Bunner’s Bake Shop

Being gluten-​intolerant, I’m pretty hard-​pressed finding places where I can eat or have snack that I can trust, let alone enjoy. Not everything Bunners serves is my favourite, but I have lots of favourites there… cupcakes, the Supersonic cookie and many muffins. This place is my go-​to spot. When I take dessert to my non-​vegan, gluten-​eating friends or to parties, I come here. Everyone is always more than satisfied (and they never know the difference). Worth trying… again and again.

I’ve made numerous visits to Bunner’s and although it does have some good offerings, I wouldn’t say it’s ‘A-​OK’ by any means. Firstly, it is very difficult to produce great baked goods that are both vegan and gluten-​free. It defies the laws of food science. That doesn’t mean that Bunner’s doesn’t hit the mark on some things.
Their date bars are delicious, but everybody knows that date bars are a no brainer. The cupcakes are tasty with generally a good texture but far too heavy on the agave. A quarter of a cupcake is more than enough for me! They have been known to offer mini cupcakes here but I have found it to be a rarity, as confirmed by one of the staff.
And while we are on the topic of staff, I can confirm that on each and every occasion I have been here (5 times total), the staff was rude and cold. For example, we stopped in one Saturday morning to pick up a big order for a party and we were bluntly told they do not provide any kind of carry home bags. A huge inconvenience. Why not offer eco-​friendly, vegan totes which customers can purchase?
The cinnamon buns are heavy and more akin to bricks. The empanadas are really good, I will say. The pastry is spot on flakey and tasty.
Personally, I’ll pass on Bunner’s. Been there, done that.

I’m torn with Bunners, so I’m giving this place 3 stars for a few reasons: 1) their pastries (or at least the ones I’ve tried) just aren’t really the best in the city. I find their cupcakes dry, their creamies, while delicious, super super sweet after two bites, and their butter tarts really aren’t that great either. Then again, I guess that’s what happens when baking with vegan ingredients. BUT, other bakeries do it better — vegan and g-​free. 2) Their soft serve ice cream — it’s delicious, but at the same time, I don’t really want to know (or maybe I do?) what chemicals are in there. But then again, it takes me back to being a kid and getting soft serve in the summer. It tastes good and nostalgic. 3) Their bread is AMAZING. While I don’t like paying $ 8 for a loaf of bread, there’s something to be said about freshly baked, straight from the oven, loaves. You just can’t get that with grocery store bought gluten free bread.
And the reason why this place does not get 4 stars — they charge you, no matter how much you’re buying, to use their debit machine. They tack on an additional 10 cents. Not a big deal, but if I’m paying $ 8 for a loaf of bread and $ 4+ for a cupcake and more, I really think they should eat the cost of that 10 cents. Sorry Bunners, but on principal, I will continue to eat rice cakes with my almond butter instead of regularly buying your loaves.

I am not overly sweet on baked goods, but I am quite impressed by the array of vegan and gluten-​free treats at Bunner’s. It is truly a bakery for anybody who enjoys homey, baked goods that aren’t overly fancy in presentation or finesse, but taste just right.
In particular, I like their apple crumble muffin (with a generous crumble top!) and brownie. I have never made a vegan brownie that I enjoyed or that didn’t come out like a puck; theirs is just like the «real» thing. I am so glad that I don’t crave sweets, but if I did, Bunner’s would be a go-​to spot for me.

I normally go for savoury over sweet, however, all that changed while visiting Toronto and I found out about Bunners. The cupcakes are awesome. The frosting is super creamy and just the right amount of sweetness. I expected the rest to be dry and crumbly, but it was moist and delicious! I also had the pumpkin tarts and they were awesome also!
This will be a regular stop when I’m in the Kensington Market in Toronto!

Runner’s Bake shop had a good reputation and I tried. I did not like their cup cake. They are vegan and gluten free shop. If you are okay with dairy or wheat, you may be disappointed.

Bunner’s offers a variety of gluten-​free and vegan baked goods.
I took my time deciding. Gooey cinnamon rolls, butter tarts and thick frosting capped cupcakes in base flavors of red velvet, chocolate and vanilla filled their display case. They all looked good but I had to settle for a personal favorite, the red velvet. Boxed to go for $ 3 and some change and I was on my way.
The cake was light and airy in texture but somewhat starchy with a slight metallic aftertaste. GF baking can be hard to get right so this bit of unpleasantness gave me pause for concern. A thick swirl of frosting added its intense sweetness to the experience.
I appreciate their effort, but I found the end product to be rather blah. I’d try something else in the future.

