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Tequila Bookworm
Categories: Food Coffee & Tea Nightlife Bars Restaurants Sandwiches Coffee & Tea, Bars, Sandwiches
512 Queen Street WToronto, ON M5V 2B3
Neighbourhoods: Alexandra Park, Queen Street West
(416) 504-2334
- Hours:
Mon-Wed, Sun 11 am - 12 am
Thu 11 am - 1 am
Fri-Sat 11 am - 2 am
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- Free
- Good For:
- Lunch
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
35 reviews for Tequila Bookworm
Review Highlights
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"...could kick back, mooch some free wi-fi and good music, and..." In 3 reviews -
"...had heard they have a good selection of craft beer on tap." In 4 reviews -
"They are also open late, which is great if you're looking..." In 5 reviews
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35 reviews in English
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Review from Mauricio A.
Toronto, ON
1/18/2012
A dump. Yet, one of my secret hiding places. You see, years ago, I used to come to Tequila Bookworm's old location which was about a block east. Such an excellent hide out!
Okay, so let me tell you, in its current iteration, Tequila Bookworm gets three stars NOW but it gets one more due to my personal and biased memories of the place.
The place was so interesting... No sign up front, once you walked, a long Cafe was before you. A coffee/liquor bar to he left, with stools for you to chill at, a magazine rack to the right, where if you bought anything from them you were allow to browse and take back to your table(!). In the back three couches and a number of small tables with three huge (8-10 feet high) bookcases on each wall, shock full of books as a backdrop.
I used to go there with one of my best friends, have a coffee and cigarettes (yes, it was that long ago) and just chill and talk about girls, work and school. What an awesome place it was!
Then it changed, and changed again. So now Tequila Bookworm is a little bit lost.
They want to retain their Avant-garde vibe they had before, however the first floor now feels and looks like any other indie Cafe I have gone in Queen street West, or Dundas West or on Leslie or in the Junction. So that is kinda lost. Yes, down to the usual and cliché photography hanging off the walls and the small wall of books that now just seems forced.
They try to have live music and other artistic events, which do help, however again it feels a bit on the forced side now and their second floor, which patio is welcomed during the Summer feels like a musky, dirty old house where you are supposed to have your coffee there during the Winter. So ironically, the size increase has affected it's old cozy factor.
Also, this place used to be a chillin' spot, not a laptop depot. Which anyone will tell you will hurt your art/creative cred if you got a bunch of hipsters & yuppies (sorry hipsters and yuppies) hanging around taking up your space. So instead of ongoing conversations you got tables filled with people, by themselves, staring into screens. With their glowing Apple logos facing you, reminding that you can't seat there, almost as if saying "Can't seat here dude, 'cause you know, I am creatin' over here!"
Come on! That's what Starbucks is for!
I know they say that memories are horribly biased and I am sure I am experiencing just that.
Is Tequila Bookworm a bad place? No. Is it as good as it used to be? Nope.
Since right now it feels like it wants to be a bit of everything to everyone. However when one shoots for that and misses, they end up being not the best at anything for anyone.
Check the place out though. It definitely deserves a look, you might like it, specially if you live in the hood. Too bad it is no longer my hiding spot. :-(
PS:. Although a bit out of tune, I enjoyed coming down and playing the piano on the second floor while sipping on my coffee. That used to be fun! -
Review from Natalie T.
East York, ON
1/12/2012
VIBE
Tequila Bookworm....sigh...there is so much to say about the Worm. It has a lot of history and has had about three reincarnations. Its current state I think is one of identity crisis as some have pointed out. Here's the history: was a great, eclectic cafe before it moved and kind of retained that status until it changed. Then it became lap top central and not as focused on its book/magazine selection. Now owned by the very lovely Jeff who worked his way up the ranks and is a good manager but needs to pick one vision.
I get where Jeff is coming from (my assumption): don't want to lose the old cafe, lap top toting clientele that made the cafe what it was but wants to make money because when you have 50 people sitting at a cafe for 8 hours taking up your capacity, you're not exactly turning a profit. There are more deuces but that said, I miss the old decor a little bit. It made it more unique; more Queen street.
