Terrible service, and worse food - and they have the gumption to ask for large tips even when they aren't doing any serving. Once upon a time people with simple needs got a fair deal there, but those days are long gone. read more

My boyfriend and I decided to go out for pie and visited Future Bistro after reading all the positive reviews. Quite frankly, I'm disappointed! The reviews were so good but my own experience was quite sour. We ordered 2 slices of apple crumble pie. It was cold! The staff member didn't offer to warm it up for us. It was like a morcel of pie for $6.40. I ordered a lemon tea along with my pie (and she asked if I wanted any honey on the side). The boyfriend ordered a vanilla chai latte. He said the latte was excellent. Overall, I'm just bitter that I spent like $13.00 on a tiny, cold slice of pie. What a poor experience :( Who likes cold pie? read more

Future Bistro - Cold apple crumble pie :( - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

I don't want to be THAT reviewer, but honestly, the cake I had tonight was trash garbage. I got a slice of Stawberry shortcake, which tasted awful. The "white chocolate" tasted like kids makeup, the cream wasn't much better, and it was more like a weird strawberry jam-jelly situation, instead of fresh strawberries. All around just a very poor quality, bad tasting, sad excuse kind of cake. I'm pretty disappointed, and I'm annoyed I spent $6.78 on a slice of trash. read more

I love this place. Really down-to-earth, unpretentious, reliable, comforting, and a bit like meandering back in time. The mashed potatoes with gravy are always an excellent (and cheap!) choice. read more

Came here on a Sunday for lunch at around 1:30pm. The place was busy but not completely full. This was our first time here and we didn't know that we had to order/pay/pick up from the counter. This restaurant serves a huge variety of food from schnitzel to sausages to burgers and sandwiches. They also have a variety of beers on tap and in cans for you to choose from! We ordered a ham & swiss sandwich, homemade borscht soup and the grillwurst sausage entree. Portions were all very big and it was all tasty. The soup was amazing and I would highly recommend it! Prices are definitely high for this very casual restaurant. The employee behind the counter was helpful and friendly, but nothing over the top. To end, good food, good service, overpriced. read more

Future's has delicious cakes! I love the cheesecakes the most. Although a little on the expensive side, it's totally worth it. Make sure you get the punch card to earn your way up to a free slice. If you're looking for something to just satisfy a craving they have little tiny pieces left over they sell at a discounted price. The other baked goods are quite expensive so I never get one of those. Ive never dined in or ordered anything off the menu but lots of my friends have recommended it to me. This place is always busy and probably one of the most popular places in the Annex. read more

As an Annex foreigner, Future was a warm welcome wagon to snack and gossip with my girlfriends. What a great place, with a casual and busy (but homey) atmosphere. Crowded, but just the right amount, we were able to drink tea and pick at one of their many delicious cakes. Tremendous cheese cake selection! The cookies and other sweet treats all looked amazing, as did everything else Future has to offer. There was some beer drinking / mashed taters and meat eating happening beside us that looked just as appetizing. Future seems to offer a cool combination of hot meals, alcoholic beverages, desserts, coffee and tea. And although we stayed inside to avoid the snow, the corner patio and sliding windows would be just great in the summer. read more

CAKE! That's all I know about Future Bakery. I met some friends here for coffee and dessert and was blown away by the massive slices. The best part was watching people's eyes light up when their dates came back to the table with the massive pieces. Not that into cake? Well, you're in luck - they also have fruit pies and double chocolate fudge shortbread cookies. FYI, I've never eaten off the menu before, but the other half of the restaurant serves brunch/lunch/dinner and has a fully licensed bar. We sat beside a couple drinking beers and eating a plate full of roasted chicken and mashed potatoes. It seems like a good, casual spot for home cookin'-like food. read more

Great all-around café. Warm, student-friendly atmosphere invites you to stay a while. East-facing patio is great a great place for a beer (or two or three) in the summer. Cakes are top notch also; they sell out quickly so grab your favourite slice early in the day. Obligatory Title Pun: The FUTURE is now! Menu Readability: Awkwardly placed above counter, but readable. Need to mention: I've had three first dates at this place and no dice. What this place teaches me about myself: It's not you, it's me. read more

