de la terre bakery — Restaurant in St. Catharines

The Not-So-Sweet Side of Le Café Pretentieux

🥐💸 "Where Croissants Cost More than Gold and Taste Like Cardboard!"

Let me tell you about my recent visit to Le Café Pretentieux. Imagine a place where croissants are priced like they're filled with caviar but taste like they've been on a world tour in a backpack. That's Le Café Pretentieux for you. Their croissants, oh boy, they could easily double as doorstops. Tough, bland, and with a price tag that made my wallet weep in despair.

🍫👀 "Hot Chocolate: A Feast for the Eyes, A Famine for the Taste Buds"

Now, onto the hot chocolate. If there was an award for "Looks Amazing, Tastes Like Despair", their hot chocolate would be the reigning champ. It's like they focused all their energy on making it Instagram-worthy and forgot that some brave souls might actually try to drink it. It was a symphony of disappointment to the taste buds.

🤨💺 "A Dash of Pretension with a Sprinkle of 'Where Do I Sit?'"

The ambiance? Oh, it's like walking into an alternate universe where space and logic don't exist. There's a kitchen that's bigger than my entire apartment, yet the seating area is so cramped, you'd have better luck finding a seat on a crowded subway. I half-expected to be handed a monocle and a top hat at the door, given the level of pretension in the air.

🥖🥨 "A Menu as Empty as the Seating Area"

And the menu, it's like a treasure hunt, but the only prize is disappointment. So many items listed, yet so few available. It's like they're playing hard to get, but with food.

In conclusion, if you enjoy overpaying for mediocre pastries, sipping on sadness, and rubbing elbows (literally) with strangers in a café that’s too cool to be comfortable, Le Café Pretentieux is your spot. Otherwise, you might find more joy and less financial strain at your local bakery. Or, you know,...

Updated review: so unfortunately they moved to a new location and the new place is not nearly as good. Way smaller, more crowded and noisy, a far more limited menu, plus when we went around 11 they were out of most things.

Most disappointing for us is they no longer have toys or colouring supplies for kids. They still have the kid table but there were just a few books there. I'm hoping they bring back the toys but honestly it's so crowded now and the lack of so many of their menu items means that we likely won't be going back 😔

Original review: We really like bringing our toddler to De La Terre on weekend mornings for breakfast/brunch. It's often quite busy but we generally don't have trouble finding a table. I think they only have one high chair but there is a little play area with books, toys, and colouring supplies for little kids and that's why we love it here. Really sends the message that this is a kid friendly place, which is very appreciated. Of course that means you should expect a bit of noise/child chaos when you come. As for the food and coffee, it's generally pretty good but not exceptional. The best thing I've had there is the "Sweetie" croissant sandwich with pork belly. Really rich and heavy but very tasty. The croissants, especially the chocolate ones, are also very good. Everything else has been pretty good or just okay, and we've tried a lot of menu items. The butter tarts look good but they're oddly liquidy inside, there are definitely better places to get a good butter tart. The decor is okay, relatively simple and the service is friendly but a little slow. Overall, definitely a nice place to come especially with...

I love supporting small businesses and de la terre bakery is one that I continuously find myself coming back to.

The atmosphere is amazing in here. Even though you might think it's a "bakery" and not a "cafe", you couldn't be more wrong. Along with available bread to purchase, they also have delicious pastries and various drink options to choose from. I always find myself getting an iced vanilla latte (both to dine in person and for take-out). I've also eaten their breakfast croissant sandwich before and it's delicious. It is a little pricy however the quality makes up for it. There's nothing like a small business coffee, there's just something about it you can't replicate elsewhere.

The staff are always warm, welcoming, and friendly. I've never had a bad interaction with any of them. Even when the store is busy, they are very quick with taking your order and making your food/drinks. Moreover, if you're staying around for a while, you'll see them constantly cleaning the cafe, wiping down tables, and taking away dirty dishes. For newcomers, I would let you know that I clear away my own dishes (by bringing them back up to their counter) but I'm not sure if this is a requirement (i just do it to give them a little break from cleaning)!

Overall, great spot, free wifi, I come and do my schoolwork here at least once a week (maybe even more)! I would highly recommend this spot to anyone visiting...