Brock St. Espresso — Restaurant in Whitby

We were very happy to hear that downtown Whitby had opened its own quaint coffee shop, as we often wished there was a spot to go and grab coffee without driving to Port Perry. The coffee was good, the latte was good, and the scones/muffins were also good.

Our first problem was when my coffee curdled. As someone who has drank almond milk in their coffee for many years, I am aware that often the sediment from the milk appears to make it look curdled, which isn't entirely pleasing to the eye and makes the coffee sour. When I brought my coffee to the front, the barista/owner begrudgingly offered to replace it, making sure to add that "this is normal for almond milk and would just happen again". I kept my coffee, after being moderately intimidated to make this decision, and sat back down.

After being there a few minutes, a lady with a motorized wheel chair and dog pulled up to the front door. My dad went to the door to help her in, no workers made any move to and blatantly ignored her, and she said she couldn't come in because of the dog and just wanted a coffee. My dad went to the barista/owner and repeated what she wanted, to which the barista/owner replied "well is she going to pay for it? she can't be blocking my door way like that". After retrieving her money, he paid for her and said she wanted a double-double. To this the barista/owner snidely replied "well thats Tim Hortons coffee", then poured her coffee, brought it to the door, and returned saying "wheres James with my customer service review now?" as if bringing this lady her coffee made him a good person.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the whole idea of having a small, local business is to make locals feel welcome and at home. As a new business owner, it may have been beneficial to help this lady himself or perhaps even be polite to her as she is giving him business when she could have easily went to Tim Hortons for that double double. I am all for supporting local businesses, but not ones filled pretentious baristas/owners who believe their work is above the people of downtown Whitby. As little as the business of me may be or the effect that this review may have, I would not return to this business and would advise readers to...

I've been meaning to write a review for this place for a while, so better late than never - I don't have words to describe how much I love this place. Whether you're going for the espressos, cappuccinos, lattes, or perhaps some of their fun, quirky seasonal drinks I can guarantee you that you won't leave disappointed. All of their drinks have a robust flavour that doesn't taste too weak nor burnt, and the cherry on top is that they use local beans for their coffee. The desserts are also very delicious and always a perfect pair for whatever it is you're drinking.

Outside of the menu, the ambiance of the space is very relaxing and well-decorated, and you can tell the owners have a lot of pride in the fact that the store has become a bit of a home for people who are either wanting to chat with friends, work remotely or just kick back and relax - a bit of a central meeting place in downtown Whitby if you will. Speaking of the owners, David and Lorena and all of the staff at Brock St. Espresso are literally some of the most personable people you'll ever have the pleasure of meeting; I go grab a coffee almost every weekend and honestly, I do this to chat with the owners as much as I do to indulge in a good brew.

As a resident who lives in downtown Whitby, I truly do believe this little space has been a great addition and has really added to the vibrancy of the neighbourhood. (Bonus points being that when I walk out of my apartment into the common hallway, it always smells like freshly roasted coffee now. 😂) I hope Brock St. Espresso sticks around and if you haven't already, I'd recommend giving these guys a try - you'll have yourself a new weekly...

a little pricey BUT i think this cafe has the best matcha in durham so far, making it worth it. i have tried a bunch of cafes and coffee shops from pickering to oshawa looking for the best quality matcha, and so far brock st. espresso has been my fave. i am not a coffee fan but a matcha lover. i normally make my own lattes at home with a premium ceremonial matcha imported from japan than runs me abt $50 for 40grams, but sometimes i’m lazy and just want to pick smth up that’s still high quality.

iced matcha latte w/ oat: 9/10, it was really good, even without sweetener. i was looking at the colour of the matcha before i mixed it and it was a gorgeous bright green colour. the colour alone was indicative of a high quality matcha, but the taste was the seller. there was no bitterness or metallic aftertaste that u usually get from cheap low quality matcha. however, i did notice that the matcha was being stored in a glass jar which can ruin the quality of the powder with light exposure. a plus that i also noticed is that the baristas use a bamboo matcha whisk and a chawan (bowl made for matcha), which really impressed me. i asked one of the baristas what matcha brand they used and looked into it. i was even more impressed to learn it was a premium organic ceremonial grade matcha, which is pretty high quality stuff! the brand they use is a canadian company that is pretty open abt the sourcing. overall i’m just really impressed with this cafe being open abt what matcha they use and...