and their soft serve machine went with them! It was originally intended to be placed at the new location, however, due to a delay in construction it found its home at their original location where they were able to test out their flavours. They received plenty of positive feedback and have plans to create monthly flavour specials in the warmer months.
Q&A
How has the Taylor ET161* helped diversify your menu?
It has helped diversify the menu by adding a seasonal dessert option during the warmer months. This pushes for further creativity when it comes to planning and creating the menu to have complimentary pastry items.
How do you choose your flavours? What inspires you to choose them?
The chef is inspired by Japanese Fusion such as: cream cheese, matcha, and black sesame that was last seen in their soft serve & pastry flavours. They try and keep their flavours on theme with their cafe and choose complimentary flavours that would pair well with their pastries and coffee.
How long is the process to perfect your soft serve recipe?
It takes roughly two month from planning, implementation to complete the finished product for it to be sold to customers. Flavours are made in house and could take approximately one month of testing within the two months. Neo Coffee Bar wants to serve the absolute best product to their customers.
Soft Serve + Drink Pairings
Cream Cheese Soft Serve – Espresso based beverage
Matcha/Black Sesame Soft Serve – Japanese tea (Uji Cha)
*They receive their Matcha and Uji Cha from Kyoto, Japan.