• Home
  • Reviews
    • Flight Reviews
    • Hotel Reviews
    • Lounge Reviews
    • Trip Reports
  • About
    • Press
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Award Expert
Live and Let's Fly
  • Home
  • Reviews
    • Flight Reviews
    • Hotel Reviews
    • Lounge Reviews
    • Trip Reports
  • About
    • Press
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Award Expert
Home » Reviews » Lounge Reviews » Review: Air Canada Café Toronto YYZ (Amazing Lounge)
Air CanadaLounge Reviews

Review: Air Canada Café Toronto YYZ (Amazing Lounge)

Matthew Klint Posted onMarch 3, 2022November 14, 2023 22 Comments

a sign in a building

I enjoyed a superb four-hour stay in the Air Canada Café in Toronto Pearson (YYZ), a tremendous lounge concept that instantly became one of my favorites in North America.

Air Canada Café Review (Toronto – YYZ)

The Air Canada Café represents a different take on airline lounges. Rather than a large buffet of food and cheap booze, this lounge focuses on quality, not quantity. Stop here for sumptuous coffee, fresh squeezed orange juice, cold-pressed juices, and light snacks intended to be taken with you. It’s a lounge concept that I would love to see a lot more of.

Access + Location + Hours

The lounge is located in the domestic terminal (1) near gate D20 (ironically, just past a Starbucks). It is open daily from 5:15am to 12:00am.

a group of people inside a building

a sign above a white wall

a glass door with a sign on it

Access is reserved for those departing on a domestic confirmed Air Canada flight flying in business class or Premium Rouge, Aeroplan Super Elite, 75K, 50K, and Star Alliance Gold members, and select Aeroplan Credit Cardholders. Eligible cards include:

  • TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege Card
  • CIBC Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege Card
  • American Express Aeroplan Reserve Card
  • American Express Aeroplan Business Reserve Card
  • American Express Aeroplan Corporate Reserve Card

a glass plaque on a wall

My domestic routing was deliberately crafted in order to visit this lounge. I once tried to access this lounge prior to a transborder flight to the USA and was denied. I tried again prior to a flight to Lima, Peru and was also denied. Sadly, this is a lounge purely for domestic Air Canada travelers.

Seating

This lounge was awarded the Grands Prix du Design 2020 Award in the café category and it is clear why: the artwork, lighting, stonework, plants, and juxtaposition of colors make this a gorgeous space.

Although you are encouraged to take food and drink to-go, there is plenty of seating available, with power ports strategically positioned to ensure you devices remain charged.

a bar with stools and a painting on the wall

a room with tables and chairs

a room with a counter and chairs

a counter in a building

a room with a counter and chairs

a counter in a building

a room with a counter and chairs

a counter with chairs in a room

a room with tables and chairs

a room with a counter and chairs

a large room with chairs and a counter

a room with a counter and chairs

a room with a table and chairs

a group of tables and chairs in a room

a red wall with a counter and stools

Coffee

Coffee is provisioned by Lavazza and the expansive menu included the following hot choices:

  • espresso
  • caffe Americano
  • cappuccino
  • caffe latte
  • espresso con pana
  • caffe mocha
  • chocolata Italiana
  • hot chocolate
  • espresso nocclolato
  • bicerin
  • piemonte
  • neve sulla lava

Cold brew included:

  • cold brew iced
  • cold brew nitro
  • Mediterranean cold brew
  • black cherry cold brew
  • nutty nitro
  • coco choc nitro
  • cremespreso

a menu on a table

two bags of coffee on a shelf

a coffee machine on a counter

a coffee machine with several cups on top

a group of coffee machines on a shelf

During my stay, I enjoyed a couple flat whites, a cappuccino, and a cold brew…all coffee was superbly prepared and had a strong, intense flavor.

a cup of coffee and a glass of orange juice

a croissant and a drink on a table

a glass of cola with ice on a counter

Juice

In addition to great coffee, fresh-squeezed orange juice (in front of your eyes) is available as well as a selection of cold pressed juices from Greenhouse. I greatly enjoyed the juice and appreciated the alternative to the usual lounge selection of cranberry, apple, or orange juice that is often more sugar and water than actual juice.

a shelf with drinks on it

a shelf with bottles of juice

Snacks

While this lounge does not have hot food, Goûter freshly-baked croissants and danish and Lindt chocolate truffles are available from the coffee bar and a self-serve food area includes a variety of sandwiches, salads, cheese, fruit, yogurt, and other nibbles like chips and candy.

a counter with shelves and food on it

a shelf with drinks and beverages on it

a tray of packets of real fruit

a shelf with food in it

a group of plastic containers with labels on them

a group of brown bags with white labels on them

a group of cans of strawberries

a group of blue containers on a shelf

a display case with food on it

Small paper bags are provided and you are encouraged to take food to go (which probably wouldn’t work in the USA, as we’d bring extra suitcases and load up on the “free” goodies…).

