Soko Bakery Cafe — Restaurant in Niagara-on-the-Lake

This hidden gem is a safe distance away from the touristy part of Niagara on the Lake (but not so far that it will be a significant detour for those from out of town heading to the main town centre). From the store sign to the interior, the bakery/cafe is minimalistic and elegant, and this is reflected in the baked goods here as well. My parents, who had discovered this café recently, encouraged us to give this place a try, and their compliments about this place was well-deserved.

As this was my first time visiting the café, I tried to order as many different baked goods as possible. We ordered pizza bread, green onion and cheddar scone and basil scone, blueberry muffin, almond cream soboro bun, rice cake with beans and sweet potatoes, and espresso and iced americano for drinks. We were all extremely pleased with everything we ordered; first of all, the americano and the espresso were both fantastic, noticeably better than what you can get at big chain cafes like the second cup or Starbucks. Second, the savourly scones were SO good; I generally don't like scones and only got them because my parents recommended the basil flavour. I usually find the scones too dry or too dense, but the scones from here were light and flaky without being dry. Also, it was just so perfectly seasoned, with the flavours of all the ingredients coming through well and just the right amount of saltiness and sweetness. The pizza bread was equally delicious, I loved how delicate and light the bread was and the flavours just came through elegantly without being too salty, oily, or sweet. Even the sweet baked goods here had just the level of sweetness, and I just loved how all the baked goods here had this lightness and delicacy to them. I didn't find anything overwhelmingly heavy or indulgent, everything we ordered had such a good balance of flavour and weight that eating them was a pleasant experience.

In terms of the service and the overall experience of the café, I would also give it 5 out of 5. Despite the amount of items we ordered, I was surprised at how fast everything got served to our table. The owner/server was very pleasant and there was good attention to detail in the service she provided. The indoor space of the café has small touches here and there that are meaningful and make you really appreciate the space. It's a great place to come by to catch up with friends/loved ones or to just sit down to read over a cup of coffee.

If I lived in St. Catharines or in Niagara on the Lake, I would definitely be a regular here, whether to just sit down for a nice cup of coffee with pastry or to order baked goods that are just perfect for afternoon tea. The price is pretty reasonable here, and the quality of the food and drinks here is just superb. This place truly lives up to its current 5/5 star rating on Google. Definitely give this...

Upon entering this quaint cafe in Niagara on the Lake, the sound of smooth jazz was just as welcoming as the establishment's friendly and kind owner, Daniel. It's no wonder that at the time of visiting, this place had a 5-star google review. After a brief chat about his Korean roots and opening the cafe 2 years ago during the pandemic, we ordered the bulgogi sandwich, sausage leaf and a mocha iced coffee. Whether you're going for breakfast or lunch, Soko Bakery Cafe is a serene spot for a 5 star experience and delicious food/beverages. There were a few sandwich options on the menu but we tried the authentic Korean bulgogi, which was very flavourful and paired with perfectly pickled carrots, crunchy lettuce and served on a soft, buttery croissant. The sausage leaf was a kid-friendly, pull-apart pastry which was essentially an elevated dough, sausage and cheese creation. Lastly, the Illy brand ice coffee was such a smooth and delicious beverage which was way better than any Starbucks or Tim Hortons option. Lastly, when paying the bill, I was pleasantly surprised to notice that there was no tipping prompy when using my credit card. In a post-pandemic culture of demanding 18%+ tips from customers for not much value-add, it was refreshing to see a small business opt to buck the trend when it could have easily commanded high tipping options for its boutique cafe experience. We will definitely be back again whenever...

We were a family of 9 and we all had a wonderful experience! We visited the bakery on Aug 4 after spending 2 days in Niagara doing all the touristy stuff as my family was visiting from England, we decided on our last day to drive around the local area and stop off somewhere for a coffee. We did a general search on Google and Soko came up. We were welcomed by the owner - she was so warm, welcoming and lovely. We pretty much ordered a single item of everything available - even took some to go! The variety available on display was so inviting we couldn’t resist and my stepdad was all for supporting a local business as much as we could. Everything was FRESH, delicious and mouthwatering. The coffee was amazing! I recommend this bakery for everything it has to offer and cannot fault a single thing. I honestly cannot wait to go back to Niagara just to visit here again. Thank you for being so welcoming and accommodating a big family straightaway. We really felt how much passion and hard work goes into everything you do. We loved our whole experience. Ps. The freshly baked crossaints are one of the best I’ve ever...