3.5 stars
Just a few steps from Bloor, this is a tiny and quaint coffee shop. I think I've seen walk in closets bigger than this spot! It's not easy to find as there's no real signage on the door BUT there is a huge wall mural saying "Haven" just right of the door. It probably is takeout only for the winter but in the summer time, you do have the option of a patio out front with it's 4 small 2 seater tables. The menu offers a lot... everything from a normal drip to flavoured hot chocolate and all items can be iced. It also does offer alternative milks.
One thing I noticed is that there seems to be harder to find a good coffee spot on Bloor... Haven seems to be one of the better spots but no where near as friendly, welcoming, aware, or skilled as some of the downtown spots. Though we didn't wait at all to be greeted, we saw one gentlemen be in the tiny store for 5 minutes while the barista was having a personal conversation outside on her phone and pacing the patio area. The store has windows so you can clearly see him... service seemed haphazard and as indifferent as her illegal parking job in front of the store and creating a jam along the one way street.
Dirty Chai - Quickly made and was pretty decent... it was possibly a touch too bitter? I'm not sure if the beans were burnt, slightly acidic, or something else. The spices were pretty good but it was a bit overwhelmed by the bitterness. Still drinkable and decent. 3/5
Iced Dirty Chai - This seemed to fair better as it had more of a balanced flavour of spice and sweetness with less bitterness. Perhaps it was watered down with the ice. 3.5/5
Overall, cute little spot and perhaps she was having an off day, but service and skill could be raised to match the drinks downtown better.