a shelf with black shelves and black objects

Restrooms

Showers are not available, but a large restroom was in the lounge.

a bathroom with sinks and mirrors

a bathroom with urinals and mirrors

PressReader

The days of large magazine and newspaper racks in airport lounges are drawing to a close. As much as I love a printed newspaper, Air Canada offers over 7,000 magazines and newspapers with PressReader, which you can easily access over the lounge’s wi-fi network.

a screenshot of a phone

Service

A service counter is present in the lounge, but it was not staffed during my visit. I had to make a flight change and was directed out to the customer service counter.

a sign on a wall

The lounge staff, however, was cheerful and beaming with pride over the lounge as I expressed envy that we don’t have lounges like this in the States (with the exception, perhaps, of the new Capitol One lounge in Dallas). While the baristas could use some work on their latte art, they made excellent coffee drinks which really put a smile on my face.

CONCLUSION

Take advantage of this lounge if you have access. It represents a bold new concept for an airline lounge that I hope will proliferate across Canada and the USA. Lufthansa offers a similar lounge in Munich called the Senator Café, but this was the first of its kind in North America.

Get Daily Updates

Join our mailing list for a daily summary of posts! We never sell your info.

You have Successfully Subscribed!

Previous Article United Airlines Introduces “Bag Drop Shortcut” To Skip Airport Lines
Next Article JetBlue Pilot Arrested On Sobering Intoxication Charges

About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

Related Posts

  • United Airlines Polaris Lounge Chicago Review

    Review: United Polaris Lounge Chicago (ORD)

    May 1, 2025
  • United Airlines Southeast Asia

    Will United Launch More Nonstop Flights To Southeast Asia?

    April 28, 2025
  • Star Alliance Lounge Paris Review

    Review: Star Alliance Lounge Paris (CDG)

    April 25, 2025

22 Comments

  1. James Harper Reply
    March 3, 2022 at 2:08 pm

    This looks good especially for a domestic lounge.

    Have you ever visited the Signature Suite at YYZ? I have a four hour transit coming up in a few weeks and while I’ve read the AC info, I’d prefer an objective opinion on what to expect.

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      March 3, 2022 at 2:17 pm

      Has the Signature Suite re-opened? I visited it and LOVED it.

      https://liveandletsfly.com/air-canada-signature-suite-toronto-review/

  2. Jared Houser Reply
    March 3, 2022 at 2:52 pm

    Speaking of lounges, I have seen some reports that the LAX Polaris lounge has reopened. Can you confirm that?

    Don’t see how 1 Tokyo flight and 1 Sydney flight that are both pretty empty and at complete different times of the day can justify the lounge being opened? Wasn’t expecting it to return until April 16 when LHR resumes.

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      March 3, 2022 at 11:05 pm

      Yes, confirmed. UA let me know that the lounge reopened on 02 March. I’ll have a post about it tomorrow.

  3. Willem Reply
    March 3, 2022 at 2:55 pm

    I actually managed to visit this flight after a domestic connection to a transborder USA flight (before clearing customs), they almost snatched away the sandwiches that we’d brought at US customs in YYZ but reconsidered and let us keep them, thankfully

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      March 3, 2022 at 3:53 pm

      Good data point. Makes sense that you could visit because you were already in the terminal – I tired to walk walk to the terminal on both the secure and non-secure side (both possible) but was flatly denied.

  4. Justin Reply
    March 3, 2022 at 4:23 pm

    Love this lounge and fantastic to see the whole lounge concept be updated for contemporary preferences. I really like the innovations like focusing on grab & go options, proper barista-made hot drinks and fresh juices instead of a bar, plus the modern decor. Air Canada has become my favorite major full-service airline in North America.

  5. Homer Reply
    March 3, 2022 at 6:06 pm

    If this is “contemporary” or “modern” then I am hopelessly old fashioned, preferring for a 4 h stay QRs Al Mourjan with an exquisite a la carte menu and high quality beverages, including wines and spirits. Not unusual that modernity is used as a pretext for saving money on customers.

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      March 3, 2022 at 10:55 pm

      I love Al Mourjnan (or Al Safwa) too…but I will say the coffee is better in this AC Cafe and coffee is huge for me.

  6. Rohit Reply
    March 3, 2022 at 6:14 pm

    Offcourse, they cheated a lot of customers during the covid period by not letting them board the flight and not paying the refunds…I an still waiting for 3 tickets refund from them since Dec 8th 2021.

  7. Elle Reply
    March 3, 2022 at 10:03 pm

    I was there in the AC Lounge in Toronto in Dec 2021 ans in Jan 2022 and both times there was No fresh orange juice or any cold press juces at all whatsoever. All that ia gone now. Yes the Lounge is nice, comfortable and safe expweience.
    Coffee is yes amazing, there is beer on tap and water as well as other soft drinks.
    Food is pretty much meh now as its cold sandwiches premade and small snack size food you can order to your table vua mobile scan. The menu isnt much to be desired though, small scale since reopening since covid.

