When we walked by, we saw a happy couple coming out and couldn't help to take a look at the offerings as well. We tried their carrot cupcake, cheese Danish, and mini lemon tart. They made me think of solid no frills sweets you would get from your neighborhood aunt. The cheese Danish was the biggest I've ever seen and filled with cream. The service was quick and friendly. They have fresh baked bread as well. There newspaper clippings on the history of the bakery. They've been around since 1945! read more

Harbord Bakery - Sweet treats - Bakeries Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

How has it taken me this long to discover this amazing bakery that has been open in the Annex since 1945? This is the stuff that dreams are made of! I tried their challah bread, fresh out of the oven; it is soft and most delectable. Next, I tried their cupcake artfully decorated with flowers: simply amazing; tastes as good as it looks! Their sufganiyot, donuts topped with powdered sugar and infused with jelly, is out of this world delicious! Their cookies baked with smarties are yummy and kids love them! I will be back to try more of their amazing offerings at this Toronto institution. Next year is their 80th anniversary and it is no doubt because the food is made with love! read more

Memories of my Lithuanian/Latvian Bobba's kitchen. Everthing there is authentic. Real bagels, REAL rye bread, cherry buns, cinnamon wheels and of COURSE rugelach. I love coming in here and re-living my happy childhood afternoons with my maternal grandparents. read more

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When I did Kraft service in the Motion Film Industry I used to get my bagels here,they were top notch and the film crews used to rave about how delicious they were with their morning coffee,still go there 30 years later. read more

Excellent coffee. Tasty breakfast sandwiches but a little pricey. Nice place close to the U of T campus.

Hello, since my last review of this bakery was taken down for being too colourful, I will condense it to something very straightforward: - sold me all sorts of products, and they told me they were freshly baked - they were not at all fresh, they were horrible - bakery stole my money as far as I'm concerned read more

I bought sugar free biscotti cookies here, expensive and horrible tasting! Tried to eat them but I couldn't bring myself to do it.

This outstanding place begins with Susi the owner and the most competent, patient and kind staff as you could ever wish behind the counters. The turkey patties with caramelized onions are out of this world. The rughla and the jam cookies, ditto. Tuna salad: bring it home all the time. Pastries especially good from super-rich chocolate to more fruity. I could go on. To the next 80 years, God Willing. read more

Toronto's Harbord Bakery is a small, charming upscale family owned / operated full service bakery located on Harbord Street in Toronto. They offer a full range of fresh baked breads, pastries, desserts, daily sandwiches, and other prepared food as well as several groceries items that are hard to find including specialty cheeses, olive oil, and sea salt. Our favorite is their loaf of Dark Rye Bread. It's delicious and melts in your mouth. Suzi manages the Bakery and is on the floor most days. Highly recommended. read more

I go nowhere else for rye bread. Their triple kimmel (caraway ) loaf is wonderful. I also like their small rye rolls when they have them.

This bakery has its followers though other than the bread option (Challah seems to be their mainstay) I didn't find it enticing. Few of the dessert options including the biscuits were quite mundane. There are some cooked food options as well and from what I saw they all looked sad. Too bad my prime source for challah only sells their version on the weekends as otherwise this place would be a skip. read more

Harbord Bakery - Bakeries Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

The pastries are fine but the actual food there like the noodles and everything are absolutely disgusting.

5 stars for poppy seed pastry, 3 for rugelach. The fresher pastry I had, some sort of flaky croissant-type thing with poppy seed filling, was delicious, with great dough flavor. The rugelach were pre-bagged, though, and tasted stale and kinda too sweet. It balances out. I'll probably return because it's so convenient, but will make sure I know what I'm getting. read more

If you're looking for a Challah loaf, call in advance and put yours on reserve on Saturday morning - they go that quickly! Between the ready to eat counter, the organically traded coffee section or (my personal favorite) the biscotti section - you can't go wrong. This family run bakery is a staple in the neighbourhood and it warms my heart everytime I go in. Highly Recommended! read more

While waiting for my friendly friend I popped in here to have a carb-attack. Most of the choice here is pretty standard for a bakery. The staff were friendly and quick to help me. I grabbed a chocolate croissant and some shortbread. The croissant was decent. Not the greatest but hit hit the spot. The shortbread fell a little short. It wasn't as buttery as I would have liked. The pies and cakes in the display case looked phenomenal. I will be back to give them a try. read more

