Cafe Zing

Great tasting coffee and a very chill setting inside a book store, with a patio outside as well if you need. The wifi is fast enough for my work needs and the baristas are very friendly and helpful. They have some pretty good snacks too, including weirdly excellent pre-packaged half-sandwiches. I like the chicken breast with sriracha mayo. Beats the pants off Starbucks as a place to work on your laptop or sit and read for a while. Do be advised that on sunny days if you're sitting in the window you will probably get roasted unless you put down the blinds, and a couple seats don't have good blinds coverage.

Love the food there. We have been there several times. But the last time the restaurant was full and the service was not great. The waitress behind the bar was assigned to us and we had to wait for a very long time for everything while people who arrived after us were served earlier and were assigned a restaurant waitress. After signaling several times to our waitress to have dessert and coffee, our waitress brought us a cheque directly without asking if we’d like coffee or dessert ! We were extremely disappointed and frustrated as usually their service was good and other waitresses were attentive to their customers. That was 3/4 weeks ago.

The picture right now for cafe shows shelves of books. That's because the cafe is to the left as you enter Porter Square Books. The view from one of the 3to 4 small tables in the cafe would be of the great bookstore. Always smiling young baristas taking orders for a pretty great coffee, pastries, spring rolls, some veggie sandwich options. Opens early weekdays, so bookstore...which is fantastic...open early too. Only potential issue...limited seating, big college student area, free wifi... but outdoor seating for at least 7 months of the year, and free parking!

Cafe Zing is inside the Porter Square Bookstore. Huge free parking lot (that still manages to get crowded). If you get there early enough, try the spring/summer rolls with peanut sauce. You can also get discounted day-old pastries. Friendly staff. Free wifi. Limited seating in the front (and some outdoor tables in good weather) but really, wouldn't you rather wander the bookshelves to see what books catch your eye anyway?

What makes Cafe Zing is its exceptional staff. They are funny and very fast. They remember who you are and make you feel at home. The food is locally sourced and very good. The variety of clientele makes for great people watching as well. A great place to meet people, have coffee and browse books as it is located in Porter Square Books. I highly recommend it.