No frills, feel good place. The tables are sticky sometimes. Music can be loud. But crowd and servers are great. I go to this place to relax and eat, not dine, eat. Coffe refill is $1. Dessert is just plain awesome. Did I say awesome? You'll find university students on budget. That makes this place especial - brings back old memories. Hurray to sticky tables. read more

I have been holding out on reviewing this place because frankly I don't get what all the hoopla is about. When you live in the west end the Annex often becomes middle meeting ground for everyone and somehow this place is always regarded as neutral territory. I am sure if i lived around here I would cut this place a bit more slack (in the form of an additional star) but that's it.. this is not a place I ever see myself recommending to others for food or drink. Their most redeeming qualities are great desserts and a nice patio... so in the winter this place is nothing more than a cafeteria-style cake bar! Taylor O.'s comment about the Sangria bering terrible was right on par. There was an odd radioactive look and taste to the mixture which made me think their sangria was bought readymade and poured over ice. I will say that this place is cheap and certainly student friendly but I have yet to be wowed about anything in particular from here. read more

I have always loved this place, since my days at U of T back in the 90's. The go to spot for coffee, pasties and hanging out in the Annex. Met a friend here last week on Saturday afternoon. Started off with a hot apple cider, just what i needed on cold afternoon. For lunch I had chili, she had smoked salmon on bagel with chick pea salad and mashed potato. Food really good. I had large piece of decadent chocolate cake for desert. Funky atmosphere, full of students and Annex residents, great pastries. A local gem. read more

I went here the other day for breakfast after always passing a busy patio on my bike ride home and finally giving in to my curiosity. Well, I wish I didn't let that cat out of the bag. I opted for the Eggs Benedict, which for me is a tell-tale way to judge a place that serves breakfast. It was just awful and I was totally put off by the atmosphere (which might have affected my taste buds more than it should have) but I thought the sauce was too lemony, the spinach too crispy, and the potatoes a little too "I've been under a hot lamp for the past two hours"-y. I will say that the eggs were done well in terms of the right amount of runny yolk, but I really couldn't bring myself to eat more than one half of the meal. One thing that particularly made my experience less than optimal was that I must have pulled out about 4 forks from the cutlery section before finding one that wasn't covered in opaque grey water droplets or crumbs of food. Also, my boyfriend got the veggie lasagna (which was huge and served with two sides) that he seemed to like but it looked lifeless to me. This being said, I may not have ordered the right dish and had I gotten a beer and an order of french fries, maybe it would have been different. The cheesecakes did all look amazing, but I will not be back to try them. The portions are good and the price is right, so maybe suited for a less-discerning eater, but this is one experience I will not repeat. read more

Stopped in here for a coffee and dessert as we waited for friends. The coffee seemed fresh and tasted well. We also got a cheese cake that had great presentation and was moist and rich. The seating area is large but it was busy on a Friday night so it was a little hard to find a spot. You will need to go up to the bar to order as there isn't any servers or at least there wasn't any that I saw. I think next time I might try to Future for their food as well from what I saw it looked good. read more

This was a regular hangout for me when I was a student at UofT often seeking a good breakfast for the morning after. When I joined the workforce and moved out of the neighbourhood I retained fond memories but didn't visit. So while I did know that the other future bakeries were history,I didn't know this one was now the future bistro. That, however, might be the only change. Still the best all day breakfast, and could it possibly be the same price I paid in 1993? Tea and coffee that's not fancy but just good. A case full of the most tempting pastries and cakes that probably still beckon the weak-willed out of bed or out of the library for a nibble of something sweet and really good. Besides, you can bring your books and linger; they won't mind. But I hope you don't need quiet to study... Service continues to be pleasant and friendly. A welcome departure from the common toronto snootypusses. Alas, the servers all look like babies to me now. I glad I've rediscovered it. read more

