Tim Hortons

I may be biased towards this place because I deeply want Tim Horton’s to do well. It’s a Canadian brand that’s more than a business for Canadians. It’s part of the cultural identity. So, it would be sad to see trendy hipster coffee shops replace this affordable staple. This is of course their test kitchen. They have experimental items on the menu that you will not find at other Tim Hortons’. I can confidently say that they’ve got some winners here. Their Prosciutto arugula English muffin was good, and most of their new flavours of donuts were also good. The overall quality of everything here is better, including the service and the decor. If this is what the future holds for Tim Hortons then we need not worry. It’s not going anywhere.

This Tim Hortons location, also known as the Tim Hortons “innovation cafe”, is a very well executed example of how Tim Hortons can enter the cafe space. It is usually quite busy (especially in the mornings and at lunch) because of the hype surrounding the innovation cafe. The good news is that the lines move quickly because of the kiosks and how the cafe is set up in general. There are a large assortment of menu items exclusive to this location, such as gourmet sandwiches including the Montreal reuben and turkey avocado club. They also have new specialty beverages including lattes, handcrafted lemonades, and nitro cold brews (which is one of my favourites)! The donuts are my favourite thing about the innovation cafe - there is so much variety that you can find just the right donut for anyone. The donuts all have beautiful presentation, and a 6 or 12 pack is a great gift for people who don’t have the opportunity to visit this location themselves!