Now that the Portland Centre with corporate names are across the street, I'm curious as to how and if Tequila survives. But I want it to because it was such a great place. It just needs to be ONE THING. or Two distinct things.
I am the said lap topper but I don't work here anymore because 1. I'm on the other side of the city working and no longer freelancing. 2. it's loud with the music and I can't guarantee if I'll get any work done. So I'd rather go somewhere that I can rely on.
I wonder where my fellow patrons have gone as well or if they still come because Tequila was (is?) such a great melting pot of young, vibrant creative souls (as aloof as we all are).
And a NOTE: Can I just say how awesome it is to have a cafe to work after 11 pm is?! That is central?! It's really a plus and one thing that sets Tequila apart from the competition. I cannot say how many times they have saved me when I couldn't focus at home.
I EAT/DRINK
They have a lovely ginger tea here. Their walnut, asiago salad was my fave back in the day; then the fave changed to the salmon and cream cheese plate with lots of capers. And their desserts are tasty...make sure you get one of those waffles. Delish!
That said, in the summer it's great to kick back a brew on their rooftop patio. Another way that you can easily spend hours here.
OBLIGATORY CATCHY REMARK
I miss this place. I truly do. It was one of my Toronto landmarks. And I hope that its new incarnation can be as addictive to a new clientele as it was to its old one, especially with the changing landscape and gentrification of Queen Street West. -
Review from Gaelan D.
Toronto, ON
12/30/2011
I've been looking for a good place to chill that's open late and remotely close to where I work, and so far Tequila Bookworm is at the top of my list. I haven't tried their coffee yet, because every time I come here I'm impressed enough by their beer selection that I decided on that route.
I really enjoy their music choice, their use of books as decor theme, and the level and quality of crowd ambience. It's not so loud that I get distracted as I work, but not so quiet that I lose focus in a lack of white noise.
The food I've had here is pretty good and well-priced. I haven't had issues with the staff, as other people have, but I've always showed up in groups of one or two. You have to wait for them to come to you, but beyond that I've been happy with the service. -
Review from Chris P.
11/30/2011 1 Check-in Here
While I will say with certainty that Tequila Bookworm is a very funky sort of place, I am really questioning just what sort of genre they belong to.
I mean on first glance at thier overabundant alcohol offerings they seem to be a dive bar, but once you look at the menu they seem to be more of a pub, and then on closer look at the menu you see that they offer some better things then your standard pub fare which makes it more of a restaurant, and then you'll see all the peolpe hanging out on thier laptops enjoying the free wifi while sipping thier lattes and americanos and other specialty coffees off thier extensive specialty coffee menu so you think this is more of a coffee bar.
I'm just going to have to leave this classification for the fates to decide as I've exhausted all the possibilites and come up with nothing.
A few other reviews here have said the service is slow, personally I didn't find the service slow at all although it was a tad annoying that I had to ask the server/bartender guy for a 2nd menu 3 times. I had arrived a bit before my companion so he droppped off one menu and after my friend arrived didn't drop off a 2nd one untill I asked him not once, not twice, but 3 times.
I ended up choosing thier signature burger which was seriously amazing, it was like this little heavenly patty of beefy burgery nirvana. My DC went with a vegetable panini which came complete with avocados which he said was far superior to any other veg panini he'd had recently. So ya, the eats here are pretty stellar.
I should also mention that like most bars or whatever-Tequila-Bookworm-is downtown the bathrooms are located underground and you have to traverse down a long winding hallway to get to them. The TB bathrooms actually smelled really good, someone had obviously gone to the trouble to make sure there was a a lot of air freshner going on but it was still pleasent and not an overpoweringly chemically stench air freshner.
I do need to mention here that this is the 60th review I've written in 60 days for both the Oct '11 and Nov '11 review challenges. So stick a fork in me cause I'm done!!Listed in: Movember Yelp Style!
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Review from Leeor J.
9/17/2011
This seems to be the only good cafe in Toronto that:
- is in a central location
- is open late
- serves booze
- has free wi-fi
- isn't too loud so that you can't get some work done
And they have good beer on tap. If a place serves Beau's, I'm a fan. They have a food menu too, but I am yet to partake. Looks good though. -
Review from Fatma T.
