Emmer — Restaurant in Toronto

This is my first ever review. Im normally not one to complain, I’ve had bad experiences but this one was just wrong. I stood in line for 35 minutes with my mother and 2 year old because we wanted to try the viral pistachio croissant. When we finally got inside and the pistachio croissants were sold out and the cashier said the next batch with come out at 12:45. The person behind me said great it’s 12:41 so we are just in time. By the time it was was my turn to order it was 12:43 the cashier said sorry we cannot sell you the croissants til they are out on the shelf as she was finishing her sentence another lady behind the counter jumped ahead and said “We cannot sell it to you u til it’s out because what if we drop the tray??” She said it with this look and her face and in a tone as if a was stupid for asking to buy one since it will be coming out shortly. So my mom and I we stunned at that point because that was such an odd thing to say. There was also other customers waiting inside and we were embarrassed with the way she was speaking and didn’t want to hold up the line. So my mom said ok we will just stand to the side until it comes out and then we will order. She then said no you have to go to the back of the line outside you cannot wait. I’m sorry but that is so rude. We stood outside in the -2 degree weather for 35 minutes and you want us to stand outside again just for something that’s coming out in less than 2 minutes at this point. I also had a toddler with me in my hand so you could have been a bit compassionate.So we just calmly decided to order a plain croissant and a matcha latte because we already came out of our way . By the time I cashed out another worker was walking to the display with the tray so then I said oh I’ll just get a pistachio croissant please. The other workers were all nice it was just that one lady. I think she was the manager or someone higher than a worker. As for the croissant is was good. I wanted to go back another time for the breakfast but after the customer service I experienced would never go back even though I’m sure it would have been good. Just because it’s viral and the food is good doesn’t mean you don’t have to have good customer service. Customer service plays a huge part of the...

Worth the Wait.

Was told that this was the most popular bakery in Toronto, and it certainly lived up to the hype. We arrived 15 minutes before opening and were already the fourth party in line. The pace was slower than expected, and by the time we left (30 minutes after opening) there were still more than 10 groups queued up outside. Seating was limited to a cozy, covered outdoor patio, but table service was offered to everyone dining in, which made the experience feel relaxed despite the bustle.

Everything in the pastry display looked stellar. Their signature pistachio croissant was limited to two per person, so we snagged two of those, along with a regular croissant, a sausage roll, and an avocado toast.

Pistachio Croissant – Might be the best I’ve ever had. Even edges out my previous favorite from L’appartement 4F in NYC. Unlike flatter versions, this one still had a plush, airy structure (even after being double-baked) with delicate lamination. The mix of pistachio crumbles, a thin layer of pistachio syrup, and some pistachio frangipane on top really accentuated that pleasant nuttiness, and pistachio tasted really fresh. Most likely crumbled right before topping.

Croissant – Solid. Crisp exterior with a good chew and nicely balanced butter content.

Sausage Roll – A lot of the trendy bakeries in the US don’t do sausage rolls. Mostly limited to Asian (especially Korean) bakeries, but these are usually ketchup-laced and topped with diced onions etc. The one at Emmer was simple. Perfectly laminated pastry wrapped around a juicy beef sausage, served with a side of good mustard. Best sausage roll I’ve had in North America.

Avocado Toast – Not what they’re known for, and a tad expensive. It was decent, but personally didn’t like the mint + avocado combo. If you’re looking for something savory, I’d go with one of their...

READ BEFORE YOU GO TO EMMER!! 0 stars would be too generous. You will never encounter worse customer service. The owner has to be one of the most entitled person I have encountered. Acting as if she is doing you a favour by letting you buy their products. Not only have I witnessed staff berate and insult other customers but have experienced it myself. They seem to have a “dictator style” policy of a "limit of 2 items per customer", which really means that if you are there with other people they will not sell you any more food even on separate transactions. Me and my fiancee met my mother to try a croissant after the three of us waited in line for at least 45 minutes we were told we could only purchase 2 pistachio croissants between the three of us. EVEN THOUGH my mother was a complete separate transaction and customer. We tried explaining that we were separate households and complete separate transactions. The staff was beyond rude and condescending and become very confrontational and did not even allow us to speak when they accused of not abiding by their extremely strict rules. We even offered to show them our ID with DIFFERENT addresses to prove we were purchasing for two separate households. The staff went so far as to say we were being "inconsiderate to their other customers". This is ironic as the inconsideration to their patrons come from directly from themselves. After berating us they had the AUDACITY to swing that tablet around and ask for a minimum of 18% tip. I have genuinely and honestly never experienced such a horrible business. I do not review businesses to tear them down, but the treatment we received from the staff their was deplorable and is why I am writing this review. Sadly, it is clear we are not alone in this experience. Scroll down and...