Bulldog Coffee — Restaurant in Toronto

In my experiences around the world, a great food hall needs a lot of passionate chefs, some great local beers or wines, and a very passionate barista. What Assembly Chef's hall has given to Toronto, it's hitting all those points very well. Toronto's Assembly offers 2 coffee spots to give you that caffeine kick and one of them is Bulldog. I'll start this off simply... Stuart is one of those rare baristas. His enthusiasm and passion for all things coffee is infectious. One day I have to try the other coffee spot around the corner, but Stuart's charisma is great and it'll be hard to pull myself to try the other.

Bulldog is housed in the brand new modern and industrial chill vibe of Assembly's Chef hall. It also the first floor of the new Google building... those engineers have it good. Bulldog has it's own spot sitting amidst the seating area. So if you're like me and taking snaps of your drink... its not a far walk to your table (ha!). His barista area is clean and gleams ... not only from the gorgeous espresso machines & beer on tap, but also Stuart's awards and recognition over the years.

I love how Stuart sourced his own bean blend and was saying that's his same blend since he started. I also loved how honest he was about his other drinks... he has chai latte on the menu. I asked him if he made his own ... he said flat out "no... I can never make it as good as an Auntie. I'm all about the coffee." (paraphased by me) That's blunt but I appreciate the truth.

Flat White with lactose free milk - I had to laugh when I asked him if he did flat whites (it wasn't on the menu). With the most expressive energetic face, he said "OF COURSE... I'm ALL about coffee." and then pointed to his shiny awards about wins and being a judge. Well then! While he made the flat whites, I had a great conversation about how he uses his own special blend of 7 types and how he likes to make his own treats ... especially the protein balls. Clearly this guy loves having his hands all in and make his own.. kudos on that. As for the flat white... simply said, beautiful latte art on top of a rich and smooth drink. His bean choice leans more towards a fruitier finish and lighter than some of the other bolder flat whites in the city. (Of course Stuart can tell me i'm all wrong!). I like a darker roast and more deep robust flavours but I have to say that this was enjoyable and smooth. I think everyone can appreciate this flat white even if you're new to coffee. Very approachable drink... just like the man who made it. 4/5

Protein balls - Grabbing a quick snack, Stuart mentioned he made all of these himself so we grabbed the sunflower one and another one to nibble one while enjoying our coffee. These were good... rich in nutty flavours with a good crunchy texture from the various ingredients. It didnt have a sugary hit that will leave you crashing later. He said he made these as a healthy snack to give you a boost of energy. Definitely did that! Liked these two. 4/5

I can't wait to come back to try out the other drinks he has to offer. I do have to mention that its a one man show so ... line ups do happen but it's worth to...

It’s not my intention to give a poor rating to a highly talented and skilled barista who has taken the time to hone in on his craft for 20+ years. But as with the other negative reviews, Stu’s incredible rudeness was the absolute last straw for me. I have come here multiple times and have been nothing but nice to him and he was condescending in response. I understand he runs his storefront 6 days a week PLUS takes time to bake his own goods. I appreciate how he develops all the recipes himself and is generous for the pistachios on his pistachio croissant at peak inflation, with food prices at an all time high.

However, his baked goods are not up to par for the attitude that comes with them. I simply asked what ingredients were used in his butter tarts and he snapped at me, stating he is running a business and wouldn’t tell me the ingredients. The outcome of a baked good largely lies within the ratios of the ingredients. Even large companies with proprietary recipes (ex. Nutella, Oreos) list their ingredients on the package by weight, as per the Health Canada’s regulations. I am unable to understand his reasoning with that illl-timed comment.

As per the article from Toronto Star, I’m growing increasingly concerned Stu is burnt out and allowing history to repeat itself, which is why is he short with his customers. This is no way an excuse for his poor behaviour but I understand how only having one day off (if that) would drive someone to be mean.

There is a sign on the counter that says the owner will bite. Stu barked his last with me.

TLDR: fix the attitude, focus on the lamination technique for the croissants, and take the time to learn the difference between “you’re” and “your” when replying to your customers’ reviews, Stu. Lastly, take...

TLDR: Avoid this shop if you hope to have any kind of decent human experience.

"Looks like I got bitten while trying to have humanly decent conversation and asking for clarity about the menu" lol, I am not writing this review with any intention of receiving an even mildly decent response from the owner (very clear based on the other reviews). I am writing this to other potential customers to prevent you from having a similar experience that I did - a rude one.

I asked for a recommendation on which tea latte to order: flavoured or unflavoured. The owner snapped back with an arrogant, "I don't know. I made this whole menu so obviously everything is amazing...". Then I asked for clarification on what is meant by "flavoured". Once again, the owner snapped back with a condescending, "I don't know what you like...". I then asked what exactly the flavour was because the person I was ordering for is vegan and cannot have dairy. Unsurprisingly at this point, his response was a disapproving look and said, "let's go with yes...".

I should have walked out in that moment, however I thought... We are all going through a hard time, there's a pandemic, and small businesses are doing it rough. I continued to try to spark conversation in hopes he was just having a bad day. I was continually met with rudeness.

Looking at the other reviews, it's clear that this was not an isolated experience. The owner clearly has an attitude problem. It's unfortunate that this review had to be so focused on the poor customer service, but you can see what an impact service has on the entirety of a customer's experience. I will not come back here and highly do not recommend...