Toronto, ON
8/25/2011
I've been to Tequila Bookworm a few times before for lunch when I worked close by. It's a chill place to go by yourself with a book or laptop, or to meet a friend.
Last night was my first time going in the evening; vibe was pretty much the same but with candles and louder music.
Things I like:
- The music is good- last night they were playing Neko Case, The XX, and Radiohead
- Food was delicious- I got a salmon platter and salad with generous portions, and my friend had a burger that she was raving about
- Prices for the food are decent
- Good location- it's easy to get to
Things I didn't like so much:
- The guy serving us had a stuck-up vibe, and seemed annoyed when we asked him questions about the beer on tap or asked him for salt
- My glass was empty for over half an hour before I was able to flag him down to get another drink (I should mention that it wasn't busy at all, so no excuses buddy)
- At one point my friend tried to get his attention so she could order another drink- she made eye contact but rather than coming over he just stared at her to the point where she got uncomfortable and looked away first
- I tried later to get his attention by saying "hey" as he walked by. He just said "hey" and kept walking over to the bar where he sat on the stool and started playing with his phone
So other than the random guy who clearly did not want to be spending his Wednesday evening working, it was an enjoyable spot. -
Review from Teena D.
9/11/2011 5 photos
My husband and I walked home from the TIFF along Queen Street W. We stopped at the Tequila Bookworm.
Gord had heard they have a good selection of craft beer on tap ... and they do.
It's a cute bar. We sat downstairs.
The service wasn't great, though, probably due to the fact that the bartender was servicing the whole place (upstairs and downstairs).
We were hungry and ordered a burger and fries. There was no mustard or relish on the burger so I asked for some. The bartender just brought mustard. There was no knife so we had to spread it with a fork. The burger was good ... not a frozen pre-packaged burger. Great meal for $10!
I would recommend this spot for drinks and food. It loses points with me because of the lackluster service. -
Review from Happybadfish S.
Toronto, ON
8/28/2011
Ate brunch here for the first time today. The waitress was so pleasant and she made a perfect latte. We had the french toast and the scrambled egg panino. Both were delicious. The place really filled up, but as a lone waitress she kept her cool and everyone was enjoying themselves.
This is my new Sunday favourite! -
Review from Stephanie C.
Toronto, ON
8/5/2011 5 Check-ins Here
In recent weeks I've come here a few times and each experience has satisfied me.
This place has changed owners so many times that it's hard to keep track. Or, maybe it's just the staff that has changed but I feel like I've interracted with some nice people so far that it makes for a positive experience.
I like coming here when I want to get some work done and have a pint of beer to go along with it. Most patrons who are there do the same. It's not too quiet to feel awkward about every sound you make and it's not too loud to be able to concentrate. Heck, I've even interviewed someone for an article I was writing so it's a comfortable setting to work in.
Until a few days ago, I hadn't tried any of the food until my friend Georgie and I came here one evening and ordered waffles.
You must try them!
Think sliders for desserts. Mini waffles with an assortment of berries, maple syrup and for a few extra bucks, a generous dollop of Kawartha Lakes ice cream.
I'm definitely ordering them again when I've got an article deadline breathing down my neck.Listed in: My locals
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Review from Steph Q.
Toronto, ON
9/21/2011
I used to run a writers group and we met at The Tequila Bookworm a few times before we got tired of the attitude we got from the staff members.
Questions about the menu were answered with sighs and eyerolls. When we asked if it was possible to get the music turned down a bit - not off, just down - the guy behind the counter said, in a very snotty tone, "Just so you know, we don't usually take requests from customers." Right, cause those customers are only keeping you in business.
There are many other funky little coffeehouses and cafes that I'd rather spend my money in. -
Review from Vivek S.
3/27/2011 4 Check-ins Here
Like a worm in a bottle of mescal Tequila Bookworm is just there. Idly floating at the corner of Queen West and Portland. You're not really sure what to think when you walk into this place. It's a coffeeshop but they're licensed, so it's a bit of a bar too. They also do brunch. What is this place?
