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| - Oh, wow. This is every bit as good as the raving reviews on here suggest. In fact, this might just be my very favourite Toronto cafe. I often find myself caught in an odd dilemma -- I really enjoy hanging out in a cafe with my laptop, and feel obligated to support the place by buying a drink (and possibly a snack to go with it) about every hour or so. However, I find that drinking that much coffee makes me jittery and slightly nauseated, while drinking so much tea is just a bit... boring. Mate, however, turned out to be a fantastic alternative -- having more "kick" than a tea, but none of the unpleasant effects of the coffee.
Here is how I came across El Almacen: One warm Saturday evening, I found myself with three hours to kill, so I looked for a cafe that did not shut its doors too early. Thankfully, El Almacen stays open until 9 p.m. -- that alone being enough reason to check it out, since I quite often find myself in need of a cafe at a latish hour and lots of closed signs everywhere... :-(
The friendly barista (or is there a different name for a mate specialist) greeted me with a smile, and was very happy to explain all the different ways El Almacen does mate and to help me "set up" the drink. I opted for the traditonal gourd version, and was very pleased. The strong, earthy taste is not for everyone, but I rather enjoyed it. Also, the deserts like alfajores and dulche de leche go beautifully with mate! I never quite "got" those deserts (seemed to sweet) until pairing them with mate -- they really shine then, their sweetness balanced out by the mate's slight bitterness!
I also had a soup (which seemed a bit watery, but ok), and a jalapeno tuna sandwich which was very, very respectable.
All in all, an excellent place. For some reason, they turn wi-fi off on the weekends (perhaps to make sure people don't lounge around for hours when the place gets busy), but ever since I acquired a smartphone with an unlimited data plan, I have my internet with me at all times, so free wi-fi is a nice, yet optional feature for me (but might be a deal-breaker for you).
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