Almond Butterfly Bakeshop & Cafe — Restaurant in Toronto

I have never been compelled to write a negative online review before. Usually I find that most people/businesses are basically reasonable and even when this has not been true it never seemed bad enough to warrant the effort of going online and complaining about it. I also feel especially regretful writing this review as I used to love this bakery and still think that the owners are good intentioned. Unfortunately though, this experience was so ridiculous I had to say something.

As a former U of T student who has multiple food allergies including being celiac, I was incredibly excited when this bakery opened near my lab. I routinely came for lunch and treats, at least 2 or 3 days a week for many years, until I had to move away. The owners were very friendly, and of course knowledgable and very accommodating about food allergies/intolerances. Today, the very first thing I did on my first visit back to Toronto was go to the almond butterfly to get one of their amazing bagel sandwiches. I arrived just before 3pm but after waiting for the woman in front of me to order a sandwich and another woman receive her order, I was informed that those were the last orders and the kitchen was now closed. Apparently, they no longer serve bagels after 3pm, although they are open until 5pm and did not put this new policy on their website. I was a little surprised by this abrupt cut off, but I didn't complain. Instead, I asked if I could just have a toasted bagel with almond butter. This also, was not allowed after 3pm. It was 3:04 at this point and they wouldn't even cut my bagel in half, or toast it, or put anything on it.

Of course I understand that businesses need to have policies that ensure their employee rights, as well as their ability to operate at a profit. I certainly wouldn't have requested an exception if I lived here and had been aware of their policy. But this was on the extreme end of being unaccommodating. Restaurants that cater to people with food allergies usually understand how difficult it is to find establishments where you can safely eat, especially when you are travelling. This understanding is, in part, why people are willing to pay a premium price. Bagels at almond butterfly are of course much more expensive than anywhere else. The woman serving me was less than accommodating or helpful. She simply told me I could just take a bagel with me, toast it at home, and put almond butter on it. I explained that I didn't live in Toronto and didn't have access to a kitchen. I explained I had been travelling all day and that there were few other places in the city I could eat. I asked if they could make a small exception this one time as it was now only 3:06? She simply repeated that the kitchen was closed.

If the owners had been still running the bakery as before I am sure they would have been more understanding and accommodating. It is unfortunate that they have hired people who are this unreasonable. In the end I still bought a bagel to take with me, as I really had no choice. I ordered a vegan gluten free bagel and the woman actually tried to give me a regular gluten free bagel, which would have resulting in me getting quite sick. As I waited for my tea I then watched with amazement as a mother ordered a bagel with cream cheese for her daughter and got served without question. I have no idea why it was okay to order cream cheese but not almond butter.

In the end it was all very disappointing and I doubt I will ever visit again. Although I remember their bagels very fondly, this one was dry and unappetizing and, on the whole, left a bad taste in my mouth. Certainly not worth the premium price.

*Update - thanks for the reply! I am glad that you will look into serving people who are waiting in line before 3pm. I wasn't able to drop by on Wednesday, but I visited Friday before leaving town again and was able to get a bagel sandwich, and a cinnamon bun - amazing - just like...

I decided to come to almond butterfly harbord after going several times to the Dundas location and wanted to try the baked goods at this location along with their handhelds. I ordered the Turkey pesto melt, a slice of pumpkin pie, and the 6 assorted cupcakes that were 50% off in the window. I ordered those cupcakes specifically because they were actually all the flavours I wanted and happened to be 50% off so it was a happy coincidence for me. It was a friendly vibe walking in but it all went quickly down hill from there. After I ordered my Turkey pesto melt someone from the back came out and said “we’re out of bacon and Turkey so this Alexa girl can’t get this sandwich.” I was a little upset at the choice of words the employee used but I was more upset over her tone of voice. The cashier apologized and gave me a refund but I still had to wait there with my sister for her sandwich order. We waited for quite some time and then my sister noticed her order was sitting in a bag on the take out counter ready to go but no one had called out her name to inform her her order was ready. For how long we waited I can’t help but wonder how long the order was sitting there before she had noticed it herself. After we left and got home we noticed the pie slice was not in our bag and the cupcakes that we saw in the display had been changed to different cupcakes which was very disappointing. I cared more about the flavours that were originally in the 50% off display rather than it being on sale. I would have just payed full price for what I wanted instead if I knew they would change the flavours without informing me. I called back and they gave us a refund for the pie and a partial refund for the cupcakes. The cashier was very nice but the rest of the staff was so rude and clearly didn’t care about our experience there. I really liked that this bakery is gluten free but unfortunately I won’t be going back since their customer service is so astoundingly poor. The only positive thing I can say about my experience here is that both of our pumpkin spice macchiatos were...

The woman with red hair at the front desk is incredibly friendly — unfortunately, the rest of my experience was both disappointing and concerning.

From my seat at the high bench, I could see eggs being microwaved in a plastic container with a plastic lid and cheese melted in a small red silicone pan. Heating food in certain plastics can release harmful chemicals like BPA and phthalates, linked to hormone disruption and other health issues. Lower-grade silicone can also leach compounds at high heat. I’m hoping it was at least food-grade, but for a café that promotes healthy, high-quality ingredients, these methods don’t match the brand promise.

I had already been waiting a long time despite the café not being busy. By the time my order came, I was starving and let the preparation concerns slide — the bread was good — but the service interaction that followed made it impossible to overlook the bigger issues.

When I asked for mayo, the kitchen staff member with glasses handed me a portion that barely covered a quarter of the tiny container, with a flat, disinterested shrug that made it feel like I was inconveniencing her. Later, when I asked for hot sauce, the friendly red-haired front desk person suggested spicy mayo. I said “great” and offered to pay multiple times. The same kitchen staff member came out, visibly annoyed, and muttered to her colleague — loud enough for me to hear — “I just gave her mayo,” with the kind of tone you’d expect if I’d asked for something outrageous. I would put zero stars if I could.

It’s just mayo, for god’s sake — not caviar. Customers shouldn’t be made to feel like a burden for such a basic request.

If this business wants to keep its customers, it needs to:

1.Raise food preparation standards to avoid plastics and low-grade silicone in high-heat cooking.

2.Provide proper staff training so that every customer is treated with professionalism, regardless of the size of the request. Without these changes, both customer trust and loyalty...