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- Hours:
Tue-Sat 7:30 am - 5:30 pm
Sun 9 am - 4 pm
- Price Range:
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$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
18 reviews for Fratelli Authentic Italian Baking
18 reviews in English
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Review from Joanne C.
Burnaby, BC
12/28/2011
Came here at the beginning of December for their Saint Honore cake. Great and attentive service and the bakery was adorable as it was decorated for Christmas. I ordered the cake just the afternoon before by phone and everything was good to go when I got there!
The cake itself was a hit - full of custard and cream! If your guests haven't seen/had it before, it makes a great impression! -
Review from Mira S.
Surrey, BC
2/16/2011
I used to be a fan but poor, pissy service has made me hesitant to return.
I was short changed by $15.00. I had just gone to the ATM which dispenses $20.00 as the smallest bill. My total was $3.10 and the beetchy lady gave me back $1.90 saying I only gave her $5.00. She was firm on her argument and even another customer stepped in too! I had to return at the end of the day after they did their cash-out to get the rest of my money. Sure enough, the float was over $15.00 and another staff member pitched another argument saying that they are always careful when handling cash. Obviously not! They treated me like I was trying to scam them. They gave(threw!) my money back with no apology, no nothing!
Spinach brioche tasted like ass! Croissant tasted like the smell of wet dog! -
Review from tee a.
6/29/2010 1 Check-in Here
I was first introduced to Fratelli by a girlfriend years ago. We were both heart broken and often met up to talk about our problems while eating canolis and ganache tarts. lol.. I'm glad that is now over. I still frequent Fratelli for their breads and Italian pastries. They have a huge selection and I always try something new.
I have a major sweet tooth so I love dessert. Fratelli pastries are buttery and light. Not as sweet as they may look and always petit to keep you wanting more.
Other must tries include: Lemon tarts, Eclairs and the apple caramel tarts. The cookies are ok... I would stick to the pastries.
Happy eating! :) -
Review from Maha E.
7/10/2010
When you're on the drive watching your favourite futbol teams battle each other for the title of FIFA World Cup Champions, where else can you find a scrumptious glucose kick that will make your stomach cheer? ...Can't think of any other place? Neither can I.
Of course your tummy will be purring, "FORCA ITALIA!" but hey, can you blame it? I've tried many of their cookies, cakes and pastries over the years and I can honestly say that whenever I want to hit-up a bakery, Fratelli comes uno.
The other day I (finally) tried Vancouver's critically acclaimed best cake- Fratelli's Saint Honore cake. It can be made with or without alcohol- which is hugely appreciated as I ordered the latter. I cannot tell you how many people approached me after they had a slice of heaven and asked where I had purchased said cake, followed by many chimes of, "hands down, the best cake I have ever had." I wholeheartedly agreed and convinced more than half of them that I had the cake Fed-Ex'd from Italy... before I gave them the Vancouver address, that is.
I love how you can see where they bake, as well- that's just me and my curious ways though.
I'll never forget one of the chefs who had "retired" and they hung his chef jacket with his favourite number from the roof for all of the customers to see- I wish they had kept it up there.
You should definitely checkout their website because they have the most elaborate cake-decorating I have ever seen. I'm afraid to ask how much they cost, but you can sure bet that if I ever need a fancy 'do cake, I'm going to get it here.
Recommended Main Deal: try everything- especially the Saint Honore cake and their birds nest cookies.
Score: Mamma... Mia! *kisses her fingers and throws her hand in the air* -
Review from Bill T.
Vancouver, BC
I was introduced a long time ago by a colleague who bought a Saint Honore Cake from Fratelli bakery for another colelague's birthday. I thought that is such a great, rich cake! Who knew that cake can taste so good with butter cream, chocolate shavings, and small choch dipped balls of puff pastry heaven layered on top of a crust of the most succulent puff pastryand layered sponge cake ever! I had to go and i did! Located at Commercial drive, one of the most happenign drives in the lower mainland I mgith add, Fratelli Bakery certainly did not disappoint. If you want literally creme de la creme of Italian Bakeries, you have come to the right place. Believe, once you tried their cakes and pastries, pssshhh, the hell with grocery chain bought cakes!
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Review from Rachael T.
Toronto, ON
12/3/2009
Mission to Eat Vancouver's 101 Best Eats
**This is a consolation prize.. but I think still should be recognized!**
The Gateau D'Honoure... is a cake made like a giant cream puff.. at least that's what I think! Unfortunately, a medium size cake feeds 5.. and I didn't have 4 others to share with. I asked the lady behind the counter what the "puffs" at the top were.. and she had told me they were Proliferoles (?)... aka cream puffs.. I guess. I bought two of them, thinking that the puff itself should taste similar to the overall cake.
The cream puffs were not overly delicate and not overpowerful in sweetness - very surprised and very satisfied. For a small cream puff I felt like it was never ending and very worth trying if you cannot purchase the whole cake yourself for sharing.
Oh boy.. if only I could eat all the other goodies :) -
Review from Marc D.