I was looking forward to getting a cake for someone’s birthday from Bunner’s so I called a week ahead. The person I spoke to told me I didn’t have to order in advance. So I called 3 days ahead. No one picked up or returned my call. I called again the next day (wednesday) and they told me they didn’t deliver on Fridays but wouldn’t get it to me on Thursday because it wasn’t 48 hours in advance. They offered to cab it to me (at least a $ 35 cab ride) on friday. I am vegan but I won’t bother coming back here, given this terrible customer service.

I have wanted to come here for a really long time, despite not being vegan, gluten free is healthier and the way to go. I decided to finally do it today, because I realized a little while ago that the Augusta location is only 2 km from my work.
The service was nice, and the cashier was able to answer all my ingredient-​related questions.
I was pleasantly surprised to learn that they bake GF bread, and I picked it up. It was good for as good as GF bread can be. I also picked up a lemon cran muffin and the mini cinnamon bun, both which were really good, especially the cinnamon roll. However, if you know how regular pastries taste, I do think you can taste the difference, but it’s not substantial. Essentially, the pastries are less «fluffy» and more dense. They are still fantastic, though. My only complaint is that the pastries are baked with margarine (of course), and although Earth Balance is a better margarine, it’s still a margarine and margarine is garbage (like, it’s really bad for you). If you have a pastry here once in a while, then don’t feel bad. However, I assume that most people that come here probably use a lot of margarine. so, sorry to break it to you people… I also wish they had tea/​coffee, because it would go so well with the pastries. However, they say they used to carry it and it didn’t sell well. I think they should try again! lol. Overall, I am pleased with my purchases. I bake GF at home (without margarine, and no butter either for the past while), but once in a while it’s nice to be able to get it elsewhere.

I don’t think I’ve ever gone to Kensington Market and not stopped by Bunner’s. I always find the people behind the cash super friendly and attentive despite some bad reviews on here. I got my husband a birthday cake (chocolate raspberry) from here last year and it was incredible. The smallest cake could honestly feed 10 people so its totally worth the money. I’ve also taken a baking class here and it was so much fun and super informative. Even though I’m not gluten free (just vegan), I definitely levelled up as a baker after: P
Their cupcakes are life changing and I have recently discovered the yogurt parfaits. Mmm.

Awesome mexi brunch pocket and delicious gibber molasses cookies! Make sure to doodle on their chalkboard wall!

We used to make treks up to the Junction specifically to go to Bunner’s and now that there’s one closer by, I go every week!
I can’t have wheat or dairy, so the only bakery for me before Bunner’s was BabyCakes in New York City! So if you’re like me this place is a godsend and pretty much everything on offer is fantastic. Standouts are: the bread, butter tarts, cinnamon buns, full-​sized fruit pies, brownies, and date squares. Even if you can eat «normal» food you’ll love many things here. The maple scone is particularly a stand-​out.
The soft-​serve ice cream is a bit of a revelation, especially on a hot summer day.

Cashiers at Bunners: If you are the one opening the shop, please know how to turn the soft serve machine on. Know where the proper ice cream cups are to serve it in. When someone comes in 30 mins after you have opened and wants soft serve, don’t feign ignorance and say «that we just opened». LAME!
Don’t randomly take a phone call while you walk out the shop door and up the street w/​o explaining to the customer you are supposed to be serving what you are doing. Don’t work in front facing customer service if you became defensive reading this.
You guys are VERY lucky that you products speak for themselves. Your cashiers are useless.

All I can say is HORRIBLE customer service…
learn how to greet people and work on your communication skills… pathetic.
Would not recommend and would not go back

J’ai bien aimé cette pâtisserie ! J’ai goûté au «cinnamon bun» et au biscuit au gingembre et réellement, ce dernier était délicieux ! Ils vendent du Kombucha artisanal ce qui est intéressant! Le service était bien et il était difficile de faire un choix parmis la belle sélection de produits se retrouvant dans le comptoir alors pour moi c’est un endroit qui mérite bel et bien d’être encouragé! On né feel pas que les «goodies» sont sans gluten alors même pour ceux qui n’ont aucune intolérence (moi!), ça vaut la peine !