Whatever it is, it's a pretty chill spot to curl up with a laptop and a coffee. They have lots of two tops and a wall full of paperbacks, though it's mostly shitty unreadable stuff like John Saul or The English Patient or Dragon's Egg. And with a garage door that opens wide, I imagine it's a fun place come summer and ogle the passersby on Queen West.
I haven't tried enough of the options on their menu to give it a really solid assessment, but I know that I will come here again.
Obligatory Title Pun: Forget early birds: this WORM is for night owls.
Menu Readability: I don't think I've ever looked at a menu here.
Need to mention: This cafe is open LATE! Huzzah.
What this place teaches me about myself: I love any place open past 10pm.Listed in: Queen Street Address, Up Late In The Tee Dot
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Review from Gordon J.
Toronto, ON
9/11/2011
Last night my wife and I headed for a pub I had heard about called Tequila Bookworm.
The reason I wanted to go was that I had heard that they had a great selection of craft beers on tap. I was not disappointed. I started with a Beau's Harvest Ale which was fabulous and ended with a Spearhead Hawaiian Pale Ale, a beer which I will write about one day.
We both were hungry, so we both ordered burger and fries. The food was so good, I forgot to take a picture till the end.
The service was a little slow, mainly as on a Saturday night they had just the bartender doing everything. There is a second floor to Tequila Bookworm and I saw him run upstairs a couple of times. The mens washroom was a mess too.
I like the place though. The bartender although busy was friendly and I like the setup. We found a great table by the open rolled up door. Next time I plan to explore the upstairs.
Yes, I liked it enough to return and will likely hit there on a Friday night on the way home from work to read and have a couple of delicious pints. -
Review from Sean S.
Toronto, ON
5/4/2011 1 Check-in Here
I'm being generous, here. I would rather give 1.5 stars, but can't.
A quick perusal of the reviews would indicate that this is a once venerable establishment that has gone to the dogs. As I recently moved into the neighborhood, I figured I would check it out anyway. A beautiful spring day, the garage door at the front open to the street; it seemed a good day to check it out.
Well, being a little light in the pocket, after review of the drink menu, I order a bottle of beer from the cheapest grouping on the menu. Ooooooh, says the girl behind the counter, I don't think we carry that any more. OK. So a different brand. Oooooh, we're out of that. Actually, we don't have ANY beer at that price. OK, so up to the next price level on the menu. Actually, all of those beers are $0.50 more than indicated on the menu. OK, then. Well, now we're into pint prices, so let's look at pints. 2 price points, domestic and "premium." Looking at the taps, I'll be dam*ed if I can tell which is which. And I am a beer drinker's beer drinker. They're all Ontario micro brews (I think, anyway). Seems this is because there is one "domestic" brand, despite what the menu says.
At this point, I look at the girl like "WTF is the point of your menu?" It's computer printed paper in a plastic sleeve. A monkey could fix this problem for the entire establishment in 30 minutes. Are you telling me this place is run so badly that even monkeys could do a better job? It would seem so.
To top it off, the girl poured my pint with the tap *in* my beer. Anyone who has ever tended bar knows this is a huge no-no.
It's a decent space. Too bad it's completely wasted. -
Review from Alan F.
Toronto, ON
5/15/2011
Complete shite.
I ordered a simple, easy breakfast...two eggs overeasy with homesfries, bacon and toast. Probably the easiest breakfast you can make or get unless you eat a banana for breaky.
The eggs came over hard-as-nails, 1 slice of toast, 2 scrappy pieces of bacon(undercooked) and a tiny portion of homefries...all for 11.50.
a 12 dollar breakfast should be more or at the bare minimum at least be well cooked, half decent food.
I found it really overpriced, bad food and bad service (I waited 40 minutes for the breakfast on top of waiting 20 minutes to get a coffee).
Avoid unless you have money to burn, time to kill and want to leave still feeling hungry. -
Review from Laura T.
4/20/2011
This is a great spot for grabbing a tea, coffee, milkshake, fruit smoothie, or a whole meal! Today's rave review, the creamy spinach soup du jour.