Joined friends for breakfast on Family Day (Monday) at 9:30 am. Pros: Good food, choice of organic coffees, nice vibe, warm atmosphere, university student hangout. Cons: Overuse of disposable items, i.e. juice in a plastic cup, butter in a single-serve thingy, ketchup in a plastic take-out thingy, all even when eating in. Neutral, but good to know: Cafeteria style...no table service. read more

Came here looking for some dessert after a meal near by. What we ate: - Bailey's cheese cake (2/5) Just tasted like mascarpone with vanilla flavouring - Chocolate cake (0/5) Horrible and stale - Raspberry explosion (3/5) My friends seemed to enjoy this one the most - Coffee (1/5) Tasted like your typically water down affair. They get 1 star for serving it in actually coffee mugs. I will not be back. Eek. read more

I admit it. I am addicted to the Dutch Apple Crumble Pie. There, I've said it. Going for a big slab of cake at Future Bakery on a Sunday afternoon (actually, it doesn't really matter what day it is) has to be one of my favourite Toronto experiences. Although I've always just had warm crumble with cream, I can speak on behalf of my friends (who are a little bit more experimental than I) to confirm that all the other cakes are pretty amazing too. The studenty atmosphere makes it all very laid-back and means you can happily take your time, without feeling like you have to rush. I have to say, I have tried eating their regular dinner/lunch food and it's not good. Although if you're after big portions at cheap prices then you could do worse. read more

:) Man, it's hard to write reviews sometimes that reflect the place and not just the time I had there. I had a wonderful friend date but I have to toss away our lovely catch-up session and focus! Future is quite the cool place. Gotta say, I was a little intimidated at first because it seems like there would be many unwritten rules. But everyone that works there was super friendly so if you have a question, just ask. Two separate counters makes things a little odd for me. I wanted something from both! What's a girl to do? Went to get the soup of the day first- vegetable. I was quite homey and delicious, coming with two slabs of cold rye bread. The guy that rang me up was kind of pushing it around though making for lots of spillage. Then to the other side for coffee and a cookie. The cups they give you are kind of small, is the coffee bottomless? It's self-serve and you can choose from many different types. There's a little station with milk, sugar, etc. I had the chocolate chip and peanut cookie. It was good, but not the best cookie I've ever had. Love the thought of the peanuts though! All in all, it's a nice and comfy spot. Not always easy to get a table but as the weather gets warmer and warmer that should be less of a problem. read more

I've come here for brunch a number of times and it always a good experience. Seating is comfortable and the atmosphere is very laid back and relaxing. They have beautiful-looking cakes, which I will come back to try. The brunch is quite good and they are very fast too. Coffee is self-serve too, so you can refill as you need! I will definitely come back. read more

Future Bistro - Eggs Benedict with smoked salmon - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

What else can be said about futures? well, sure it's loud, lacks sufficient couching, makes subpar coffee, and has no wifi. But somehow it has been a go-to date place for so long.. maybe because its open late enough on a weeknight and is near my house :P Well it does have some redeeming qualities. It's fantastic for people watching. And they do have a nice patio in the summer. Also, they actually have some half-decent beers on tap.. last time I was there I had most of a pitcher of Sapporo to myself. and I was outside. I was happy. read more

Went there today for breakfast at 8am. It's nice to actually find a place that's open, running, and settled at that time in the morning- I find the breakfast selection earlier than 11:00 in Toronto pretty weak at times. I went to Future after reading some Yelp reviews, and finding myself uncharacteristically hungry on my way to Home Hardware. Other yelpers are right, breakfast is relatively cheap, quick, and not bad. I have to say, my poached eggs were cold (I watched the waitress behind the counter take 3 orders while my eggs sat there on the counter) and they were poached a little hard for my liking. Good selection of drip coffees, and the patio was REALLY nice to do the crossword and people watch on/at. The homefries were delish. All in all, I will likely go back when I'm up early, and I'm pretty interested in coming back for all you can eat perogie night. read more

