The St Joseph Island Black Bear Cafe Bakery & Catering — Restaurant in St. Joseph Township

Love this place. There are so many homemade goodies to eat from here. I’ve had breakfast and the toast was homemade bread! Home fries are also homemade and yummy. Then there are the sweet treats. Oh my goodness!! Some of them are soooo good! My all new favourite from here is the grilled cinnamon bun with maple glaze. The glaze was in a container on the side so I could put on as little or as much as I want. I had one half with the maple glaze and loved it but the second half I had just the grilled cinnamon bun because it was so yummy all by itself, and I’m usually the one who wants extra glaze. Amazing, you have to try it! There are so many different bars, brownies, cookies, stuffed cookies. All so good. The apple crumble bar was my husbands favourite. There are homemade pies and homemade soups of so many different kinds, I plan on trying them all! I bought some frozen ones to bring home. There are different frozen goods to take home. One thing that impressed me as well was that there were items that are gluten free and dairy free items so nobody has to feel left out of all this yummy homemade delishousness. The staff are so friendly, cheery and welcoming which is so nice to see when most places nowadays leave you feeling like you’re a bother. Upon leaving one day I had too much to carry out to the car that I said I would come back for the rest momentarily and they actually carried it out for me! Now that’s customer service, going above and beyond to make their customers feel appreciated and want to return. Well their goods are enough to make me want to return, their customer service...

If heaven had a breakfast nook, it would be called Black Bear Café.

Walked in expecting a meal… walked out questioning every other breakfast decision I’ve made in my life.

The French toast? A golden, crunchy, custardy masterpiece that tasted like it was kissed by a Canadian grandmother who bakes with love and maple syrup running through her veins. I nearly proposed to the toast. I would’ve eloped with it had I not devoured it first.

Then came the bakery loot—tarts, brownies, cookies—aka the holy trinity of sugar happiness. Each bite was a spiritual awakening. The tart was so fresh it probably picked its own fruit. The brownie? Dense enough to bend light. The cookies? Let’s just say if they weaponized these, world peace would be inevitable.

Staff were friendlier than a golden retriever at a BBQ, and the vibe was warm, cozy, and smelled like fresh dreams.

If you’re within 100 km of this place and don’t stop in, we can’t be friends. Black Bear Café isn’t just a café. It’s a national treasure disguised as a breakfast joint. Go hungry. Leave amazed. And maybe bring a cooler for your baked goods...

This place deserves 10 stars!! I visit a lot of bakeries (just ask my scale ;-))…Black Bear Cafe is now at the top of my favourites for a few reasons.

1. Best White Bread Loaf EVER!!
2. Best Customer Service - You know that employees are treated well here, because they seem to genuinely love their work…great experience every time!
3. Reasonable Prices - maybe because they are not paying city rents.
4. Not a one trick pony - Terrific Breakfast (my favourite is the western sandwich) amazing date squares…and the Brownie (chewy, chocolate perfection).

If you are travelling Hwy 17 (Trans Can)….stop!!! It’s well worth...