Vancouver, BC
11/15/2008
Fratelli offers some decent items, although I must confess I prefer some other Italian bakeries like Italia on Hastings (http://www.yelp.ca/biz...) and Calabria on Victoria (http://www.yelp.ca/biz...).
If you are really addicted to Fratelli's offerings though, the little known all you can eat buffet downtown at the Law Courts serves up a selection of Fratelli's desserts on most days that you can enjoy: http://www.yelp.ca/biz... I suggest calling in advance though to make sure they are on offer that day, as the buffet is pretty mediocre overall otherwise. -
Review from Dru C.
10/7/2010
I was wondering around Commercial street for an Auethntic bakery and I struck this place, recommended by a person walking down the street. She said that the bakery down the street has amazing bakery goods.
I went into the store and it had an amazing atmosphere of Italia. I love the culture and the patriotism behind this bakery. It really pulls me into the culture a lot.
I looked at their baerkery goods and it looked amazing. I ordered a bunch of treats for myself, and cakes, and some biscotti and some bread. I went home and enjoyed them. It was amazing. Their bread is nice and soft, and dry enough to be bread. The sweet tarts and cakes are very sweet and savory. I enjoyed their biscotti the most though.
I will totally go back again to try their other breads and pastries. The people who worked there were extremely nice too. -
Review from Hanna C.
Vancouver, BC
6/10/2009
my search for vancouver's best almond croissant ends here. flaky but firm, made with REAL almonds (the filling appears to be crushed, not paste), and baked to perfection. MMM.
other items here always look fabulous, but i'm a creature of habit.
oh and good espresso, they know how to do pull a proper allongee. -
Review from Grayce E.
4/28/2010
In search for something to clear my memory of a bad breakfast experience that morning I ventured into Fratelli.
I liked that there was an assortment of desserts and fresh baked breads. I picked up a rustic sourdough baguette (don't really love sourdough, but enjoyed this enjoy to practically eat half the loaf by the time I got home) as well as the multigrain baguette (mental note, if I'm going to buy a baguette I just go for the plain, this was disappointing even though I knew it was better for me...).
Now! Onto the sweets, I tried something that would put the mini brownie to shame. How about a bite sized mini apple carmel tart...chewy short bread-like bottom, apple filling, covered with sugar crumble and caramel.........mmmmm enough said. -
Review from Awesta M.
4/16/2011
So after my excursion to La Calabria (which really should allow you to bring outside food from here specifically) and La Grotto, I always end up here. The hubby and I were craving a little sweetness after our coffee and cheese and decided on canoli's. Now here's the thing, we were taking my Mom and Aunt out to dinner later that night and I just knew they'd end up back at our place needing dessert so I bought extra just in case of this occurrence.
Lo and behold, hours later look who's back at our place wanting tea and a little something sweet. Fratelli's saved my hide because if I hadn't bought those, we'd have to serve them ginger ale. Not the something sweet they were hoping for. Of course it was delish.
The service was nice. Obviously, going in there on a Sat means a line up but the staff were efficient and kept the line moving along despite the three people in front of me for who decision-making was a long painful process. (Do I want a pink cupcake or a blue cupcake? Seriously???!!! I would've quit if I were behind the counter.) -
Review from Reena M.
8/24/2009
Oooh a new bakery (for me anyway)! I was drawn in by the cupcakes because they looked so pretty!! I settled on the black forest and the raspberry mousse. They're $2.75 each. And they were surprising with some custard/bavarian cream in the center! Well the black forest was a chocolate cupcake with chocolate custard in the center. I liked the chocolate one the best because it tasted like a homemade chocolate cake, but was still really moist in the center (unlike Cupcakes http://www.yelp.ca/biz...). I'm not sure that I'm really a fan of the surprise filling. I think the cupcakes could have also been more exciting. Raspberry mousse was just a white cake with raspberry cream frosting a fresh raspberry on top.
I also got a fruit tart, blueberry tart, and a mini canolo. The tarts were tasty... but they're so easy to make. They look really cute though! The canolo wasn't quite as good as the ones I had in Italy, but i shouldn't compare. On the other hand, it was pleasant that the filling tasted orange-y and had dry fruits inside. And it stayed crispy after a day later in the fridge. But at $1.99 each (canoli and tarts), it wasn't as fantastic as I was expecting them to be.
Overall, the pastries I had were ranging from okay to delicious. I would definitely try them out again because they look so pretty! But I would try different pastries. I think I would search further for a more authentic Italian bakery (perhaps the ones Marc D. suggests).. -
Review from Nicole B.
4/14/2010
I love this bakery. I miss this bakery.
I usually get an assortment of goods, you can't just take one thing home.
If there was an option, I probably would go for the canoli. They have an amazing assortment of sweet treats. I remember strolling in on their anniversary and they had this amazing cake. It had custard or something in it. It was soooo good.
Make sure to check what their hours are, as they do close early.
