Blacksmith Bakery — Restaurant in Township of Langley

I usually come here to meet friends (pre covid) and to grab a snack after taking my dog for a walk. I've had great memories sharing food and laughter in this place. I loved Happy Hour, the selection in pastries and the ambiance is good, and the drinks are decent.

I was so excited to pick up my preorder today and try the Valentine special Ruby Passionfruit Croissant, braving the 30 minute drive in the snow.

I decided to order a hot chocolate with oat milk for the drive home. When my order was up, it ended up being hot chocolate with almond milk. I politely said "I asked for oat," and the barista replied "Well it said almond."

I understand it could be a simple error in entering the order or miscommunication,  what I got instead was not an acknowledgment of either, but a lot of attitude in the delivery of that statement. There was no effort to ask the staff who put in the order to clarify, just lots of attitude in saying "Well it said almond," seemingly implying that I was wrong.

The barista then said after "well I could remake it for you..." but again, the manner of how this was spoken seems like an afterthought, like I was inconveniencing her because according to me, the order was wrong. Which it was.

I hate wasting food/drink. Almond was acceptable, though after paying almost $7 after tip and taxes, I would have wanted what I asked for.  And honestly, I did not want to waste any more of my time as I had a snowy drive home, so I said "It's fine" then left.

This is very disheartening and greatly upsetting, after being an avid supporter of local businesses and patron of this place over the past several years. I put in all that effort driving in the snow and was excited to come by today, but ended up having an incredibly disappointing experience, because it seemed like the barista couldn't be bothered to listen to me, communicate and provide customer service that doesnt...

I went to this place based on the Google reviews and -- oh boy -- was I ever disappointed. Maybe it's all about the baking; but if it all about the baking just do the baking. The breakfast was by far the worst I've had in years. Let's break this down by category.

The food: 0/10. Do you like cold potatoes with old "roasted" veges on a stale English muffin with a Sparks egg and Benedict sauce out of a can? If you answered yes; this indeed is the 5/5 place for you. This is the bottom of the list Benedict for me personally. If you aren't even going to try then don't sell it -- stick to what you are good at because it isn't this. I don't really feel like eating your cold leftovers.

The drinks: 4/10. A coffee somewhere between Tim Horton's and 7-11. Drinkable but not enjoyable.

The service: 2/10. If you are going to offer restaurant dishes offer restaurant service. It makes it easier for everyone involved. Dirty tables don't really add up to the charm in my books; I have no problems cleaning up after myself -- but -- don't let me deal with someone else's mess.

The atmosphere: 7/10. Best part of the experience. Seems like a decent place with a reasonably thought out decor. If you bring your kids you'll have books to read. A nice touch. Would be a clean, rustic feel if it was actually kept clean.

There you have it. I wouldn't go back -- unless someone pointed out to me the exact thing that makes this place a hidden jewel. Then I might reconsider. Maybe the baking is actually that amazing. But. If that is what you are good at focus on it -- because -- if you can bake, you certainly can't cook worth a...

very underwhelming!

I think this place used to be better?

the staff is short with you if you ask questions.

around 4pm (they close at 5pm) I watched an older lady come in and ask “Are you all out of bread for today?”

the staff member snapped at her : “we don’t sell bread” & barely made eye contact with her when he replied.

It’s called Blacksmith BAKERY. It makes sense that someone might mistake your bakery for selling bread. It helps to treat customers like their questions or mistakes aren’t stupid or insulting.

The staff will bark at you if you put your dishes in the wrong place.

the tray where you take your dishes isn’t obvious. That’s fine. People are smart and can use their eyes to figure out where their dishes go when they are done.

But don’t be surprised or annoyed if they put them in the wrong place (next to the barista?) if it’s not labeled where to take them.

the food is pretty meh. going to a cafe shop is treat & ideally better than what you can get at the grocery store. their tarts & bread pudding were a waste of calories imo. But taste is subjective…

there’s no wifi.

THATS FINE. there’s a growing movement of cafes not providing wifi because they want to encourage people to socialize / not hang out all day in the cafe working. TOTALLY UNDERSTANDABLE.

but you should assume people coming into your cafe are going to ask. again, don’t treat reasonable questions like they are an irritant. if you don’t like answering questions, make an effort to put up signs or make things...