tuna melt is OK, but I won't return because of the poor environmental policy. You do not allow recycling of pop cans, plastic water bottles and plastic juice bottles you sell. The fellow just shrugged and said NOPE when I asked about a recycle bin. Why bother with the wooden fork. Really! read more

The donuts are delectable same with the hot chocolate and also the coffee I recommend I don't really like the sandwiches

Was hoping to get a salad. Only to learn it was a bakery. So a lil disappointed there. Yet, it's in the name, a bakery. Their bread looks good. When I went they had sold out of their bagels, which also look great, from the pictures I've seen. The brownie I got when I went was pretty tasty. I'd definitely be interested in giving their bread a try. Next time. read more

Hey Yelpers! It was advised by my partner's friend and also my co-worker to visit City Café Bakery for their fresh baked goods. Let me tell you, it was not disappointing. I purchased their butter milk croissants, cream filled chocolate doughnut and the pineapple coconut scone. The croissants were pretty. Obviously not as good as the ones made in France but pretty good. The doughnut was not sweet at all to which I highly enjoyed. The cream in it was light and the chocolate wasn't too sweet. The doughnut batter was soft too. As for the pineapple coconut scone... my bf ate that. He said he wished there was more pineapple in it. The pricing is good. What caught me in awe is the way you pay. You pay exactly the amount and you insert the money into some device. Pretty cool and interesting. They really trust their customers to pay them the correct amount. I'd def return again. Until next time :) read more

Popped in for a pizza lunch and coffee. The pizza was exceptional! Roast eggplant, onion, mushroom and goat cheese or a super thin crispy crust. 2 enormous slices for $7. The staff is so friendly and welcoming and the payment honour system just makes me happy! Got a beautiful loaf of sourdough to bring home too! read more

It's an excellent bakery place hidden at a comer in Kitchener area. They offer really simple and outstanding products. In the morning, they have wood fire bagels & donuts. For the donuts, you can smell the fragrance of fermenting of the dough. And their homemade fillings was not too sweet as Tim Hortons but delicious. For lunch, they have the Melt. I like the tuna melt best. When you eat the crispy bread and the soft tuna with cheese together, it's really amazingthey also have delicious pizza slices It's a good place for a easy breakfast or lunch. read more

I love this chain. Pay cash ny the honour system...the kind of place that gives you faith in humanity. Love the coffee and the baked good are mouth watering. I would love if they had a bowl of fruit to grab with your coffee and baked good. read more

We love their cheese buns, croissants and pizza slices--and look forward to trying their other offerings as the occasions arise. Their bagels are pretty good, but very different from the dense, sweetish, Montreal-style bagels that are my favourite (and which, to me, are the quintessential bagel--and are usually evocative of, but not quite as good as, *actual* Montreal bagels, from Fairmount or St Viateur--YUM!), so I tend not to be a big fan of other "bagel-shaped offerings" that are available in most places. These ones are fine, and are distinctive, and I'm sure some people love them. But back to the good: at the moment, I have one of their delicious, buttery (and gigantic) croissants waiting for me at home. I usually have the croissant over two meals (I've not got a super large appetite), and their cheese buns over three meals (they honestly are gigantic. Even my husband, who is a reasonably hearty eater, will split one of those over two meals unless he's really famished!). And yeah, they're serious about the honour system. My husband was stopping there a few weeks back and didn't have enough money (cash only). They told him to "just pay the rest the next time you come by." Of course, because we're not used to that in our society--and I get paranoid about forgetting!--I stopped by there the next time I was close by, later that day, and put the amount owing into the box. The seating area does tend to get a bit packed, as mentioned by other reviewers. Still, they're an institution in K-W, and as such, definitely worth a try. read more

Love how these folks use the honour system when it comes to getting payment. :) I'm sure more than a few folks say "Nah, I don't need any change" :) Their donuts take me back to my childhood, when donuts were actually made fresh at local bakeries, rather than the mass produced flavourless confectionaries we find today. They're awesome! Their croissants are also very good (and HUGE), but not quite as good as the Golden Hearth on King Street. The bagels are also quite good (again, not the best - that crown goes to Woodfire Bagels over on the Kingsway), but I really wish they had better selection for their bagels. They only had Sesame and something that looked quite strange when I went in (looked almost like cinnamon raison, but the colouring wasn't right....and it looked like it had corn meal dusted on it???) A great local jewel of a place. Very friendly staff. read more

Delicious bake goods and pizza. Hands down, this place has the best tuna melt in town. Free dog treats and a bowl of water for the fury companion. Fantastic local business feeling. read more