They really have everything - salads, sandwiches, soup, burgers, waffles (huh?), alcohol, tea/coffee, fruit smoothies, milkshakes...the list goes on. Things are reasonably priced, and the meals all come with decent sides/things included.
The atmosphere is good for chatting with friends or writing a few lyrics for the next big single to appear on Ryan Seacrest's top 40 (totally saw someone doing that tonight). Lots of small groups, but also a few people with laptops or quiet work to do on their own.
The staff is lovely and food and drinks are served promptly. They are also open late, which is great if you're looking for a low-key hangout to drink rooibos or a sencha green tea. As Michelle A. and I discussed, us coffee 'nighthawks' like to dine late too!
All in all, most satisfactory indeed. -
Review from Anne M.
1/12/2011
I like this place! Reading some of the more recent reviews makes me sad since I have had a lot of good experiences. I've been there with girlfriends to chat over tea and wine, classmates to study which turned into dinner and drinks, and even popped in for dinner. Their burger is surprisingly really good, especially with their fries, and they have a variety of local beer on tap.
It definitely fills the gap on the Queen W strip if you are looking for more than a coffee shop but less than dinner or a bar, although it can also serve as any of those things. -
Review from geraldine g.
Toronto, ON
9/7/2010
I`ve heard so much about the way the place once was. So not fair for us newbies to Toronto.
I was intrigued to hit this place up because of the freakin`name. Seriously, people. In my head, even if I didn`t drink tequila, read books or liked worms - you have to visit this name just because of the name.
That aside, I had expected something a bit more rustic and I guess, full of more books. I started to create ideas in my head about how more `library-like`it could look.
The coffee I had was nothing special nor was the specialty coffee which for the life of me I can`t remember what it was. Probably not a good sign.
We had great customer service for our table though. I have no idea if that was because we were right across from the server but I was pleased.
Would I go here again? I`m neither here or there on it. If someone wanted to go sure. If there was a downpour and I had to duck into someplace, yeah.
I feel as if the space it once was, is somewhere I probably would have enjoyed. -
Review from Emily L.
Toronto, ON
11/5/2010
I guess this place has been an institution for a while, but I hadn't heard any of the hype. I simply walked past it a couple of times during my initial wanderings around the city, and chuckled to myself re: the name.
Recently, a friend and I wanted to hangout and chat out late on QW, but were avoiding alcohol - this pretty much eliminated bars, and other coffee shops (closed). This turned out to be just the place for us. The atmosphere was lively, but didn't overwhelm our conversation. The other patrons looked like they were having a great time, but weren't disruptive and actually contributed greatly to the fun late night feel of the establishment. The only thing is that we ordered tea, and got poorly disguised sigh of resignation from the staff; his disappointment that we weren't ordering booze or some other offering with higher margins didn't escape us. Oh well - maybe next time buddy!
We didn't need anything else, so I can't comment too much more on the service; except to say that our desire to pay our $5 bill completely escaped the attention of the staff. We eventually made a big show of putting on our coats and lingered by the cash register. Can't say it bothered me too much though; I still had a fun time with my friend, and I'm going to chalk up the service to a general disaffected hipster attitude (i.e. it wasn't personal).
Cute atmosphere: B+, Service: meh -
Review from Anna V.
Toronto, ON
10/22/2008
I'm still on the fence about Tequila Bookworm since it moved from its last location just down the street.
The service is slower than you can even imagine. But the coffee is great and they make this weird potato pancake thing that tastes like total bland, but sometimes that's all you can handle.
This is the perfect place for you to go if you're a student and you just want to drink cheap coffee and click away on your computer all day long. -
Review from Connie T.
Toronto, ON
8/31/2008 1 photo
For a long time I've wanted to find a place where I could kick back, mooch some free wi-fi and good music, and not feel out of place. Once I pressed my nose against the window of Tequila Bookworm, I knew it was *the one*. Gasp.
Sure, the drinks and desserts may be a little overpriced -- $6 cake, anyone? -- but even cheapskate me is willing to drop the coinage to have the pleasure of hanging out here for extended periods of time.