Combine two of my favourite things (cake and beer) and I'm there with bells on. The atmosphere inside is warm and casual. It can get a bit crowded depending on the night, but it usually never gets super loud or rowdy. Food coma I guess. They have a wide variety of brews on tap. Nothing to write home about, but the standard Ontario team plus some European exports makes me more then happy. The cake options are pretty variable (I went with some sort of heart stopping chocolate number) but they also have other deserts available, but I'd go for the cake. Not sure if they have it anymore but they used to have these little cards where if you ate 10 pieces of cake, you get the 11th free! Weeeeee! read more

We came here as a group of 6 - and the place had plenty of seating, so it is a good place to go to if your in a larger group and they were open late which was also great. We each got a slice of cake and the cakes were pretty good and there are lots of cakes and cheesecakes to choose from. The Truffle and chocolate raspberry cake was everyone's favourite. read more

Future Bistro - Lots and lots of cake - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

I like the coffee and pastries... which are made off site and delivered fresh. Beware of the kitchen-food as I saw a huge cockroach crawling on the display glass. read more

I remember visiting Future's for breakfast with a friend years back and it was only until recently did I notice they were open late at night. I stopped by to hang out and play some cards last Friday evening and it was a packed house. Future's is a nice little hang out joint. The atmosphere is a hipster vibe which is fitting for the Annex. They have a cafeteria style service, two areas, one for food and the second for coffee and desserts. Service was prompt, the line moved quickly for coffee. I also noticed on many tables, folks were ordering what looked like sangria! Now, I definitely have to come back. If you are in the Annex area, drop by and check it out yourself. read more

Anyone remember when Future Bakery was big business? It had multiple locations around Toronto, and it was focused heavily on the food and culture of its Ukrainian ownership. While the Annex location is still kicking strong and remains a popular beacon for starving U of T students, the others, except for the tiny St. Lawrence Market outlet and a baking factory in the city's Westend, have all but disappeared. All that remains is a lone, ceramic Ukrainian Easter egg sitting high up on a shelf in the Annex location. But time moves on I suppose, and there's a reason that despite the others all going under, the Annex location is still packed at almost all hours of the day. Future is cheap. Straight up, that's probably one of the predominant reasons they're so busy, but it's not as if you're getting some reheated crappy food for your money. They make some pretty good stuff. (Right off the bat, I'd like to point out that there is a food outlet right in the back of this place, and I think they sublease it to sell food in there, but I am including it in this review, despite that they might be two different places.) Most notably, you can grab a pretty good breakfast there, especially on a Sunday morning. Sundays in the Annex are deadsville; everything is closed until the early-afternoon, so if you live in the area or you happen to find yourself there because you thought everything would be open, this is a great place to grab a pleasant morning breakfast or a greasy hangover cure. Future has some seriously amazing cakes, and if that's your thing, then you should know that Future is probably one of the best values for cake in the city. Besides having a killer selection of top quality cakes, they all sell for about 5 bucks a cut. There are a whole ton of different kinds too, ranging from fruit pies and caramel-based cakes to cheesecakes and heavy-chocolate tortes. Although I don't find their coffee particularly spectacular, they do have it available, and it's still a pretty natural choice to go with the cake, despite being nothing-more-than-average. Once the warmer months hit, Future place has got a pretty spectacular patio too. Busy, big, and perfect for people watching, it's easily the 2nd best patio spot in the Annex. It covers the whole side of Future's corner building, and it's an ideal place for cold pints. Future pretty much accommodates everyone. Early morning breakfast, late night after the bar, mid-week meeting spot, in-between-classes study hole; no matter what you're using it for, chances are that Future will be able to offer you something. So despite the fact that the Ukrainian aspect is no longer really existing here--or at least not being a visible existence--it hasn't slowed this place down at all. Most likely, people haven't even noticed the lack of Ukrainianess. And while purely for nostalgic reasons, I find that a bit on the disappointing side, as long as every time I go in there I can be reminded of Future's past by that lone Uki Easter egg, I'll make due, and I'll being eating cake. read more