There's many things to like about this place. 1. The sourdough bread. It's the best tasting sourdough I've ever had, and also the best looking. Take a loaf home and make a grilled ham and cheese. It'll blow you away. 2. The croissants. They're fairly dark in colour, and have a sweetness to them. Nice and flaky, and a perfect accompaniment to a cup of coffee on a Saturday morning. 3. The pizza. Nice, thin, slightly crispy crust. Real mozzarella, and interesting toppings. 4. It's on the honour system. As another reviewer said, this makes everyone look like an idiot the first time in, but I think it actually saves time. You don't have to wait in line or anything -- go in, grab what you want, and dunk your cash in the box. The staff are always happy to make change, if need be. I've heard that the honour system actually treats them quite well -- their theft percentage is actually fairly low. Certainly lower than you might imagine. One minor quibble: it's nearly impossible to get a seat here on a Saturday morning, which is my favourite time to go. It's bustling and energetic, then and it's fun to watch the different kinds of people who come through the door. I don't think they should expand their cafe space (they'd lose some of the ambiance, I think). I guess I'll just have to keep coming here, and fending for a table. read more

Great donuts, coffee and brownie....Brownie was truely amazing...heard pizza and bagel is good too, hv to try it next time...

Somehow, for me anyway, the second location on Ottawa at Charles, has much better customer service.

staff needs customer service training. My coffee got spilled on the counter, and my wool coat, a utensil fell from a hook, as I was organizing jam. I usually just get a coffee, but treated my niece to a toasted bagel, no signs explaining it's all self service, including doing the toasting! Had to ask several times, and received very surly answers. Now I know the drill, but probably won't be back. read more

Have these folks changed their recipes lately? Their bagels used to be closer to Montreal-style bagels (at least a little), but I got some today and they were glorified buns - soft squishy things with a hole in the middle. The bread I got today was similar - light and fluffy. It could have been Wonderbread inside the artisanal crust. Gone was that dense glutinous chewy satisfying full mouthfeel... I was extremely disappointed. We're going to give these guys a few more chances, but based on my experience today, City Cafe Bakery has stopped making the kind of bread products that made them special to us. It was so disappointing! read more

Pizza is still okay, but we don't buy the bread or the bagels. The bagels are really not the one's they used to make, not as tasty sometimes almost unbaked, kind of wet dough. read more

I used to really enjoy going to this bakery and sang their praises for years. However, after stepping into their bakery this march break my opinion has changed. The quality of the baked goods and the vibe are still there but their customer service is horrible. I went in on a Wednesday and the woman would not accept my loose change. She embarrassed me and was very rude about it. A simple "We prefer larger denominations" would have sufficed. I went in the next day (today) and told her that I disliked her attitude. Her response? "Well why do you come here then?" I am sorry to say that I will never be going there again. The bakery does not want your service and has standards what is and isn't acceptable payment. It's no longer "City Cafe Bakery" but rather "Snobby Cafe Bakery" P.S This is not the first time, my Mother has come across the exact same thing. read more

I'm a regular for lunch at City Cafe. I live nearby. I like their melts. If there pizza is fresh, it's good as well. They will reheat pizza, but fresh is best imo. Tuna melt is probably my favorite. A couple pet peeves, they won't make a melt (or any other lunch, unless pizza is already made) 1 second after 2pm (on weekdays). I've walked in at 1:55pm, and you will literally see the employees eyeball the clock. I'm also a little squeamish about germs. They used to handle money, and clear tables/garbage while making pizza and melts, and not wash their hands. They seem to have have improved lately -- a lot more hand washing. People seem to get seriously confused by the honor system. I've wasted so much time behind people who don't know what they're doing. 1) They will make change for you, just ask (don't be afraid to ask the not busy person you didn't talk with about your order) . 2) They will not accept tips, so don't bother. read more

I love this place. The wood fire oven is wonderful. I've been coming here since it opened, and the sesame seed bagels are great. The selection of bread is very good, and the little cinnamon raisin loaves are cute and tasty. The honour system of payment is brilliant, as it builds trust and community. I'm sure that most of us round up :) Highly recommended! read more

Two words: tuna melt. This is less of the café and more of the bakery. One of my favourite stops for lunch as everything is done in house. Pizza can be quite good, but I stick to the sandwiches with a (generally bizarre) side salad. Payment is the honour system and manages to make everyone look like an idiot their first time in. read more

Best tuna melts in town!!! Everything in this bakery is top notch (staff included!) I am a regular at this location and the Cambridge location and regularly bring friends and family here for lunches on the weekends. And if you love butter tarts (but hate when they put raisins in them) then you Must try these out!!. Cash only is the only downside but well worth planning ahead for!!!! read more

A great place to finish after a run on the Iron Horse Trail. Nice and warm inside due to the wood fired oven. Really like their date squares. Often full, but we don't mind sitting outside on the deck beside the Christmas tree. read more

