Con Gusto Artisan Bakery — Restaurant in St. Catharines

I am a devout con gusto customer, growing up in st cath and often going here to pick up sweets. I have moved out of province and continue to order birthday cakes/mothers day cakes from them just because their quality is so good and everyone I have dealt with has always been so nice. This past fri I ordered a strawberry shortcake for my moms birthday. We were shocked to discover that inside the cake the strawberries still had their stems attached – while this is perfectly reasonable for the top of the cake for decoration, as a filling it made for a very unpleasant eating experience.

Confused and a little shocked by this, I called the bakery to see if there was some sort of explanation (maybe a new person was working), or to see if there was anything they could do to rectify the situation. I was called back by a lady who was obviously agitated by my voicemail and talked to me as though I was trying to make trouble (I was not). She claimed that having stems on the inside “was impossible” and even if there was “they aren’t harmful or poisonous”… I was very taken aback on the phone call as she seemed to think I was lying about it? She asked for me to email a picture (which I did) and I haven’t gotten any response back. I am so disappointed with firstly the cake, and secondly with the treatment I received afterward. I unfortunately will not be returning to this bakery and will stop ordering from them...

I was looking for a cake for a very special occasion & found my regular bakery was closed on Mondays. Living out of province, I did a Google search & found this bakery was open. Although I never heard of them, I gave it a go. Placing my order was simple by phone.

Upon arrival to pick up, I saw the cake looked amazing! It had special features like fresh fruit & gold flakes. Totally unexpected but appreciated given the special occasion it was purchased for.

The taste was simply amazing! So fresh & the buttercream was not overly sweet. Even people who "don't really like cake" found themselves eating a piece & requesting seconds!

I was very impressed by the presentation & taste of this cake (vanilla cake with raspberry filling & vanilla buttercream). I highly recommend them for special...

Con Gusto has been my go to bakery since they opened over 15 years ago. Though I don't live in St. Catharines, it's absolutely worth the drive from Toronto (or anywhere) to load up on pastries, bread and other delicious treats. The sourdough walnut is the best I've had and if you get the bread sliced and freeze it, you can make it last. Of course it's best fresh but it holds up for a few days if you can't eat it all at once.

Their cinnamon danish is the standard by which I judge all other cinnamon buns and nothing has beat it yet. Can't recommend this place enough and am consistently surprised by their more than reasonable prices. Wonderful, hardworking owners trying to make a difference in the community while brining top quality goods at fair prices. They pay a living wage too!...