Harbord Bakery - Bakeries Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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MmmHmm. I love this place. Another stop on my never-ending, early-twenties nostalgia tour, coming here always makes me feel warm and fuzzy and hungry for my youth. And some bread. Discovering the quiet dignity of Harbord Street was a revelation then, a humble alternative to walking home (ie, to my BFF's apartment) from school down College or Bloor. As Erin said, they have been around forever, and everything just oozes with old-fashioned care, such as: the little cellophane bundles of cookies, each tied and labeled, and of which I can't usually resist the almond crescents. The empanadas are very good, though quite rich, with a flaky, buttery crust (quite a different style than what my recently-reviewed Jumbo Empanadas serves up), for which I am always on board. The egg bread used to be such a staple in my routine, that I once had a dream that the shelf behind the counter (where they keep it, natch) was relocated to my kitchen. The pie- especially the peach- is so good that it changed the way I feel about pie. I crave it fortnightly, for serious. read more

Harbord Bakery - Bakeries Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Really really disgusting. Just moved to the neighborhood so thought I'd give this place a try. Went on a busy Saturday morning and picked up about $50 worth of food/baked goods. To my surprise, half the baked goods I bought were actually mouldy from being left out so long (pic attached). Safe to say I will never be back! read more

Harbord Bakery - Moldy Baked Goods... - Bakeries Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

This is a nice bakery in harbord. Walking distance to campus. They have variety of breads, Jams, cookies, muffins and cold salads as well. They have coffee and tea too. I suggest everyone who miss a nice bakery to check this place. read more

Nice baked goods. Been Going there for years But the prices are high for their baked goods read more

Lot's lot great treat's. It's a must visit . Prices are high but well woth it. I had the best butter cup ever.... read more

Harbord Bakery - zoomimage.ca - Bakeries Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

At first they don't seems to fancy when you walk in but the food is really good ,good quality,there sweets ,hot table,salads to go.Good service. read more

Absolutely amazing chocolate croissant and bagels!! Father raved about the bagels and I got a croissant, surprised by how big it was, made from good quality chocolate!! read more

This bakery has an amazing selection of freshly baked breads, cakes, and cookies, with an emphasis on Jewish favourites like bagels, babka, blini, and challah. Try the chocolate babka available only Thursday through Sunday. read more

Amazing bakery. Their Cherry pies are amazing! Their onion rye bread will change your life! Their challah is fantastic.

I swung in here for the first time after my hair appointment and it was pretty busy in there around noon. I could tell the staff was used to being busy as they rushed me. I asked for a whole grain loaf and it was the last one. It was pretty good, didn't taste like it was full of preservative and it was covered in toasted sunflower seeds which I love. I wish the staff was a little more attentive and I probably would have bought more and given them a better review. They weren't rude just very rushed and even though there were still staff standing around with no customers to assist. read more

One of my favourite places in Toronto, Harbord Bakery has served up the best in Jewish baking longer than I've been alive. I write this review with a freezer full of Harbord Bakery products. Regrettably, portion sizes have recently decreased while prices have increased. For breakfast this morning, I toasted a bialy-a flatter, sweeter, oniony-er cousin of the bagel. A proper bialy is about the circumference of a big dude's palm. These were tiny. Make an OK sign with your hand, and unless you're on a first-name basis with the Wizard Gargamel, chances are you could fit one through the hole. They do remain tasty, with crisp outsides and tender middles even after their term in suspended animation. With apologies to baguette fans everywhere, there are only two kinds of bread worth buying on the planet. Both are served here. Workday lunches on Russian black, light or marble rye are well worth the carbs. Lights crusts and springy crumbs add body to the most anaemic sandwich. On their own, with just a bit of salted butter, they're perfection. In old-country Jewish homes, Challah, made of finer flour with an abundance of eggs, was reserved for the Sabbath. Harbord's version is rich and deeply flavoured, glazed to an egg-washed shine and studded with sesame or poppy seeds. With the High Holidays approaching, it's worth ordering a gigantic crown of a bread, even if you don't celebrate. A raisin version, turned into french toast the next day might encourage you to convert. Bagels err on the light side. Baked without parboiling, they lack the density and chew one associates with a 'real bagel'. Served fresh, they're still perfect vehicles for smoked salmon and cream cheese. Desserts are primed for sharing, or at least for breaking off a piece if you're the sort who can't truly enjoy a cup of coffee without a little something on the side. Assorted pies and cakes are just fine, although a banana cream version drizzled with chocolate might challenge the upscale version sold further up Spadina Rd. Chocolate cupcakes are smeared with thick chocolate icing and colourful sprinkles. More sweet than cocoa in flavour, they're childhood in wax paper. The french palmier is reinterpreted as a dinner-plate sized round of puff pastry lightly topped with caramelized sugar, then dusted with more sugar and cinnamon. It's outrageously addictive and impossible to place between 'snack' and 'dessert'. Seven-layer cake is coated in thick, hardened ganache. Alternating yellow sponge and light whipped chocolate icing need liquid support. I recommend coffee with cream and no sugar. Depending on your appetite, danish with fresh fruit, cheese and/or custard are your best bet. Just this side of sticky; crispy pastry on the outside yielding to tender leaves inside. If you just want a bite, opt for the Rugalach; a lighter cookie dough rolled around chocolate, cinnamon or fruit preserves. If you're entertaining a crowd, a fresh chocolate ring uses more of that danish pastry, and plenty of the good stuff. Shopping at Harbord Bakery is an experience; prepared items like salads, entrees and empanadas are dished out from a central island. Random freezers conceal juices, dairy and ice cream. A haphazard toy store takes up a third of the space. The whole shebang gets 5 stars. How could it not? It feels like home. read more