I’ve been to their original Junction location once, and Bunner’s opening a Kensington shop certainly makes it easier for downtown rats to get their fix of the much-​hyped gluten-​free vegan-​friendly baked confections.
Bunner’s of Kensington is much bigger than their tiny Junction base, though most of the space is taken up by the open kitchen wafting of constant sweet baking. Of the area left for customers to huddle around and drool over the counter, there is plenty of space for a couple of small tables for those who want to eat in, but instead stupidly enough only a bench by the window is provided. There’s no valid excuse.
Wasn’t quite impressed with the stuff I had before over there (best butter tarts? meh, average), so let’s see how this one goes. Their cinnamon buns are said to be the best in the city. I don’t get it. At all. Sticky? Oh yes. But it was more like a cake than a bun, it was dense, and damnit it was dry and heavily sweet. It certainly did not compute with my expectations of what a cinnamon bun is.
When I finished that beast, I swear I was craving gluten. Not just any kind of gluten; I wanted BEER. That damned overhyped cinnamon whatever had me thirsty for beer, and definitely not the gluten-​free kind. I don’t think I have ever ate anything that made want beer as badly as I did with Bunner’s cinnamon concoction.
Hmm, soy-​based soft serve ice cream… I wouldn’t mind trying it, but I couldn’t imagine how that would work. Spare me the Bunner’s cult hype; as much as I would like to like it, their stuff is really not as divine as the local vegan/​gluten-​free/​hipster crowd make them out to be.
{TTC: streetcar named 506 to Augusta Ave.}

Bunner’s has been a life saver for this gluten free girl. When I gave up wheat over 5 years ago I thought I may never be able to have a normal tasting sandwich again. Their bread is the best gluten free bread I have ever tasted, but you’ll definitely want to get there early in the day to make sure you snatch up a loaf before they’re all gone. Other standouts are the cinnamon buns, brownies, creamies, supersonic cookies, vegan mac & cheese and the double chocolate cake. I find that he cupcakes have a very strong chickpea flour aftertaste, so I tend to avoid those, but I love everything else. If you’re at the Kensington location in the summer don’t forget to treat yourself to the vegan soft serve in a gluten free cone. I have been known to go out of my way to grab one on the way home from work.

I am not vegan, or even vegetarian for that matter. In fact I love meat. But that’s beside the point. More than anything, I love good food, and Bunner’s is my go to bakery stop in the Kensington Market. Sure there are cheaper places to buy sweets, but these satisfy everybody — the gluten free, veg heads, vegans, whatever crowd. And when I mean satisfy, I really mean leave breathless. The list of deliciousness from here is long and decadent, but suffice it to say that everything I have stuffed down my craw has left me wishing I smoked just so I could light one up afterwards and exhale contentedly. This is one of the few places where I can buy sweets, serve them to guests and not tell them that they are gluten free, vegan, not tested on animals, whatever, and everybody still wolfs them down.
Kudos to the chefs here for creating such masterpieces for everybody to enjoy. BTW if you are a glutton for punishment, they actually sell a cookbook with their recipes in it, but be prepared to put in some serious elbow grease and also to gain a few inches along the way.

I am not vegetarian or vegan. In fact, I ate meat last night .
I’m almost late for work and must write this review because HoLY smokes I am so impressed!
At first I tried a Super sonic gypsy Cookie from lit espresso with a nice blueberry rooibos tea. What a great combo! The cookie was so good I dreamed about it all day and had to go back to ask them if they made them in house. Nope ! They were Bunner Super Sonic Gypsy cookies !!! So I made a trip to Bunner to buy a box of cookies and decided to try their Mac and cheese which is vegan and gluten free of course. I really did not expect to like it because I am a huge carbie cheese lover. This morning I popped it in my oven and all I can say is holy smokes this Mac and cheese is like crack and cheese. It’s so CREAMY and delicious !! I am so impressed with it especially because I always thought gluten free pasta was the weirdest thing… BUT this was cooked to perfection it wasn’t mushy like I thought it would be. This gluten free Mac was perfect and aldente.
Oh, I’m also one of those weirdos who love ketchup. I added nothing extra this mac and cheese because it was perfect in every way .
Thanks Bunner !

I went here last week because the delicious scent of those vegan cinnamon buns was wafting in the air outside and I got pulled in. I took it home to share. It’s a relatively large size. So paying $ 4.50 + tax, seems like a fair price. It is tasty, especially considering it’s vegan. I’d go back to try one of those muffins, or cookies, but I probably wouldn’t get this one again. Something seemed to be missing, I think it was that their wasn’t enough moisture. But it was still really good.

There are a lot of guilty pleasures hidden in the Kensington market.
Bunner’s mastered the delicate balance between the «good» and the «evil». The new Bunner’s location in Kensington Market is just as delicious as its original location in the Junction. Bunner’s serves up some mean vegan gluten-​free nearly guilt-​free treats at an affordable price! The Supersonic cookie is out of this world. It is packed with organic protein-​rich seeds, oats, cranberries and rich dark chocolate! For $ 2, this meal-​on-​the-​go-​cookie is hard to resist! This location also sells soft-​serve vegan soy-​based ice cream with a vegan cone for $ 3!
If you are skeptical about vegan gluten-​free treats, test your assumptions at Bunner’s with their delicious cup cakes, muffins or cinnamon buns! You may be pleasantly surprised!