Blackbird Baking

The best bread ever! Their baguettes never last more than an hour in our house. But… gets 4 stars instead of 5. Who’s ever heard of a bakery opening at 10? Not everyone in Kensington parties all night.

Came here for burger buns. White ones were crunchy but whole wheat were soft. When imasked the counter staff why that was the case, i was met with indifference.
Got a cinnamon bun… it was alright but i prefer the frosted softness from Cinnabon.
I was turned off by the customer service. You’d think i was inconveniencing them to take my money. No please or thank you.
Is the bread good? Its alright. Is it worth the aggravation? No

En route to Toronto today, I heard Canadian radio doing a story on Blackbird so I quick checked Unilocal for tips… And THANK YOU Sack S. From Toronto because I bought the very last 3 Caneles de Bordeaux they had this late afternoon and that was a rare experience indeed! Amazing! And you will not find Em so perfectly done anywhere else in North America.
Also bought a sandwich, a baguette and a chocolate croissant because, hey, who knows when you’re coming back to town! But stick with those Caneles. Amazing! Everything was perfect but the Caneles are a rare find.

Hands down the best bread in the city! I’ve tried many loaves and they’re all good but a strong shout out goes to the olive loaf.

Yes it is worth the 45 min drive to get fresh baguettes from Blackbird. The shape of the bread is unique, very pointy. For those that like to eat the ends of the baguette this one is for you. The crust is extra crispy and the taste is better then any baguette I have had this side of the Atlantic.
But wait it gets better, Blackbird now makes Caneles de Bordeaux, if you haven’t tried these French pastries you must. I consider myself somewhat of an expert on these since I spent $ 300 to get 24 of he copper molds to make them at home since I could not find the real things in TO. But Blackbird’s Caneles are the authentic version made with the correct copper molds, crispy on the outside with pudding like custard inside made with real vanilla beans.
Thanks Blackbird now please open more stores.

Very good bakery with strong local following. Upscale grocery stores carry their bread. It’s only one time incident but I bought a sourdough bread with its bottom totally burned. I had to scrape the bottom at home. Unfortunately I could not eliminate burned taste entirely. Hmmm.
To be fair, I like their pastries very much. And once I tasted their bread at a party and I just had to ask where they got the bread. It was that tasty. I wish they’d paid more attention to the quality control. Customer service of counter staffs ranges from friendly, standoffish, to semi-​rude. Considering the location is in the Kensington Market, this might be part of fun though.

Really enjoyed the bread here. Got here early on a Sunday before opening and got a guy holding up two hands signaling 10 (o’clock opening).
So I went to move my car closer and when I got back, could hardly get into the door.
Got my hands on this Olive bread only available three times a week (says the signage) and it was delicious. So many olives.
The baguettes were also good, nothing can beat white bread but the wheat is also good.
So many people are ordering lots of baked sweet goods, but I held off the enticement. But they are buying like 10 scones and 10 croissants, must be worth trying.
People were nice, logistics were quick, one takes order and another does cash. One thought is there wasn’t much room to stand, I wonder if a long narrow store would make their logistics more efficient than a short and wide store front. Either way, gets the job done.

LOVE THIS PLACE, it’s hard for me not to be in the city and not pick up some bread. I’ve been coming here for the better part of 2 years now and haven’t had a bad experience yet. It is definitely the best place to get your bread, I always walk in thinking of getting just a loaf of bread but end up walking out with a bag full.
Notably their Baguettes are unrivaled in this city. I haven’t had anything like it. Their baguettes have the perfect crust and light flesh. When you break into the crust of the bread you can just smell the amazing sour dough aroma and your mouth waters. Its great when you have the bread in your car or home and the entire space fills with the aroma of the bread.

Came here on a food tour and was really impressed by the spelt bread and the seasonal fruit danish that we sampled. I came back a few days later to pick up a pain au chocolat for breakfast and a Spanish omelette sandwich to take on the train with me. The pastry in the pain au chocolat was flaky and perfectly saturated with butter. The sandwich, made on fluffy focaccia, held up great despite sitting in my bag for a few hours.
This place gets really crowded. The fact that customers grab their own bread makes for a potentially unsanitary situation.

This cozy bakery has such a great selection of breads that range from baguettes to sourdough bread. I stopped by yesterday afternoon and grabbed a white baguette and a sesame smelt sour dough loaf. Both items were $ 4 and they offer to slice the loaf. Their bread is delicious, has an aroma that lasts for days and has a nice crunchy crust which is something I love. The service is friendly and warm but if you don’t go early enough, the bead sells out at the end of the day. I visited two weeks ago and they didn’t have any baguettes left! They also have a small selection of baked desserts, flour and granola.

Yup — I’m a fan!
I’ve yet to try their baked goods, but the breads are fantastique!
The focaccia, sour dough, good ol’ baguette. Minimal, yet so satisfying.
It’s a bit far away from my house, but I am delighted to see Blackbird breads at some of the speciality grocery stores nearby.