Harbord Bakery is your average neighbourhood bakery...some decent items, some over-rated items. ***As a note, I am presently not patronizing Harbord Bakery (although I haven't changed their rating). They are leading the OPPOSITION to BIKE LANES on Harbord Street. If you do choose to patronize them, I encourage you to mention your support for bike lanes in Toronto.*** The HITS: I enjoy some of their small pastries and sweets. They do some lovely challah bread. I've also enjoyed the Danish and Ruggelach. The MISSES: Bagels (they seem to skip the boiling step giving them a bread texture). Most of the cakes end up being oddly bland with boring cake sandwiched between even less flavourful whipped cream. I'll also pass on the "empanada"-like pastries...anyone of Latin extraction would be a bit perplexed by these creations. The SERVICE is also hit and miss. I've had the sweetest staff ever helping me. I've also had the bakery equivalent of an old cat-lady grade school librarian who's having a bad day. OVERALL, this is a hit-and-miss bakery. If you figure out what's good and what's not good, you can rely on consistency in those items. The prices are a bit on the higher side. As I said, I'm boycotting them until they come to their senses on the bike lanes. read more

Walked in on a Sunday. Bought: 2 empanadas (chicken), $4 each. Croissant, has coconut inside, $4. Almond cookie, $2.75 They don't put prices on their merchandise. Taste-wise, ok. Price-wise, expensive. read more

I love this bakery. It offers simply delicious food, everything's always fresh, and of course the added bonus of chocolates, cheeses, sodas, etc. is great. If I'm going to buy lunch at work, I'll opt to pick up one or two small things here as opposed to a lunch special or sushi for the 2000th time on Bloor Street. Point by point, this is why I love Harbord Bakery: Salads- They have all the classics - black bean, coleslaw, chickpea, greek, artichoke, tomato/mozz, and probably about 10 others I'm not remembering right now. I can't recall if it's a rotating menu of salads, but there's always about 12 or available, the one's i've tried (black bean, greek, chickpea, slaw) have all been perfect (never overdressed, oversweet, or oversalted). Sweet baked goods- Seriously, these make me feel like a kid again, I buy a little pack of cookies every few weeks and their my little calming morsels of deliciousness when I feel like I deserve a little break at work. It's great. The chocolate chip cookies are huge, but delicious. I've also had their checkerboard cookies, those classic ones with the jelly dots in them, and a handful of other things I can't recall right now. Always delicious. Breadsticks- yea these deserve their own category, hey have them in plain, with sesame seeds, spicy, sprinkled with cheese... they have them in every variety and they are yummy. If I'm hitting that 3:30 slump at work, I bolt over and grab one to get myself feeling peppy. Artisanal Sodas - I'm usually not a fan, but they have a great variety, my favorite is the lime-lemongrass soda. Coffee - I'm shocked at how hard it is to get a decent cup of coffee in this city. This one is cheap, and it's good. But my favorite thing is the Chicken Wonton Soup. Now, hear me out. This soup is perfect for if you're feeling under the weather, or are feeling fabulous and want to keep your good vibes going, It's light so you can eat it before you work out but it's also hearty enough to eat after your run. Seriously, it's no frills, it's delicious, buy it and thank me later. There's tons of stuff in here I haven't tried yet, but I trust that I will eventually. Last but certainly not least, the lovely ladies behind the counters are always smiling and ready to help. When I'm indecisive about what I'd like to get they'll make a recommendation without being in my face about it. I want to live in this bakery. That's pretty much what I'm saying. read more

