Caniche French Bakery — Restaurant in Hamilton

Came here once on a whim as I was close by and had a horrible experience. Firstly, it’s small and underwhelming when you walk in and the staff is not welcoming whatsoever. I told the woman at the counter it was my first time there and she really couldn’t have cared less. I then asked if they had any gluten free AND dairy free options as I was purchasing for someone with allergies. The lady tells me the macarons and brownies are gluten free (not mentioning if they’re dairy free). I asked again multiple times if it has dairy in it and she kept repeating it was gluten free but couldn’t answer the question. She even got a baker from the back (who looked no older than 16 and was eating pizza behind the counter) and asked him if he knew. He also repeated it was gluten free and still no answer if it was dairy free or not. When they finally understood what I was asking the baker said he didn’t know if it was dairy free which leads me to believe they don’t even bake the pastries in house, so why are you a bakery? Where are the baked goods coming from? Shouldn’t you have knowledge of the ingredients when people ask? (especially for allergy purpose's) Not to mention the woman who was helping us had an attitude and was not friendly whatsoever the entire time, 0 customer service. I ended up buying a pizza anyways and the earl grey shortbread cookies, the pizza was an over baked piece of drywall and my husband nearly needed his teeth capped after eating it, that’s how dried up and hard it was. The earl grey cookies were mediocre at best and everything is overpriced. Needless to say I will not be returning and I do...

After two visits, and trying different things, this is my honest feedback.

I had been a social media follower, long before being an actual customer. Everything looked amazing. I LOVE French pastries, bread, sweets, jams, etc, so I was pumped to become a regular.

Our first visit was late in the morning and about 50% of the goodies were sold out. I managed to get a cinnamon roll, a macaroon bar, and carrot cake. The cinnamon roll was dry and crumbled apart when I tried to eat it, and the cream cheese frosting was stiff. Flavour was good though! The bar and the cake were very tasty, but also seemed a bit old, and the frosting on the cake was similar to the roll - stiff and hard.

Our second visit was prompted by a social media post displaying "classic éclairs" and mini cheesecakes. Éclairs are my absolute favourite. The pâte à choux was perfect, and the chocolate ganache top was delightful. My biggest gripe was the filling. Unfortunately, I was expecting a "classic" pastry cream filling - like a lovely thick custard - but I was tasting a dense and rich cream cheese flavour, very similar taste and texture to the cream cheese frosting from the cinnamon rolls. My brain first thought it was sour or off, but I realized that perhaps this was just the type of filling they used for their éclairs. I hadn't tried an éclair made that way before, and I would not have gotten it had I known beforehand.

Perhaps this comes down to taste and personal preference, but I was expecting much more from this...

I recently gave Caniche a great review, BUT unfortunately, I now have to change my new review to a negative one. I was there recently just before 2PM & invited my two friends from To to enjoy the tasty & different croissants with good coffee. We were greeted & upon asking about any croissants, the very young staff of 4 told us there are NONE LEFT! NOT ONE!! I was shocked that at TWO PM in the afternoon, there weren't even 2 croissants, let alone ONE esp when the bakery closes at 4PM!!! All that was said by the youngins was that they always sell out early! Really?? Then why the hell is this place a bakery/cafe if they sell out by 2PM?

A good business would have the popular products available right until the end & if not all sold can put them on a 30% off sale WHICH THEY DO! Whatever the reason is for this badly run business, there is NO EXCUSE!! Running out of key items demonstrates poor planning and management on the part of the bakery. It reflects a lack of commitment to customer satisfaction and quality service. It is essential for businesses to manage their inventory effectively to meet the demands of their customers. The owner should know better! Won't be going again, esp inviting anyone, as there is NO assurance there will be any croissants left in the...