Café Oranje — Restaurant in Hamilton

No matter where I go across Ontario, I cannot find Café Oranje's equal. The staff, the atmosphere, the coffee, the food... There is no comparison. I am delighted each and every time I visit.

If you are gluten-sensitive, there are always wheat-free options aplenty and their muffins are some of the best I have had in a long time. There is also gluten-free bread available if you want to get into any of their robust selection of sandwiches. And to any fans of oat milk, there is Earth's Own Barrista-style oat milk available.

The coffee is excellent - fans of black coffee, rejoice. It needs nothing added to be enjoyed to it's fullest. I simply tend to order lattes as a matter of preference.

The store is always clean and welcoming with an atmosphere that delights in clever simplicity. The owner reflects these values with her personable, easy wit, and her staff are always professional and courteous. I'm incredibly socially awkward and still, I find everyone who works here is really easy to talk to.

I am also sound sensitive but never feel the need to drown out noise here. Guests trend towards intelligent or pleasant conversation at a reasonable volume, and that over the sound of smooth jazz or lo-fi beats makes for pleasant background noise.

If you are someone who likes to work at the café, I have been using the space to draw and work on commission illustrations and have found it very easy to focus and get a lot done here.

The front door is a little small and heavy, but the staff are super courteous and if you think you will have any trouble with it, flag them down and they will absolutely help you. It's worth noting for the sake of accessibility as well, the bathroom is a rather small single-person room that requires you to ascend about two or three steps. As a result of the size and age of the building, there is no wheelchair accessibility.

The store is very lgbtq2+ friendly! I was asked for my pronouns (for context, I use they/them) and they have been well respected ever since.

All in all, I love this café. It is easily my favourite in the province. I am moving away soon, so I will dearly miss it. But I hope that it will continue to thrive so that whenever I visit Hamilton, I can stop by...

TO YOUR RESPONSE: When a customer says I have a Disability, it is A PART of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. It is A PART of the Ministry for Seniors and Accessibility. You have a duty to support and accomodate. Period. And you hold me responsible for not communucating effectively? You are not allowed to shift responsibility nor assume a person with disabilities can or cannot communicate effectively and consisitently. It is the responsibility of the owner and staff to ask questions on how to best accomodate, especially to a person with disabilities.

I will not be ignored again and be told "this is not a disability according to AODA" after educating you there are related health and safety issues to sensory disabilities.

Since when do we need legislation to proove and ensure a disabled person, I need support for medical reasons? To proove I have a right? To get permission? Since when does a business need an Act and to be a senior to practice compassion and sensitivity to others? This clearly goes beyond lack of updated education and training.

I expect an owner to be proactive, sincere and take accountability. I should not be here educating you. And explains why I experienced what I did.

You have reflected one of the problems to why people with disabilities remain excluded, ignored and disrespected in the community

Concern/Complaint: I felt quite disrespected. I'm asking for accessibility needs to be accommodated, the teller was disinterested how not meeting this need would impact me and made a comparative that they met my need based on their opinion and they do no have the disability or related medical safety issues. Dismissive and wrong. The Ministry for Seniors and Accessibility and the AODA are in place to protect and ensure this does not happen. My visit was made uncomfortable. I Will be following Up with...

Went in today for the first time after a year. The coffee is still good.

I actually had breakfast for the first time here as well and it was surprisingly good! The guy who made it said it was his first time making it, he did a super good job.

It feels a little tight, I won't lie. But that's cuz I'm a big guy and smaller places make me extra aware of the space I occupy. The orange color theme isnt annoying at all, in fact, kudos to their interior designer cuz they somehow made this color work.

The staff is friendly, or at least the two guys I saw today, and if you're interested, they're selling coffee beans as well (today they had these Colombian beans from San Agustin that are The Best).

Good place for you to bring your laptop and just work for a couple hours, or draw, or just sit down and stare at nothing until you feel...