So I have to say this review is based on our experience yesterday. (we have had better ones before) We were rather disappointed in our late night snack Friday night. We got everything to go, or else I think I would have complained directly to the staff. Our Order: 2 slices - cherry cheesecake, and pecan pie 2 drinks - coffee, and hot spiced apple cider The cherry cheesecake was pretty good. It had a solid rich cheesecake flavour. The 2 stars are for scored solely for it's deliciousness. However, my hot apple cider was so heavily spiced, I had to throw it out after 2 sips. I normally do like a lot of spice in my food, so for me to say that it's too much, means it was undrinkable! Their pecan pie somehow ended up with the filling underneath the crust, so it was pecans on top, crust underneath, and a peculiar mince-meat/lumpy textured filling on the bottom. Totally unappetizing. Is this normal, or just a really bad batch? Does anyone know? Other than the cheesecake, I'm not sure it's even worth the calories to eat it... the nearly $20 price tag is my only motivation to try to eat it. I might be back, we normally like the atmosphere.. but it will be for something else entirely. I don't think I could stomach trying the same items again. read more

Solid and affordable 3*** option if you are in the Annex. Have been here a few times and it strikes me as a popular student option for lunch, though the crowd is usually a mixed bag. There are student specials if I recall correctly so bring your ID. Personally, I'd stick to the cabbage rolls, schnitzel and perogies. My friend had the smoked salmon and it looked and tasted pretty (below) average. If you have a sweet tooth, there are many cake and cookie options here, although they seem a bit pricey to me. $1.60 for a medium coffee is decent but $2.60 for a stale, day-old oatmeal raisin cookie is not cool. Also... all-you-can-eat Perogies Wed 5-9pm. The Pole in me is telling me I have to make this happen sooner rather than later!! read more

Been here a few times - the vibe is pretty cool. It's pretty hard to pull off a cafe/bar where you can feel equally comfortable drinking coffee or beer. And you do all-you-can-eat perogies (Thursday night) or just have a piece of cake. The patio is quite large and do take advantage of the early bird breakfast/brunch specials (before 11AM daily) and it's damned cheap breakfast. I didn't rate it higher because I ordered a schnitzel which was sadly both small and dry. Probably shouldn't have ordered it at a place like this - but if it's going to be crap, why have it on the menu? But still not bad for being all things to all people, really. read more

Future Bistro - Smoked salmon egg benedict - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Great week in Toronto. This was the only disappointment. The bar nachos had such tasteless tomatoes that we scraped them off. Totally mediocre... and $17???? The mixed drink was watery and tasteless. I complainwd and all I got was indifference. Do not waste your money. read more

This place is great. So far I have only been here twice and I think I'm going to keep coming here. They have a variety of food and come on who doesn't love all day breakfast? I don't think there's anything better then getting Eggs Benedict at 8:00 pm on a Wednesday. I feel like you definitely get what you pay for here and in some cases (almost always) get more than what you pay for. It's kind of like the 50 cent hotdogs at Ikea. Overall you've had better but they're 50 cents so they seem a lot more amazing then you would think. They could have better waiter serves though. Better as in have more waiters. They only had one guy working the patio and one cleaning up. Although he was really sweet/nice, he seemed very distracted. He wouldn't come to us so we always had to call him over. But again if they just got 2 more waiters out there, this could have been avoided. BTWs if you like and when I say like I really mean LOVE!!!! cheesecake, then this place is for you. read more

Future's is one of my fave spots in Toronto, especially when I was in university. I've been there countless times and have never been disappointed. Patio season is the best to go! I've had items from the all day breakfast (great!), a few cakes (Caramel Crunch is my fave) and my fave meal: the chicken parmesan sandwich. The food is very reasonably priced and they are not cheap with their sides which I appreciated. Two tips: parking on a weekend night is not the easiest to find in the area. And I believe it's cash only (but they do have a bank machine on-site). Also, it can be quite crowded inside when it's not patio season, but still well worth it. A great spot! read more

