Hale Coffee Midtown

2149 Yonge Street, Toronto, M4S 2A7

Hale Coffee’s Midtown location is situated just off Yonge Street, south of Soudan Avenue. Despite being at the bottom of a condo, it offers quality coffee and pastries, especially the muffins, which are definitely worth trying. It's located in a modern building which features a Farm Boy, a Staples, a Scotiabank, a furniture store and an underground paid parking garage with accessible spaces (you get some free parking time if you make a purchase at Farm Boy). The main entrance to the building, located on the bottom/main floor off Yonge Street has wide sliding doors that make it easy to enter and exit. 

As you enter, Hale Coffee will be right in front of you, situated across from the elevators and adjacent to a pair of escalators. Unfortunately, there is nowhere to sit downstairs, spare a couple of long metallic benches where people can wait for their coffee. But there is seating available upstairs that’s easily accessible from one of three wide elevators which comfortably clears 3 feet.  

As for Hale itself, the staff is friendly and the counter is not overly high. Note that they only accept electronic payment. There is more than enough room to manoeuvre around the area, and cramped space is definitely not an issue here. The flooring is clean tile, though there are a few carpets placed near the entrance of the building for people to wipe their feet. 

Once upstairs, there are plenty of seating options to choose from and chairs can be removed to make room. The tables are approximately 30 inches high and located close to two accessible bathrooms, each one with an electronic door button. When I visited, both buttons were not working, but still lit up red when the bathrooms were occupied. 

The bathrooms are spacious, clean and feature a grab bar 31 inches from the ground near the toilet, an automatic hand dryer and a sink approximately 34 inches from the floor. While the bathroom is indeed manoeuvrable, it's worth noting that the sink and toilet are not automatic.

While the general feeling of Hale is more clinical than cozy (since again, it's located inside a condominium), it does offer the benefits of space, cleanliness, and accessibility. It's also conveniently located just south of Eglinton station and the 97 bus route has a stop right in front of the building. Street parking is also available on Soudan Avenue and Hillsdale East. 

I enjoy Hale for its reliable, quality drinks, quick service, great muffins and other baked goods, and convenient location. It also happens to be one of the only indie coffee shops open past 3 PM in Midtown, closing at 6 PM. While some may find it disappointing that it's only take out, I'm pleased that there is lots of open space to sit, bathrooms to use, and several transit stops close by. It’s a great place to visit if you're between St. Clair and Eglinton Avenue.