Also, the servers may take their merry time to get to you, but you come here to bum out, not for zippy service and a quick meal. Just take a seat, nod your head to the good music, grab a dusty book from the shelf, and relax until it's your turn. Heading upstairs is an even better escape -- and possibly even slower service, but for a free wireless cafe, sometimes that's just what I want.
(Besides, it's the only place that sells tickets to cult cinemahouse Trash Palace. Gotta give it extra credit for that.) -
Review from Erin S.
Toronto, ON
10/8/2010
Hm. On the upside, this place has an awesome name, and they let you sit and study for hours with no pressure, even if you just bought some tea. And there are various delicious-looking appetizers for $6-8.
On the downside, the tea costs too much, and most of the food is $10 - there's just a couple of the $6 appetizers, and there's nothing cheaper. Plus, I had a chicken sandwich and house salad, and while both were absolutely beautiful (beautiful!), neither actually tasted very exciting.
They also turned the lights way down at around 7pm, making studying after that impossible. And there weren't a lot of outlets. And the layout made me feel like I was at a desk in grammar school, and the grumpy hipster waiter was our omniscient schoolmarm.
As far as a place to grab a bite and a beer with friends, I'm sure I'll go here again. For studying, probably not. -
Review from Brian S.
Toronto, ON
11/21/2008
I go into Tequila bookworm quite often to get coffee and work on their free WiFi. Staff is always very friendly, although somewhat casual in their attitude. (read - slow)
But the food is decent, and it's a nice relaxed place to go.Listed in: Cafes where I go
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Review from Aaron B.
Updated - 8/3/2010
This place has changed hands and as a result my two favorite menu items disappeared. The live jazz disappeared. And the last two times I went in there it was hotter than outside in summer...I had to leave because I STARTED to sweat when I went in there. I was a regular patron here for a while and there are so few cafes open late in Toronto that it's a shame to cross this one off the list of tenable work cafes, but so be it.
Maybe these are growing pains and the place will be better than it ever was in a few months (which will also be when the city starts freezing instead of melting). Maybe I'll find then.Listed in: Late Night Cafes in Toronto
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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6/7/2010
My experience here was quite good. I am one of those people who comes in with a laptop and sits… Read more »
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Review from Melissa J.
Toronto, ON
10/28/2008
SLOWEST. SERVICE. EVER.
My first trip to Tequila Bookworm, I loved it. I had a delicious brunch, an omelet stuffed with avocado that made my life better. The service was slow, but I had time.
The next Sunday, I wanted more. So I came again, with a different person. Whose order they completely forgot about. My food came, and my friend's did not. There were no apologies (Really? You don't even feel bad about screwing up at your job?), no offers for something free to make up for the fact that he now would have to stare at my food and sit there hungry.
Then we had to wait for someone to acknowledge us so we could PAY FOR THE FOOD.
I always see people sitting in the window on laptops, having a grand old time. That's who Tequila Bookworm is good for -- people who have computers to entertain them for the hours it will take to get food or even be noticed by the staff.
Never again. -
Review from Quan L.
Toronto, ON
5/8/2010
Where is the service?
i thoroughly enjoy the relaxed atmosphere and comfy feel, but this is where it stops.
i went there with a couple of friends. i ordered a cold dish, the lox and bagel platter, while my friends ordered hot dishes. needless to say, they got their food before me. then i watched as the other waiter served my dish to a couple that had come in after us. i saw my waiter tell the other waiter that the dish was supposed to be for out table. i then preceded to wait 45 more mintues for my dish, before we had to ask if my food was still coming. this on top of the 20 minutes after we had ordered. over a hour wait for a cold dish is ridiculous. this takes the 'relaxed atmosphere' to an extreme.
i will never go here again and will always walk by with distaste. there coffee is ok i guess. -
Review from Melissa F.
Toronto, ON
4/11/2009
This is a great restaurant coffee shop.
when I walked in I thought it was an order at the bar cafe. Soon found out that the super attentive staff did table service.
Studied here for a couple hours and enjoyed a very averagely good brunch and espresso. Would come here again.
At first I felt a little weird loitering with my computer studying in a place with table service, but the staff was very nice, even bringing me water once he saw i was done my coffee.
