Democracy

Really like the food here… slightly overpriced but delicious, but most of the time they have incredibly poor service and are inexplicably slow. Often wait a long time at the counter before anyone acknowledges you, even when there are multiple staff working and they aren’t very busy. Food takes an incredibly long time, whether it’s off hours or busier hours, despite multiple people working in the kitchen.

Cute little coffee shop. The soy chai latte was good, no complaints. The all vegan menu has lots of variety, but most things I could probably make myself. The perogie pizza was delicious and satisfying. The carrot pecan cupcake was amazing! I had no issues with service. The server was actually very attentive. I wouldn’t go here expecting a fancy meal. It’s great for a casual setting to catch up with friends. I’d definitely come back again.

Disappointing!
My daughter and I had talked about Democracy a number of times, but never managed to get there. She and a friend stopped in one night but couldn’t get a table because it was so busy. Finally, on a January Sunday afternoon, we managed to get a table for a late lunch.
The café has a hipster décor, with small tables and hard wooden chairs. The walls have been painted with chalkboard paint and the floor is concrete. You grab a table and then head to the counter to order your meal.
The menu looked promising. We chose the Tempting Tempeh sandwich (marinated tempeh, caramelized onions, butternut squash, kale and mayo) and one of the «featured» sandwiches, a Veggie Panini. We also ordered two side salads: Kale and Mango as well as a «featured» Southwest Quinoa salad.
We had tap water to drink.
When our food finally arrived, we eagerly divided our sandwiches and swapped half, and then dug in. Here’s where disappointment hit: The Veggie Panini consisted of a hard-​toasted panini bread smeared with avocado and melted Daiya cheese along with a slice of tomato. The bread was rock-​hard; the flavour was meh. I would have expected some roasted peppers, onions, maybe some mushrooms, but only a pathetic slice of tomato defined it as a «veggie» sandwich.
The Tempting Tempeh sandwich was quite slippery with mayo, onions and squash and it slid apart with each attempt to bite it. It was really messy to eat (hint: don’t order this on a first date!). Again, the taste was a let-​down.
The salads were okay, although the quinoa salad was fairly bland. It could certainly have used some more spice /​dressing /​something.
Overall, the whole meal was pretty flavourless.
After all that, according to the signs, we were clearly expected to bus our own table.
I can’t really comment on the service because there wasn’t much. The person behind the counter was pleasant enough and the person who brought our food to the table was also pleasant. That was the extent of our interaction with any staff.
We noticed that the young women next to us had not finished their meal (pizza and soup) and they were simply enjoying coffee and chatting the whole time we were there. Others around us were having coffee or tea with muffins or bakery goods. This is probably a good place for just that: coffee and a muffin in an inexpensive trendy décor. But not for lunch — I recommend that you go somewhere else.

Went there today with a bunch of friends and their 3– & 4-​year-​old kids. We’d been once before and just like last time the food was great, the atmosphere was relaxed and the service was good.
They’ve got good beer on tap and their vegan sandwiches are massive, I particularly enjoyed the Hail Seitan which is essentially a vegan Philly cheesesteak — my wife got the Buffalo Tofu sandwich which was also pretty delicious. Between the sandwiches and a quinoa salad (which was great although admittedly a bit underdressed) we didn’t have enough room for dessert.
Unlike other reviewers here I haven’t had trouble with the service there before and I didn’t this time either. Our sandwiches took maybe 8 – 10 minutes to arrive. Having the chalkboard walls & tables was a boon for the kids as they could run around and draw while the parents talked (although I think the running kids annoyed a woman who was nearby on her laptop because she quite pointedly left in a huff — oops)
The price can be a bit steep for what you get but compared to other restaurants on Locke it’s pretty reasonable, and everything tastes fresh and well made.
I’d gladly go back and recommend it to anyone regardless of dietary preference. I know Chuck’s is right down the street if you’re looking for serious meat, but for some lighter fare and a more relaxed ambiance this is a good spot.

There is a casual yet sophisticated ambiance to the place and that is probably the only thing I liked about the place. (Also the walls which drawing chalk can be used to draw/​write on)
The customer service was somewhat disappointing, my order (just a salad) never arrived until I reminded them about it after almost an hour. The quinoa salad was rather bland.
If I ever decide to go back I perhaps have a better chance with desserts and coffee.

I gave this place two visits before posting a review, just to make sure they weren’t having an off day.
Ever have one of those dreams where you walk into a room and you’re invisible? You can hear other peoples’ conversations, walk up to them, wave your hand in their faces, but no one knows you are there? That is Democracy. Like Nicole said in her review, the staff is very conceited. I’m sure if I was wearing skinny jeans and had a tattoo on my forehead, then perhaps I would get some sort of recognition, but nope. They take your order, take your money, don’t smile, don’t make eye contact, next customer. The one girl with the over-​the-​top accent is the worst… quite honestly one of the rudest employees I have ever met, and she served me on both visits! Put her in the kitchen, have her operate the coffee machine, but not at the register! Maybe this place is supposed to be like Crabby Joes, where rudeness is their gimmick?
Anyhow, walking across the road to Brown Dog café from now on.

The staff is stuck up and the coffee tastes like dishwater. I’ve eaten here a few times when I’m too lazy to walk elsewhere, but I learned my lesson. I can see what they’re trying to do and I applaud it (family-​friendly, chalkboard walls, open door to Locke), but dude… dishwater coffee, more than once.
There’s better around, especially for the elevated price.