The Bauer Bakery & Cafe

A really like this place for grabbing a quick lunch. It’s within walking distance from my office building so I usually go a few times during the winter and more often in warmer months. I love the salads and the treats, squares, cookies and bars are all amazingly yummy. They do good coffee and lattes too, available iced too. If you don’t get there early the selection might be less as they sell out fast, but you can call ahead and they will put something aside for you. Staff is friendly and chill.

I wish I could write a positive review like the first review but I find myself comparing Bauer bakery to Sabletine and it’s clear Sabletine is the better bakery. The two bakeries sit on the same block (along side Vincenzo’s and they have a baked good section as well). I’ve come to this area twice so far and purchased from both bakeries. Though Bauer’s bakery is more relaxed and rustic, it falls flat on similar baked goods.
I purchased a maple tart, a plain croissant, and an almond croissant between two visits. The first visit was a bit of a disappointment as the barista informed why their shelves were almost barren. She mentioned that their baker was on vacation and nothing was available. I did choose a maple tart who’s price tag was around $ 4. It looked pretty with it’s browned caramelized top. When I bit into it, I was a ‘sad panda’. The top was really an «empty thin shell» sitting above the crust and maybe a drizzle of syrup in the middle. There was a good centimetre of air between that shell and the drizzle of syrup. Seeing how this was described to me by the barista as a butter tart but with maple syrup, this was a huge disappointment. Air is not a butter tart gooey centre replacement. Not only the filling was measly, it was also runny. Definitely not worth the price tag.
The second time I came, I bought 2 croissants. Seeing how they advertise that their croissants take 2 days to make (I’m assuming they’re talking about proofing their dough), I was hoping this would make up for the tart. The croissants were almost double the price of Sabletine’s but to be fair, they were also much bigger. The croissants were oddly flat to what I’m used to and that should have indicated that these not made in the traditional sense. When I cut the croissant in half, it was clear it did not have good technique to get the buttery layering. It looked like wonderbread. For a croissant cross section, you should see the lovely layers swirled around in a circle. When I bit into it, it was a bit too chewy so it didn’t have traditional crispy texture. It was also missing the buttery flavour of a good croissant. The almond croissant wasn’t any better… if anything it was worse because it clearly skimped on the almond filling! I bit into it thinking I got another plain croissant by accident. Any nutty taste of the croissant came from the sparse nuts placed on top of the croissant instead of inside.
The service was good though… they were polite and fairly quick. It’s just unfortunate the baked goods do not deliver especially for the price! Just take a quick minute and walk around the corner to Sabletine to get good baked goods.