Been coming here for years. Good quality food, good selection of baked goods, and service is always zip-zap prompt. I've given H B only 3 stars this time, since the prices are $nutty$. If you happen to be rich, then this isn't an issue, but I bought a cheese bagel ($2), and a chocolate danish ($9). Since when should a bagel ever be $2 each?? There's a bagel shop in Kensington Market where their freshly-made bagels, are only $1ish each. Just saying... expensive! read more

This is a great bakery! I get my rye and challah on here all the time. Bagels too. My favourite is the russian black loaf. oh man. Not the cheapest, but definitely worth it. If you want that great rye with the crunchy crust go here, I guarantee you eat 4 slices when you get home even if you're not hungry! read more

Love that the place opens so early! My mission in going to this bakery was to try Challah bread, which I have always seen but never tasted. The bakery is much more spacious than any other downtown bakery I've seen, which a variety of European pastries and breads that look like very high quality. At this point, I only bought the Challah - 5.00$ for a loaf, which seems expensive for bread, but I guess a lot of extra physical effort needs to go into rolling and weaving challah... It was fresh and nice. Overall, very positive experience. Will go back to try some of the their products sometime. read more

Just moved to the neighborhood- tried Butter tarts and shortbread and they were delicious. Competitive prices. Will definitely try some of their many other baked goods read more

Quite simply -- overpriced for what one receives. I certainly won't be paying almost six dollars again for a filled croissant. Makes me want to continue baking for myself. I feel so nostalgic for the good old days of Toronto bakeries. Lottman's in Kensington Market was such a wonderful place. I don't feel that way about the Harbord Bakery. read more

If I could give 5 stars to certain items, I would totally give 5 stars to the Challah bread AND my newest obsession, SCHNECKEN! Only sold on Fridays, this wonderous thing is flakey and tender inside like a croissant, but stuffed with currants and topped with chopped walnuts and an incredible caramel glaze. Sticky and sweet on the outside, but balanced by the flakey layers of cinnamon dough below. If you love Cinnabon, you won't love this, it's not sweet enough for you. But if you are like me and find Cinnabon too sweet, but miss old school cinnamon buns and chelsea buns, Schnecken is the treat you MUST TRY! Order the day before if you want to guarantee you get one, they sell out fast and don't hit the shelves until noon or so I think. read more

Long-standing bakery on Harbord near Spadina and U of T. Solid selection of cakes and pastries. In general everything here is quite expensive- everything is fresh-baked (SUPPOSEDLY) and look at the location!!! - However I got particular sticker-shock re: the prepared foods. They charge by weight and two small cabbage rolls was $10!!! Inflation is well and strong at this establishment. DO NOT get the prepared foods here unless you're okay with CRAPPY VALUE for your HARD-EARNED dollars. Also, the customer service at the counter is NOT the best - make sure to SPEAK UP when you go to the cash, otherwise they might cash out the person behind you first, thinking that you are waiting for counter service. An acceptable oversight, but this might bother people who are in a hurry. read more

There is no way I can be in the Annex area and not make a trip to this bakery. Truth be told, I have a serious sweet-tooth, but I also love fresh bagels. When I can't get to Gryfe's http://www.yelp.ca/biz/gryfe-bakery-north-york#hrid:qhbMugBXDrfcgBEmXCtQAQ/src:search/query:Gryfe's%20Bagels or Pascal's http://www.yelp.ca/biz/pascals-baguette-and-bagels-toronto for bagels I'm more then happy to load up at Harbord Bakery. I love the sugar cookies with the jam in the centre, and find it hard not to eat all of them before I get home. read more

Some of the things there are phenomenal, but be warned- this place is much more expensive than you'd expect. No idea why it has only one $. On that note, sometimes splurging is well worth it for some of their delicious chicken cutlets, cheesy bagels, spicy cheese sticks, or croissants. The staff is generally friendly too. There are some things that I wouldn't buy again, like the sufganyot (jelly donuts eaten over Hanukkah) or some of the cakes. Don't miss the empanadas though! They may not be traditional South American empanadas, but they are delicious!! TL;DR- Most food is great, but it's rather expensive. And don't miss the empanadas!! read more

Living across the street from this bakery makes life particularly difficult. Everything they make is good, from their sweets (Cherry-cheese, almond or poppy seed danishes), to their bread (Raisin Challah is to die for and so it their Rye) to their hot table (try a Chicken Empanada) and cold salads. It's ridiculous really! Besides the fact that it can be a little expensive this bakery really never lets you down! read more

This place is a hit and miss. They have the best cheese blintzes and their soufganiot is worth waiting for Hannukha to come around again...but I've found the rest of their fare to be rather underwhelming. It's fresh and customer service is very kind, but on the whole I wouldn't say it's mind-blowing, just your friendly neighbourhood Jewish bakery. read more