Hermes — Restaurant in Toronto

Love Hermes. IMHO they make the best Kosher cheesecake and cheesebuns in town... * Update 2024: Cheesebuns have changed dramatically. Still delicious, but the amount of cheese is minscule, and it's consistency is creamier. Potatoe kugel which is only available Thursdays and Fridays for Shabbat is the best (pareve Cholent & Kishke too.) Other highlights: apple and/or mixed fruit & berry strudel... Heaven! Their Napoleons are terrific ** but beware the cream puffs. (I bought one recently and it MUST have come out of the freezer as the bottom was soggy and it just didn't smell or taste fresh. Not OK, but they gave me store credit.) Their stone ground whole wheat bread is quite special. Most things are good but stay away from the "carrot cake" or muffins. Regrettably, one day I tried asking for a bran muffin and was told by the usually friendly saleslady: "When did you ever see bran muffins for sale at Hermes??? " There's so much packed into that one line... Are bran muffins beneath them? Another time. Hermes has a limited selection of grocery products: dry goods, refrigerated dairy and prepared house brand foods like soup, herring etc. Other prepared salads, frozen braided Challah dough etc. Bodek lettuce, but no fresh produce. If I could make a Hermes wish it would be that they bring back the birthday cakes that they used to sell when I was a kid (with a crisp chocolate coating atop the creamy icing) and the melt in your mouth cookies they used to give us at Associated for Oneg Shabbos. Yum!!! Corner store....

I cannot believe the rudeness of the women in the bakery today. A STAFF MEMBER! She was with a customer and my husband and I went in to the front door to see if people were in the store. WE WERE MASKED AND FULLY APPROPRIATE. She snarled at us and locked the door yelling at us. A man came out after he made his purchases and apologized on her behalf. We went in and waited patiently (I wanted to leave but sweets are the road to my husband's heart). We asked what something was and the same woman was so impatient with us. I asked for a few things and the same lady cashed us our seriously snarling and making a face at me. My husband under his breath said please don't say anything she's probably stressed. She may have been but she was so rude that we will never go back!!

Very...

I walked into Hermes, conveniently located for midtown shoppers, on a very busy Friday at noon on the first full day of Channukah. As sufganiyot buying tends to create a seasonal mania, I wouldn't recommend shopping here during busy times in spite of the fact that the business appears to be sufficiently staffed on all fronts- it can feel a bit frenetic. The good news is that the hours are quite long. I found all the basic donut flavors to be very fresh, tasty, of good quality and competitively priced in comparison to other nearby establishments. I am basing my ultimate star rating on value for money and the fact that I can directly attest to the satisfaction guarantee provided me by Sara who took care of me quickly and...