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Café Bernate
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
8 reviews for Café Bernate
8 reviews in English
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Review from Joe C.
8/30/2011 1 Check-in Here
A very quaint cafe shop i heard known for its delish sandwiches and fresh coffees. it's one of those places that is easy to miss when walking by a very busy queen street. A nice and quiet atmosphere good to just hang out and enjoy the very detailed art work surronding you. check on the front bar area and notice the cool stuff embeded into the counter. Also noticed the tray of fresh baked goods on the counter which looked very appealing. prices might seem bit high but then again it is queen street.
def come back for the sandwiches and some quiet time -
Review from Leslie W.
12/11/2011 5 Check-ins Here
BOTTOM LINE: One of my go-to lunch spots when I want something light, refreshing and fast.
(3.5 STARS)
I frequent Cafe Bernate regularly and it never disappoints. In the summer, their back patio provides a quiet space away from the traffic of Queen West.
I usually get their combo which rotates a random sandwich with their soup of the day or a salad. Their sandwich offerings are so extensive that I don't think I've ever had the same thing twice! Most recently, I had their curried chicken in a mayo base with apples and pears and wrapped in a whole wheat pita. This has become my favourite sandwich they have now!
The soups are good but they ain't Ravi soups that's for sure! I know, unfair comparison, but when Ravi's is just down the street, it's hard not to. Once they got really creative with a yogurt-based blueberry soup, but it ended up being more like a porridge.
And finally, their freshly baked chocolate chip cookies are a perfect dessert or snack to go with lunch or coffee. Always a good pick-me-upper for a dollar. -
Review from Erika P.
Toronto, ON
3/30/2011
Came here for an afternoon snack. It was almost 5pm but the owner was very welcoming and told us to feel free to stay as long as we wanted since he had lots of cleaning to do anyway.
I ordered the avocado, asparagus, provolone and tomato sandwich and the hubby got chicken, swiss and tomato. The sandwiches were alright...nothing too mind-blowing. They taste exactly like what's in them. I liked that my sandwich was toasted and the cheese all melty. It was light but did the job.
I'd like to point out that even though they were practically closed, the ingredients still tasted fresh and not just thrown together.
Regular sandwich - $6.95
Large - $8.95
I'm not too sure of the sizes.
Small place but nice. -
Review from Denise S.
11/6/2010
I love making new discoveries in familiar neighbourhoods. Had lunch at Cafe Bernate after a friend recommended it. Looks very unassuming from the outside, but as Marie F. mentioned, there is a large seating area (and in the summer, patio) in the back and there is a vast menu of 30 different sandwiches!
The atmosphere is casual and cozy, with rotating art on display, accommodating and warm staff, and spacious seating (also would be a good place to read a book or get some work done). I went on a weekday and it was busy, with lots of CAMH staff (CAMH is just across the street), art students (some from Max the Mutt animation school, next door), and such.
I had the #21 sandwich: spinach, mushroom, avocado, and provolone melt on a baguette. Divine. Our waitress said that was the most popular veggie sandwich. My friend had the same thing, but they let her substitute roasted red peppers for the mushrooms. I added a premium salad for $4 and I thought it was worth it. It was a pretty big salad, with nice fresh toppings. I had the "Verde" which has asparagus, brie, and avocado.
(I believe there are 2 things that make *everything* taste better -- cheese & avocado). My friend had the soup of the day - spicy pumpkin soup, and raved about it afterward.
Too bad we were too full, because at the front they had trays of freshly baked cookies and pastries fresh from the oven that looked and smelled amazing. Next time.Listed in: An Apple a Day...
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Review from Marie F.
8/22/2010 1 Check-in Here
What's up with restaurants in the Queen and Ossington strip closing at 3pm and opening at 6pm?! I mean seriously people, it's 3:30pm on a Friday and I am hungry! Their loss is my win I guess because as a result of this most distasteful realization I stumbled upon Café Bernate.
The place looks small at first glance, but don't worry, there is a huge back room area with plenty of seating and even a little fenced in garage door area. The decor is simple. small circular tables in the font with a large concrete "mosaic" slab counter which features keys, buttons and other odd found objects. The back has more of a backyard jungle meets 70's cafeteria, with larger pastel blue tables and bright orange waffle plastic chairs.
Trying to select which sandwich to order proved to be challenging with so many yummy options. I ended up ordering #20, the Chicken, artichokes, spinach, and brie melt on an Italian baguette with a Red & White side salad. The salad was good, but not worth the extra $4. My sandwich was perfection, with melted brie oozing from every corner, I had to take moment of silence to honour the divine piece of cheese that was about to sacrifice itself for my appetite.
I ended my meal with a cookie and latte, which were both perfection. I will definitely be back to try more. -
Review from Andrea L.
York, ON
7/8/2009
I stopped in here on a wonderful sunny afternoon. It's a cute little spot with a big chalkboard menu and some cute little tables.
I ordered a limeade and a sandwich.
The person working was very gruff and didn't seem terribly pleased to serve me. It was sort of odd 'cause it was a beautiful day, I waited patiently to order and said all the right things (please, thank you, etc.) and wasn't snarky or weird in my tone.
The limeade was okay, but a lot of ice and what seemed like undissolved sugar in the bottom. Frankly, the sandwich was bland. The bread was unremarkable and the lovely fresh ingredients on it seemed sort of unexciting.
It's too bad, because the other reviews are great. My experience wasn't : ( -
Review from Andrea B.
Montréal, QC
6/13/2009
Love it.
Fantastic coffee (Lavazzo), a wonderful owner, chocolate cookies to die for, and a general cool ambiance.
Great for a rainy day. -
Review from Andrew F.
Toronto, ON
8/18/2011
This place is next to my office. I usually just get cookies or desserts here, but occasionally I get a sandwich or a special if it's raining or if I have to eat at my desk. When I do this I used to get them to plate the sandwiches instead of using styrofoam packaging, and then I would return the plates clean. Until last week. When I went to pick up the sandwich, the server told me they wouldn't do this for me any more because People weren't returning the plates. But that was one minute after my colleague had just walked out the door with his lunch plated. When I called her on this she told me it was because I wasn't returning my plates - which is simply not true. I know that many others in my office get lunch here, so perhaps one/some of them don't return their plates and bowls. But I actually wash mine and return them so I took personal offense to this. Then today I saw the owner of the business downstairs walking out with his lunch plated, so I decided to walk in to tell the server - who is a nice woman - that I did not appreciate what felt to me like a deliberately aimed punishment. She said she would tell the owner how I felt. Obviously she did, because today when I left my office he was closing up his shop at the same time and get this - he started scolding me right out on Queen Street!! I told myself in the past I would stop going to this place because it was overpriced, or not very good (except for the baked goods), but I would always end up going back because of convenience. But this time, I AM DONE FOR GOOD.
