Si Espresso Bar

Saverio Cosenza “got the bug for coffee” while working for an espresso machine manufacturer. It was a subsequent trip to Italy, however, that inspired him to open Si Espresso. He says, “I liked that people went in to talk politics and soccer.” It was this Italian culture that he wanted to recreate when he returned to Toronto.

Si Espresso opened in 2011. It is a narrow and compact café. At first, there was no seating; Saverio wanted to discourage laptop-focused patrons who were more interested in their screens than in conversation. “I just wanted people to come in and talk for a bit – a quick in and out.” He eventually added seats beside a long bar because he realized people wanted to sit for a while and have conversation with old and new friends.