After hours of perusing books that appear to have been last read when Sir John A. MacDonald was Prime Minister, the sights and smells provided by Balzac's was a very welcome change.
I've been here a few times and their dark roast coffee has been nearly perfect. They have lots of sweets to choose from, mostly of the cookie and brownie variety, which are quite good (guilty pleasure as a pre-cycling get-me-upper).
The modern decor is easy to look at and the seats are reasonably comfortable, as long as one isn't planning to stay there for hours on end. Lots of floor to ceiling glass, which makes for a great people watching experience on Yonge Street, and a great respite from the sometimes dank and dark areas in the Reference Library.
Good atmosphere, good coffee, good treats, I'll be back again for sure.