Futures and I have had our ups and downs over the years. It's been a love-hate-love-hate sort of thing. We first met in the summer. Futures has a gorgeous patio. Always filled with happy people and summery drinks, I found myself enjoying coming here on a regular basis. Service was slow, but hey, it was a cool spot, and I was willing to overlook some faults in this stage of the relationship. Eventually came the nachos test. They were awful. I can't specifically remember what it was, but I vowed never to mention them in Future's vicinity again, and for years I didn't. But I thought, hey, why not try breakfast? Also awful. The eggs were mediocre. Nothing else was all that impressive. 0 for 2. I decided Futures was a place to grab coffee and the occasional beer. Time passed, and while there with some friends, the topic of food came up. Chicken fingers. Why not, I thought. They were good. I was surprised. I actually liked something not in liquid form at Futures. In time, I came to find other good items on the menu. The moral here is that Futures has a lot to offer. Not all of it is up to snuff. But there are things that are worth coming back for. read more

A place like future's is fantastic because it's honest. It is what it is, you get what you pay for. Six dollars for breakfast and it comes with unlimited coffee? You have me. No, you OWN me. If there is one thing I know, it's breakfast. They have a hit-the-spot eggs benny that makes my heart melt on a Saturday morning. The hilarious part? They know how to poach an egg. I've been to expensive breakfast places that can't poach an egg and I find myself yearning for futures. read more

I've been going to Futures (yikes) for something like 25 years. Started when I was just out of uni, needed a homey kind of place to have beer and mashed potatoes, visit with friends, have some cake. Found it. It's still a great place to order something (I love that I can have mashed while one friend is having cake, another is having soup, and still another is having beer and toast), relax and talk with friends. It's pretty dang casual, though sometimes you can see some fairly important politico types huddled over some paperwork (in their civvies, not suits). The mashed potatoes are still fantastic, the patio is a great place to have a beer whether you're 20 or 60+, breakfasts really are quite good (a friend from Philadelphia always has to go there for pancakes on every visit). Nothing wrong with the place except for the bathroom, and I don't think there's a good resto restroom within blocks. read more

One of the only place open early, the breakfast what's cheap and bomb, I just got the simple 3 eggs scramble, white toast, bacon and home fries. Everything was cooked right and the potatoes were very spicy how I like! Great early affordable breakfast read more

Future Bistro - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

The Toronto Lover system: 5 stars = Must visit! 4 stars = Really good. I take my friends here. 3 stars = Somewhat worth it... if you have nowhere better to go. 2 stars = Below average. Attend only when necessary. 1 star = Do not visit! Future's has one of the best locations in Toronto, so you can't miss when it comes to having a drink on the patio. They have always served a variety of food, ranging from roasted meat, perogies, and mashed potatoes, to cheesecake and tasty desserts. What was once a beatnik-centred clientele has turned somewhat yupster, and the all-night chess games that took up the main room have been replaced by an Annex crowd that longs for sushi and frozen yogurt. I've been here so many times with friends that 4 stars is the only natural choice, but the quality of the place is mostly deserving of a 3. The prices are average; the food is hearty or sweet - depending on which side of the restaurant you're visiting - but nothing spectacular. It is constantly busy, so do not expect speedy or exceptionally friendly service. 3 stars read more

My second goto place for a rich and decadent dessert without breaking the bank. For only $6 a slice plus tax, get the cake or pie you wish for from over 50+ choices!!! Who needs The Cheesecake Factory? My go to cake: the light airy and decadently sweet Super Caramel Crunch cake. read more

The desserts do not disappoint! Future's cheesecakes are amazing and their Truffle Royale is to die for! Salads were a bit bland. Desserts were pricey. However, the quality of Future's food (especially their cakes!) make up for the prices. Will definitely be coming back again to try out more of their amazing cakes! read more

Future Bistro - Truffle Royale. It was divine. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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