    Same exact menu even dessert, pasta, pizza slice, panacota thars runny
    Everything is served in paper box or wrapped in paper.
    Service is fine otherwise and very clean.
    Please bring back the fresh juices.

    And yes takeout is good as beverages free is good. All around good experience but pre covid was better. Showers in premium lounge , wish they would add in AC lounge.

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      March 3, 2022 at 10:54 pm

      They did have fresh-squeezed orange juice for my visit – I watched the agent squeeze it in front of me.

  8. PM Reply
    March 4, 2022 at 3:24 am

    Very interesting lounge, although I am a bit baffled about the ‘domestic pax only’ rule. Is this the only *G lounge in the world which is only open to passengers going to certain destinations as opposed to any departing *A flight? I certainly haven’t heard of another one.

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      March 4, 2022 at 4:58 am

      It’s not a lounge rule – no Star Gold or business class passenger would be turned away. What I meant to convey was the security folks seem very strict in Canada and won’t let you into the domestic terminal gate area unless you are on a domestic flight—at least that was my experience here on previous trips when I tried to visit.

    • PM Reply
      March 4, 2022 at 8:54 am

      Ah, makes sense now! Cheers.

  9. Derek Reply
    March 4, 2022 at 6:04 am

    As a 50k Aeroplan member, can I bring in a first guest?

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      March 4, 2022 at 6:04 am

      Yes.

  10. YULtide Reply
    March 4, 2022 at 6:22 pm

    This lounge has been there for three or four years, though closed during the pandemic. Good to see it reopened. It’s close to the gates for the flights to Montreal and Ottawa and designed for a quick pit stop with the grab and go concept to provision for one of those short flights. Though of course one can sit and enjoy the coffee and snacks on site. Other offerings such as hot food, alcohol and showers are available at the Maple Leaf Lounge upstairs, where one would normally spend a bit more time.

    Overall the Cafe is a good concept that introduces some choice and an option for a quick pit stop. I’d love to see more open up in other airports. YUL could really use one.

    Good review.

  11. W Ho Reply
    March 5, 2022 at 8:08 am

    You need to stop.
    What is a “sumptuous coffee”?

  12. Rachel Reply
    March 11, 2022 at 2:55 pm

    The cafe was closed for the vast majority of the pandemic, only opening briefly before closing again due to a flood (still closed due to flood).

    I’m glad you were able to visit, and it’s by far my favourite domestic lounge in YYZ, far surpassing the MLL. Seriously, the food offerings in the MLL are so disappointing and with the intense crowding situation these days, why even bother going.

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      March 11, 2022 at 4:16 pm

      I’m sorry to hear it has closed again.

  13. James Reply
    March 17, 2023 at 4:38 pm

    Random thing from googling – it looks like Emirates business class passengers in YYZ should get access as well.
    Additionally, for Emirates flights departing Toronto, Emirates Business Class passengers will have access to Maple Leaf Lounges and the Air Canada Café, and Emirates First Class customers (and up to one guest on the same flight) will have access to the Air Canada Signature Suite.

Leave a Reply to PM Cancel reply

Search

Hot Deals for May

Note: Please see my Advertiser Disclosure

Capital One Venture X Business Card
Earn 150,000 Miles Sign Up Bonus
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Earn 100,000 Points
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
Earn 75,000 Miles!
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Earn 75,000 Miles
Chase Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
Earn $750 Cash Back
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
Earn 120,000 Membership Reward® Points

Recent Posts

  • Denver Airport Business Class
    $19K Business Class…On Your Dime: Denver Airport Execs Take Luxury Jaunt To Spain May 9, 2025
  • Pre-Departure Beverage Economy
    Pre-Departure Beverage…In Economy Class?! May 9, 2025
  • Breeze Airways A220
    My First Time Flying Breeze Airways: Friendly, Fashionable, But Filthy… May 9, 2025
  • Richard Quest Island Hopper
    “We Are Delivering The Mail And Milk!” Richard Quest Flies The United Airlines Island Hopper May 9, 2025

Categories

Popular Posts

  • a room with a table and benches
    Where To Smoke At Paris Charles De Gaulle Airport (CDG) April 26, 2025
  • United Airlines Polaris Lounge Chicago Review
    Review: United Polaris Lounge Chicago (ORD) May 1, 2025
  • United Airlines Refresh Polaris Lounge Chicago
    First Look: United Airlines Reopens Renovated Polaris Lounge In Chicago (ORD) April 29, 2025
  • a hand holding a blue card
    Chase Sapphire Preferred 100K Bonus Offer Ending Soon May 2, 2025

Archives

May 2025
M T W T F S S
 1234
567891011
12131415161718
19202122232425
262728293031  
« Apr    

As seen on:

facebook twitter instagram rss
Privacy Policy © Live and Let's Fly All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Live and Let's Fly with appropriate and specific directions to the original content.