World Class Bakers
690 St Clair Ave W 
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Phone: 416.654.0606
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World Class Bakers was in my life for a while before I knew it. Because my shortbread- loving friend was going crazy for the gigantic shortbread cookies at Tan Coffee on West Queen West. Alyssa hung a show there last week and paid my shortbread-loving friend to help her. Paid her in gigantic shortbread cookies.
So I finally tried these Tan Coffee cookies this week, and the kind young men behind the counter told me they came from World Class Bakers, which is right up the street from me. So with our shortbread friend in tow, Alyssa and I go up there for lunch.
Sure enough, we see the familiar cookies in their original environment. They come in cranberry or chocolate chip for $1.60. Beyond being bigger than "regular" shortbread, they have a taste of salt, which is really nice, especially in the chocolate chip. They also taste more buttery than usual, if that's even possible. Bites of cranberry are a bit sour, which makes them less heavy and easier to eat the whole thing and then some. Furthermore, you can get mini shortbread cookies for $0.75. I love it when food comes miniature.
There's lots of fine looking bread and bagels. The pizzas look great. Unfortunately, right after we finished eating sandwiches a man called out "fresh pizza!" and dumped a new batch of personal sized pies in the display case. I would have had the pizza if that had happened twenty minutes earlier.
Twenty minutes earlier, I'd ordered a toasted Western on homemade rye bread and Alyssa ordered a grilled cheese on thin slices of buttery, toasted, homemade whole wheat bread. My shortbread friend had turkey on rye. All the bread was fresh and delicious, but we would probably take it home and make our own sandwiches next time. Our sandwiches cost around $5.00 each and it just wasn't worth it. I'd rather buy a couple loaves of bread for that price (or lots of miniature cookies).
We split a great cherry cheese danish ($2.25) which would have been nice with a quality cup of coffee. World Class unfortunately serves Seattle's Best, which is pretty mediocre. It's a shame because the atmosphere is nice (including the service - very kind) and they have free Internet, so I'd like to hang around in there and do some work. But I wouldn't want to drink too much of that coffee. I guess could eat the mini shortbread for a couple hours. That would make for a good day.
Photos by Alyssa Bistonath
Comments (15)
WCB is my local bakery/cafe stop, their smartie cookies are great! Definitely a nice environment to get some work done with the free internet as well. Recommended!
can I mention how much I would LOVE a giant shortbread cookies?
the ones at letteri are good but expensive!!!
Tried the oversized shortbread cookies the other night and let me tell you, the writer does not exagerate. These things are heavenly. The only thing that might be better at WCB is their carrot cake -- and I say that as someone who is generally anti-carrot cake.
Another reason to support WCB: They got dealt a shitty hand. They bought the place from a below average bread store. Re-did the whole store over several years while overcoming some rumoured financial issues. Then as soon as they were to open Starbucks plopped down across the street in an old bank and a little after that Second Cup moved in a few doors down. In spite of all that, WCB looks like it's doing well for itself.
This is also my local bakery/cafe shop - the rugelach (pictured under the cheese danish) is VERY tasty!
I used to devour their chocolate croissants on a weekly basis, but they changed the recipe sometime last year - what used to be light and airy, I now find them too greasy and heavy.
And I don't mind the coffee so much - I order their lattes, and they always take great care (and time) to make it properly for me. (Perhaps they use a different type of bean?)
Do you have any photos of the bakery from the outside so I know what I'm looking for if I'm whizzing past it? How about one of the inside so that we can see the space?
Delightful...been there...going to start jogging to and from however, they're going to make me fatter than the guy at the pizza store a few blocks away.
Andy, it's right AT the intersection of St Clair & Christie - facing the beginning of Christie St (so much so that a car once even went through the window).
I remember about 6 years ago, I lived in the area close to world class bakers and we went in when it first opened. I was not impressed at all, the bread was not fresh, i think we had some dessert but it was not great by any stretch of the imagination. I have not been back since. Maybe it has improved?
TAN Coffee is well worth a visit...and not just for the shortbread! TAN is all about the COFFEE, ethically sourced high quality green beans, expertly hand roasted in the cafe. Marilyn and Chris and great baristas and finish every drink - even the macchiato! - wth a latte art rosetta, not easy! The bake great croissants and muffins too.
I think it's long past the point where we need to see the phrase " WORLD CLASS. " again. It's so tired.
I got to WCB from time-to-time for the free Internet. It is just up the street from me. The cookies are awesome. The cakes are Dufflet. Apparently they make their own cheesecake, but I find it's a bit dry.
Everything is a bit expensive, except for the breakfast. They do make good breakfast.
There Banana bread is NO JOKE. We live in the neighbourhood and my mom's been buying it for YEARS, and she's gotten her friends hooked...I don't eat banana's and have never touched the stuff, but I've taken a WCB loaf to parties and watched ppl DEVOUR it...a family friend now makes regular trips from her north york/scarborough home to buy a bunch of loaves, then she freezes them, and serves them at parties/family gatherings etc.....bought a loaf to take to a friend's place last night, and decided to have a slice...I ate it with butter...WOW...then I had another slice with cheese...AMAZING...now I'm hooked.
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