Ramona's Cafe — Restaurant in Markham

Mid morning on a weekday was very busy. It was my first time here, usually I go to the Kitchen side for a sit down brunch. I wanted to order a breakfast sandwich so I asked the gentleman at the counter what kind of breakfast sandwiches they have that don’t have meat, something with egg and cheese or if I could just sub the meat out. There was a menu printed on a card by the cash or some written on a board. He directed me to the board instead of the card menu and recommend the egg and cheese croissant. I said that I’d prefer not to have a croissant so he said ok then choose something else. Well his assistance with the menu would have been welcomed here. I asked what was on the “eggwich” since that’s not very descriptive. He said just an egg and cheese on a bun instead of a croissant lol. There were also no prices for any sandwiches. A line was forming behind me and a senior lady was audibly sighing upset that I didn’t order quick enough, so I felt stressed and just picked the egg and cheese and asked if I can have it on a bagel instead. He said it comes on a croissant. I said yes but bagel please if possible then he punched it in and there was no problem having it on a bagel instead with no upcharge so why didn’t he suggest it at the beginning? I asked if there’s alternative milk for the latte and he said yes so I asked which ones he said all but coconut. So I said ok oat or almond it doesn’t matter to me and he said ok which one? It just felt like a very complicated ordering process from someone who clearly didn’t want to help. It’s also the restaurant’s fault for not having a clearer menu with sandwich contents and prices visible. I was about to pay when I saw an ad on the other side of the counter for an avocado egg sandwich that doesn’t have any meat on it. I asked if I could switch to that and he said “too late just get it next time” even though I hadn’t paid yet. I was tempted to just walk out but I was hungry and felt committed to see this through. It was $15 for a latte (small/medium size, it was pretty good) and a basic egg sandwich (plain Jane 1 egg and some melted cheese but could barely see the cheese). It was my New Year’s resolution to support independent businesses over chains whenever possible but I definitely overpaid for the quality and mediocre service. The restaurant is also very loud so it was an overall unpleasant experience. Seeing how the manager/owner has rudely replied to others’ reviews will also turn me off...

I was recently at Ramona’s Cafe located on Bayview Avenue ( south of John St) at the Longos Plaza near John Street in Thornhill. Also, there is plenty of parking here.

If you have been to Ramona’s Kitchen, you know how great the brunch is there. Just a few doors down is their cafe opened just before Covid.

The cafe has the cutest vibe. With comfortable bench seating and chairs.

It’s a great place for a light bite. On the menu are gourmet sandwiches and delicious flat bread that’s perfect for sharing. 🥪🥪🥪

They also have an assortment of specialty coffees, teas and the prettiest lattes. My fave was the Blue Matcha Latte.

But …. I have to say we still have cravings for their cookies made in house. They are made only with all natural ingredients and baked right in the cafe.

We had the honour of going inside for a demo of how they make their soft gooey yummy cookies. ($3.99 each) Believe me you cannot have just one. 🍪🍪🍪

They sometimes make their own version of Crookies ….which are croisssnts topped cookie batter which went viral on Ig! I highly recommend them … but be sure to call ahead of time for these since there are limited quantities made each day. 🥐🥐🥐

Be sure to drop by and visit this...

We placed an order at approx 12:30pm for 3 items they needed to make in the kitchen. Others ordered after us, received their items and left. A male in the back told us its reasonable for one of the items (dutch baby) to take 40+ minutes. Fair. The issue is they didn't communicate this at all at the time of the order or the 3 times that we checked on the order. It was only when I started demanding an accurate time and stating the wait time was unreasonable, that they told us. Why does it take making a scene to get good service? I understand it was busy but this was the worst service ever. Especially when the gentlemen in the back yelled the reason at me. We will unfortunately not be returning. We would not have ordered this dish had we known how long it takes. Talk to your customers and don't shout when they get upset over your lack of communication.

Edit to add: the food was good. This review is entirely based on their poor communication. We live in a city with a ton of amazing brunch places with great customer service. Unfortunately this is not...