You've always got time for Tim Hortons! and other Canada Restaurant Reviews

Restaurant Name: Tim Hortons

Oh dear. While I don't normally recommend chain restaurants, especially large, corporate chains, Tim Hortons definitely has to be mentioned in a travel page about Canada.

Many visitors to Canada will already know about Tim Hortons before arriving. I don't even want to know how many visitors have arrived here to scout out a Tim Hortons, to open the door and then to find a non-descript generic coffee and donut shop.

"What? Is this it? This is Tim Hortons? The place all Canadians are raving about? It's just a donut shop!"

Bingo.

So why are all the Canadians raving about just a donut shop anyway?

First, Canadians love hockey. Tim Horton was a Canadian NHL hockey player. He founded the original Tim Hortons in Ontario in 1964.

Second, Tim Hortons (now owned by Wendy's restaurants) is like the McDonald's of Canada in the way that you can go to any small town in the middle of nowhere and you'll likely find a Tim Hortons there. So one reason why Canadians rave about Tim Hortons is because it's so familiar. No matter how large or how small the town, you can guarantee a Tim Hortons will be there.

Third, Canadians love to promote companies that were founded here. Tim Hortons just happens to be one of those companies. Many Canadians therefore associate Tim Hortons with the Canadian identity and feel it is their duty to support a Canadian company, for better or for worse, just because it's Canadian.

All things considered, I find that the hardcore Tim Hortons fans tend to be from Ontario, as this is where the chain exists in abundance and was initially founded. In a way, Tim Hortons is uniquely Ontarian moreso than Canadian. Slowly through the decades, Tim Hortons has expanded to other places across Canada. Tim Hortons is still relatively new in Vancouver. Up until a few years ago, you had to travel out of the city limits before you encountered a Tim Hortons. I met many Ontario-born residents in Vancouver that often complained about the lack of Tim Hortons!

Favorite Dish: Tim Hortons can't be beat in terms of pricing. In a world dominated by pricey designer coffee outlets, Tim Hortons is probably the cheapest place to go for a decent and flavourful fresh cup of coffee.

Do not, however, expect an espresso bar at Tim Hortons like you would in Starbucks or Second Cup, because it doesn't exist. Tim Hortons coffee is the simple North American-style perculated drip coffee. They also sell cannisters of ground coffee that you can bring home to make yourself.

When you order coffee at Tim Hortons, you do not add your own sugar or milk - the staff does. If you want only one packet of sugar and one shot of milk in your coffee, you ask for a "single, single". If you want two packs of sugar, and two shots of milk, you ask for a "double, double". As you wait in line for a coffee, you'll notice people asking for a "coffee, double, double". It's kind of Orwellian-sounding.

The French vanilla and English toffee cappuccinos are prepared in a machine from a mix. While not a traditional Italian cappuccino by any means, it's sweet and delicious, especially on a cold day.

The donuts are good at Tim Hortons, but the choice can be a hit or miss. Sometimes you'll have an excellent selection of donuts - honey-glazed, maple-glazed, chocolate dipped, longjohns, apple fritters, vanilla-dip... but sometimes the selection is poor and you feel like you're combing over the leftover donuts. When the donuts are plentiful, they're delicious. These are not the melt-in-your-mouth donuts from Krispy Kreme, but are not cake donuts either. The donut is light and flakey, and the icing glaze is sweet and crystalline.

Tim-bits are unique to Tim Hortons. They're like little pieces of donuts (but not donut holes) and come in a variety of flavours. They're ideal for sharing and are tasty for breakfast with coffee!

Also, when you're low on change and you're hungry, the sandwiches at Tim Hortons are really fresh and cheap. My favourite's the chicken salad. You can often get a sandwich, donut and coffee combo for under $5.

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Theme: Coffeehouse
Comparison: less expensive than average

Address: various locations across Canada
Website: www.timhortons.com