UB Social Cafe & General Store. — Restaurant in Toronto

Intrigued by UB Social’s catchy, double entendre name (The “UB” stands for “Unemployed Baker” - so clever), inviting small window frontage and enticing sandwich board advertising we’ve been meaning to pop by for lunch for a long while. Not long ago the return of summer weather afforded us the opportunity to pop by and order lunch to share in a nearby parkette.

Here’s the good part of the experience. The person at the window was super friendly and clearly enjoyed chatting about the various sandwiches on offer. We were particularly intrigued by the 10K Sandwich (named for the fact that it was awarded a $10,000 prize at a sandwich contest in NYC), and the description of the pear and brie filling convinced us that it was something we had to have. For our second sandwich we chose a turkey salad with cranberries croissant, a pretty standard go-to for us so we were curious to try this version. We also impulsively ordered up a savoury tart that was on display in the window (thinking this was our typical over-indulgence but what the heck) as well as a small bottled water to share.

The 10K Sandwich was really delicious, with a very nice proportion of pear to a high quality brie and a tasty bread to keep it all together as we stuffed our faces. We’re glad we ordered it for sure.

And this is where we slide into the not-so-good aspect of the experience. The turkey salad croissant was OK, but certainly nothing we’d order again. There was far too much mayonnaise and what turkey was there was so finely chopped that it was hardly discernible as poultry. The cranberry sauce was unremarkable and because of the high proportion of mayo it didn’t add that delicious tart-sweetness that makes the turkey/cranberry combination an über pairing.

And both sandwiches were small - like, really small. Normally we’re thoroughly satisfied with a sandwich each for lunch, but in this case we were looking forward to the savoury tart to fill the hunger gap. Unfortunately the tart was similarly small, and again just OK.

And this brings us to our biggest challenge with our lunch. For what we ordered and the overall quality, we found the tab to be far too high. $40.00 (inclusive of HST and tip) for two small sandwiches, a single small savoury tart and a small bottle of water (all of which left us still hungry) was just too dear for our taste, especially with so many other enticing options nearby. That being said, they’re always busy so they clearly have their fans and we’re definitely going to drop back to try their baked...

Mary is a truly passionate and gifted baker, she makes the most delicious goods, uses the freshest seasonal ingredients, she amazes me every time I go in with a new creation! There's is always so much variety and it's hard to decide what to pick! You feel welcomed with a warm greeting every visit, I miss living in the area just to have the opportunity to indulge in UB's tasty selection. Anthony makes the best cappuccinos, and the team will work with you if you have a special order you'd like fulfilled. They made me a beautiful, delicious birthday cake that was Mary's creation made from caramelized apples and it was out of this world. If you have strollers or pets and are on the go, there is a window from the sidewalk where you can place your order for beverage /food so it's super accessible too. A hidden gem in the Junction! Make sure to...

Dear shop owner, this review is for the espresso on the other day. I specifically asked for a short espresso however the cup was full and very watery, no coffee cream on top. The second issue that I had was about the paper cup. I was served the espresso in a paper cup, however i think it would nice and customary that the barista asks if I want my espresso to go or to stay, and that makes very sense for the espresso: any espresso drinkers know why?!! When I brought that up to the barista while staying at the counter the lady, who might be the owner or the manager, interfered and told me that I should have asked for a ceramic cup which I disagree because I believe its part of the service process to ask "To...