As a French being used to being spoiled on great bread … Well, stop: that doesn’t sound right! There is also crap bread in France.
Anyway let’s get to Black Bird. I am very picky with bread. The crust, the smell when you break it, the slight acidity etc. Great bread is about awesome ingredients, a great oven, craft and real attention to details. If there is really something that doesn’t suffer cutting corners that’s bread. And Black Bird is right there. From their different types of breads (crusty baguette, sourdough, Pullman and including middle eastern type flat breads) to their croissants, cinnamon buns etc. everything is top notch. And their loaves keep very well over the week. I just wouldn’t think of going anywhere else than this charming little boutique in Kensington Market where the staff is always smiling. Such a great place!

the baked goods here are absolutely delicious! not a single item I’ve tried has not been good. I’ve bought multiple packs of white buns in the past, froze them and reheated in the toaster oven and they are almost just as good
was also a great plus they participated in a farmers market during the summer, super close to home for me so it was convenient to get my bread fix during the work week

Out of this world delicious rosemary and olive sourdough. Reasonable price for amazing bread!

Two words! Fantastic bread!
Havent had bread like this is a long time. Have tried white and brown and they are both delicious!

My sister’s been telling me about this bakery for the longest time but I never dropped by until yesterday. I squealed like a little girl when I saw it and dashed in. The mister just stared at me as if I lost it. We got two Asiago Rosemary (I think?) scones and had it for breakfast this morning. They are amazing! The flavour isn’t too heavy and the texture of the scone is amazing — a beautiful crust on the outside and super soft inside.
I went in initially looking for a loaf of Olive Bread (actual olives in the bread) but unfortunately they don’t have it. I would love to see that on your menu if you don’t already carry it.
Will definitely return!

The bread here is definitely top notch and well worth the trip over to Kensington for if you don’t already have a stellar bakery in your area. I got myself a multigrain oval that had the most amazing crust, flavourful and a great chew overall. I barely needed to toast it as the crust was already so. crusty! I made myself a grilled cheese that same night (yes I was a little overexcited) with some aged cheddar from Prince Edward County and it was heavenly.
I also ordered one of the fruit danishes when I lined up and it was the flakiest thing ever (in the best possible way). The custardy filling on top was sweet but not overwhelming, the perfect compliment to the buttery exterior. My only complaint with it was the fruit didn’t hold on very well.
I do agree with one of the reviews below that the method of choosing the breads on the wall is a little bit unsanitary and also chaotic. When it gets busy it’s just hands all over the place trying to get to the goods. There were a few people confused on how they should go about serving themselves. Personally I think it’d be more efficient if they had one loaf of each bread displayed in the front case, you can order whatever you like at the counter and they would package it (and slice it if you want) for you behind (similar to how Nadege does their pastries). Also would make paying easier as there be a clear system of ordering and picking up.
Other than the slightly chaotic set-​up of this small shop, the breads themselves are delicious and well worth the hype.

Stopped in today for a bun because I made a solemn promise to myself never to pass this place again without taking some of their bread home. Grabbed a few whole wheat single rolls ($ 0.75 ea.), still fresh and delicious hours later at dinner. I give extra points for how a place looks usually, and it IS super friggin’ cute here thanks to the tiny, clean space and monochromatic branding, but the bread and treats here earn those stars all by themselves.
Oh and last summer I ate the best burger POSSIBLY OF MY LIFE on a Blackbird challah bun, if you’re wondering about the back story of that solemn promise thing.

Fresh warm bread right out of the oven is like experiencing heaven on earth! Their unique flavours will have you coming back for more. It’s a tiny space that can get crowded but the line moves fast.
The olive/​rosemary bread is delish and I had my eye on the Moroccan bread with za’tar spices but I didn’t have time to go back and get some. Definitely pick some up next time.
They use the highest quality ingredients which are all locally sourced. They also carry some organic maple syrups here as well,
If you want a dance party in your mouth, start with some bread from here!

I was here today and picked up a sandwich and a flourless chocolate cake. First off, I popped my head in here a few weeks ago and have been eyeing their veggie sandwich. And I was, upon consumption of it today, blown away with the flavours that were dancing on my tongue. Marinated Eggplant, melted mozzarella cheese, red peppers and arugula all between two pieces of their focaccia bread. Unfortunately, I didn’t snap a picture of it. I was enjoying it by savouring every bite, but I will the next time I am in the kensington area. They grill it and it is pure perfection! I have yet to try their other goodies, both savoury and sweet…
OH, how could I have nearly forgotten the flourless chocolate cake? See, that sandwich rendered me speechless enough to almost forget chocolate (extra long gasp)!
Extremely rich, probably best paired with a glass of milk, but again decadence is sure to be in every bite with their flourless chocolate cake, it does have walnuts on the bottom, which adds to the taste, however, if you are allergic, you know what to do and that is go with option no. 2: _​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​ (insert anyone of Blackbird’s other nut-​free treats)… and you will be sure to return!