Don't expect $1 prices. It's easy to walk out of there spending $20 on just a few treats. Quality is worth it to me.
One of the best bakeries in Vancouver for sure. You can pretty much park all along commercial drive. -
Review from Jasmine O.
Vancouver, BC
3/2/2010
This afternoon I was walking on the drive, taking a break from work, when the intense craving for something sweet came along. I stopped into Fratelli's and had a browse. What a gorgeous selection of pastries and other goodies. The raspberry cream cheese croissant immediately stole my heart and as I waited for the girl behind the counter to wrap one up for me, the owner/manager/baker (i'm guessing he was one or more of those) asked me if I'd like to have free cup of coffee as they are trying out a new one. Perfect combo with the sweet treat and my black coffee to head back to my office to finish the day.
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Review from Jenni B.
2/2/2009
This place has lovely pastries. I suggest the sicilian canoli, it will make you believe in god. Pastries can be a bit pricey, but are just to nice that they are worth it.
Listed in: The Groceries - Because you…
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Review from Kristine B.
Vancouver, BC
10/31/2010
Fratelli! You are the home of my sometimes dashed pastry hopes. But overall pretty good! Nicely decorated! Friendly, attentive, knowledgeable staff willing to check the recipes to see if there is anything without lactose/dairy/whey/casein in it that I can feed my husband, which is sometimes very frustratingly unavailable elsewhere! Tasty bread and spinach danishy things! Beautiful-looking pastries! Amazing, amazing, amazing amaretti that taste home made and are lactose-free! Prices that are pretty reasonable, at $2.05 plus tax for most pastries. Fantastic amaretti... and tarts.
My first issue with Fratelli is that their sicilian cannoli have an odd taste, perhaps too much icing sugar or lemon rind inside them. They are not very sweet and filled with a nice ricotta, chocolate chip and orange zest mixture, inside the usual fried cookie shell. They look very cute dusted heavily with icing sugar and drizzled with chocolate. I think the icing sugar tastes funny though, and is gilding the lily, taking away from the cookie. Maybe the filling tastes funny from having icing sugar in it... OK, I'm picky. Fortuna Bakery on Hastings a few blocks east of Boundary has my best Sicilian canoli vote. I will have to try the ones on Victoria and others on Hastings though.
Also, most Italian bakeries I visited in Italy and Toronto do quite different things than Fratelli, like torta di Nonna (custard tart), fabulous fritelle di Zabaglione (imagine a thin donut shell around a boozy egg custard filling, dusted in granular sugar and served a little warm like a beard papas/donut with a grand marnier or champagne flavour), and pizzas and fancy sandwiches by weight like at Sciue in downtown Vancouver. Even humble Maple bakery in a strip mall in Maple north of Toronto makes the non-sicilian cannoli with a homemade custard cream (thicker starch and egg custard). Fillings are an area needing a lot of work in most Vancouver bakeries. They mean Fratelli can't have four or five stars in my book.
Where I have my second issue with Fratelli is the much-praised St Honore cake. I have had the honour of eating a from-scratch St Honore in Toronto somewhere that made the cake and custard filling from scratch. After that blissful experience, I was hoping that Fratelli could do the same, but apparently they get their bavarian cream from a container made elsewhere, and usually use a vegetable-based whip (although to their credit they can put real whipping cream on top if you order ahead). Everyone here who loves St. Honore cake (choux pastry with a vanilla cake liner, filled with bavarian cream/thick custard and topped with more whipping cream and creampuffs) should have the chance to try one with real freshly made custard sometime. It is heaven. Now I have become a snob and don't like premade cream/custard donut fillings and bakeries who use them, but don't blame me. It's the fault of that Toronto pastry chef. Whole Foods would make custard like that, but I don't think they do St. Honore. And Fratelli's won't sell the pastry and cake base so I can make my own filling.
Anyhow, as I now have to have company in order to avoid eating a whole St Honore alone, and I know so many lactose-intolerant people, I just need to learn to bake my own using butter and milk alternatives.
Fratelli is really quite good. Very nice pastries for the most part. Great for a gift. Best amaretti ever. -
Review from Kal B.
1/29/2010
really great italian bakery!
have all the faves.. mini canollis, biscotti, cakes, bars, cookies, u name it!
i enjoyed the neopolitan and the irish cream ball last time :)
the only downside is that its kinda pricey i found for what you get! #1 italian bakery for me is still Old Valley close to hastings and gilmore in Burnaby -
Review from Mercedes G.
Vancouver, BC
9/12/2008 1 photo
If you've had the pleasure of visiting Italy, you will be happy to hear that Fratelli's lives up to the reputation in their title. One can only salivate over the delights taunting you from behind the glass counter, along with fresh baked bread and good coffee. There are a couple of patio chairs and tables outside the shop front, ideal for people-watching on Commercial (always entertaining) while digging into an éclair or coffee-drenched gingerbread biscotti, amongst other sweet treats of ample proportion. Oh and they make cakes. Incredible cakes that are most deserved of a special occasion. Fantastico!