Exceptional experience, great staff super fresh baked goods a great way to start the day. My gf and I have made it routine to enjoy breakfast here every weekend. Super fresh Montreal style bagels, delicious cinnamon raisin buns, huge flaky croissant's and much much more make up their selection. I've only came in the morning, I've heard there they got great offerings throughout the day and it differs from day to day. Its a must have place to check out just sit back relax enjoy quality fresh baked goods and converse. To add... Something about their coffee, its really good. read more

One of our very favourite places in town. Pizza is terrific, tuna melts are yummy and the bread can't be beat. Coffee is sub-par but still better than many. read more

The 7 grain sourdough is amazing, Their bagels are great in the morning, and the chill atmosphere is amazing. People pay themselves, which is nice when you are grumpy in the morning. You have to go when things are fresh, as they sell out quickly. The schedule goes like this: early morning, bagels, then breads, then pizza for lunch. If you go in the late afternoon, everything except treats is sold out. read more

I (mostly) love City Cafe Bakery - it's a great destination when walking the Iron Horse Trail, or to grab a donut and coffee on the way to work or whatever (way better than anything you can get at Tim Hortons!). Great bread, good coffee, and decent pastries (I particularly like the pecan tarts and brownies). Wonderful tuna melts and pizza! Seating can be quite sparse at pretty much any given time, but more-so in the winter when the patio is closed, so be prepared to wait for a table or do take-out. You might want to take your stuff to go anyway though, considering the slightly ridiculous price disparity between the cost of sit-in and to-go for most menu items ($1.50 for one croissant to-go, but $2.50 to eat-in???). My two biggest gripes about the place have to do with the lunch service. I work nearby and on occasion like to stop by and grab a tuna melt. The problems I encounter (and appear to be similar to what others have mentioned) are 1) the woman that is usually there at lunch when I go in, spends way more time talking to people (people who either already have their meal, are on their way out, or whatever), than she does fixing the sandwiches. A number of times I've stood there for upwards to 5 minutes waiting for her to even acknowledge me and take my order, because she is so busy chatting. 2) The employees don't wash their hands as often as they should. I've watched as one sorted change (dirty, nasty, germ-laden money) and then went and handled someone's sandwich and chips, without washing their hands first. And another carried a ladder to the bathroom for some reason, carried it back and then started handling stuff in the kitchen, without washing their hands first. Gross! There is a sink right there in the kitchen, labelled in big letters "For washing hands only", but yet it seems to be largely ignored. Please, step it up on the customer service and sanitary measures, or I fear this might be the end of me stopping by for lunch at City Cafe Bakery. read more

Quaint and well stocked. One of the few places I can get a plain butter tart. Breads always yummy and just a cute little place to grab a snack. A+ read more

I live in the neighbourhood and have been buying bagels and bread there for years. My grandchildren love the bagels, I can always bribe them with promising a trip to the bakery for a bagel. Today I stopped in with my 19 month old granddaughter who put her little finger on a croissant too fast for me to catch her. The croissants were sitting on trays, uncovered about 2 feet off the ground, not very hygienic and certainly not out of harms way. A dark haired female staff person was quick to tell me quite rudely that I now had to pay for the croissant because they would not be able to sell it. I was upset by her attitude, paid for the croissant and left, I will likely not return. I did research Waterloo Region Health Services to see if how they displayed food was ever an issue with the Boatd of Health. It was. City Cafe Bakery was sited twice last year for improper food display as in leaving it open and unprotected against possible contamination and or adulteration. They were also sited for Hand washing issues. read more

A very popular bakery that serves breakfast bagels and lunch pizza. You serve yourself and pay into a box. Get there early, because they run out of their very limited selection quickly. read more

A thin crust portobello pizza was fresh out of the wood-fired oven and waiting for a taker, when we dropped by on our way home from work. Cash only honor system for payments is a neat novelty (but it meant we had to make an extra stop at a nearby bank machine beforehand). Get there well before 6 pm to be sure they're still serving pizza before closing. read more

We've heard about the City Cafe from friends who live in Kitchener and are devotees. We stopped by this morning to see what the fuss is about and were hit by the fabulous aromas as soon as we walked in. It's a vibrant place, ripe with the wonderful aromas of breads baking in the brick ovens. The coffee is fresh and hot, the date squares are gluten free and delicious, the croissants are massive, darker than we're used to but have a sweetness to them, and the sesame seed bagels toasted with cream cheese were delicious! We bought several to take home but I think these will be need to be eaten very soon else they get too hard. The only downside that we saw was that there was no seating at that hour in the morning, a very busy place! read more

This is the best little Cafe around. Their food is the best. Their bagels are perfect. And their tarts. No better around. And the way you pay is the best. Great job. read more