The place could be a bit cleaner, but I've come to not expect too much from Toronto places. -
Review from Rob D.
3/31/2010
Firstly .. just chill out. Don't be in a hurry. Don't complain about the old loveseat or rickety wooden tables or tight/steep staircase down to a shithole of a bathroom ... despite all of that, this place is still great :)
it's a queen west vibe, so enjoy it.
serves booze :) -
Review from Alejandro A.
Toronto, ON
12/3/2008
In reading these reviews, I'm a bit surprised that a few people have had bad service. I've never had that problem there, but when I think about it, I've only ever been there for coffee. Which I've enjoyed.
Tequila Bookworm is a cozy spot. During the day, you'll often find it filled with people writing, drawing, reading, or doing whatever on their laptops. It makes it a bit of a strange experience, because alot of those people aren't talking to themselves. It's not that seeing people focused on work is a strange sight. It's more that so many people practically use this place as a studio space (I exaggerate.)
One time when I was here, the upstairs was being used for a launch party for 2 different comic books. It was cool to see the place decorated like a mini gallery. I don't know what the rules are about hosting something like this, but I've seen it done, so clearly they allow it to happen. Might be worth looking into if you want a cozy space for a party. -
Review from Kat F.
4/4/2009
Something's changed about this place in recent years - perhaps it's the shift to a new location, I'm not really sure. I used to love how quaint and friendly the experience was but lately the staff is inattentive verging on rude and the quality of the food leaves much to be desired. Some quality control is definitely required!
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Review from Caroline Z.
Toronto, ON
7/29/2010
I am only giving Tequila Bookworm 3* because I've seen its rise, fall and plateau. I think it's hit a good space now, with improved service and better WiFi service. At one point, you could barely load a webpage at this place. I've been visiting TB for more than 5 years, first for their delish waffles and since for work-dates and meetings. The food is overpriced and often greasy -- you only eat here if you're irrepressibly hungry. Their brownies, however, are AMAZING and I regularly grab them for take out. I really only like this place 'cause the staff is cool and I like the chill setting. You can spend the whole day at Tequila, but I warn against organizing social gatherings here.
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Review from John B.
Toronto, ON
3/8/2009
I found out about these guys from a http://Toronto.com article on favourite cafes, but on the day I went they were not serving any espresso-based drinks and their drip coffee was very poor. Service was kinda nebulous (we wondered if we had in fact actually been served, even after our order was taken) and the organic burger that eventually arrived was pretty dry. Fries were good, and the atmosphere and the space have some appeal, but my overall impression was pretty negative.
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Review from Joanna S.
Toronto, ON
3/21/2009
I hadn't been there in years but ended up there for coffee today. Nice, relaxed vibe, funky mix of people but man alive the service was horrendous. It took over 30 minutes for the server to bring our coffee. And the coffee was lousy to boot. Not sure how this place stays in business...but on the upside if you want to go somewhere to read or work and don't want to be pressured to leave it's great for that.
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Review from Brian C.
Toronto, ON
5/19/2010 1 Check-in Here
I used to go here when it was in it's old location. In it's new location it isn't really the same. What once felt like a used bookstore that sold coffee, ice cream and waffles now feels like a Queen West Cafe. That said, it is a Queen West Cafe so I'll cut it some slack. I don't find the service to be as bad as others have and the coffee is pretty good; smooth and not bitter. I wouldn't think of it as a destination as I once did, but I would pop back in if I were in the area.
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Review from Deanna W.
11/11/2008
Wow, I see I'm not the only one! Service is yes, dreadfully slow esp when I've been there on a weekend morning. And I used to dig their rosti potato pancake thing they serve with brunch until it made an appearance as raw shredded potato one meal-ewww. But yeah, not a bad place to bring your laptop along and waste a few hours of the day off....
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Review from Matty K.
Toronto, ON
8/15/2008
An assortment of rooms for every meeting, or personal tea-time. On two floors. The main floor has frequent live jazz bands. Free Wi-Fi. It is called thus because of the literati who seem to come around often. The Bookworm has book stacks on each floor. A meeting place for artists and whacky types as well as professionals. Beer and small foods too. Mostly for the studentish nerds.
