Baka Gallery Cafe

Had a quick coffee meet up with fellow Unilocaler Teresa H over the weekend. We were looking for a new coffee place in Bloor West Village since we were tired of the typical Starbucks in the area. We decided on Baka since its been on my radar for awhile. Baka is off of Bloor St. West of Runnymede. The store itself was tiny but they had their patio open (thank goodness because weather was gorgeous) and they have seating upstairs which I didn’t see.
I give it a solid 4/​5, I had a vanilla latte with a chocolate croissant. The Latte was good. Espresso was nice and smooth, not too acidic for me. Vanilla wasn’t too sweet and overpowering. Just a good amount. The croissant I would ask to heat up next time as I prefer it a little softer as it probably gets dry in the food case.

I go to get work done/​meet up with friends here all the time. The food is excellent, especially the soups. Out of this world! Fantastic choice of options and lovely upstairs area which tends to be a little quieter than the downstairs space. Bright and airy café, and love the gallery as well. It’s truly my favourite café in the city!

I ordered the chai tai and tuna wrap and was not disappointed with my decision. Altogether $ 12. Came during a weekday afternoon and it was quiet. Wifi was fast. Friendly service. Overall a great first impression.
All different types of people. Business professionals, older folks. Music isn’t too loud and tons of space on the second floor. I am currently working on the second floor and wifi is just as strong. Really happy with this discovery.

Really, really great coffee *and* you can almost always get a seat upstairs.
The staff is friendly and quick. No fuss, either.
Frankly, the only downside is the elderly people who colonize the top floor and talk too loud.
A superior option to the Starbucks at Runnymede and overall: it is the best coffee in Bloor West. I recommend Baka to a lot of folks.

Amazing coffee, pastries and soups. The sandwiches are so so.
The atmosphere is pleasant. We’re there every week. Our favorite place.

It’s my first time coming to this place and brunch time is usually busy. Night time the upstairs lounge is open for seating with more upbeat music and alcohol and more substantial food being served. There’s also interesting at which changes and can be purchased if you see one that you like.
If you’re there in the morning or brunch, there’s still plenty of variety from the menu and their baked goods to choose from. Loved their everything bagel with sausage, yummy and decently priced. It just might be hard to get a seat if you come at the busy hours. Plus, it’s right next to Zaza if you can’t hey coffee here, you can always head over to Zaza Espresso.

Great little patio, just off Bloor in Bloor West Village. Location is the defining thing about Bakka as their offerings, espresso coffees, desserts, light meals, are on par with the considerable local competition. Friendly, unfussy service at counter
DD

I really, really like this place. Their coffee is amazing. And their breakfast bagel with house-​made fennel sausage is delicious and really good value for a place of this quality. I’ve been here several times but sadly never seen the actual «gallery» part of enjoyed things like a wine and pizza special they had at some point.
My only qualm is that it’s a very small place and ordering/​getting a table can sometimes feel hectic. But this is just nitpicking.

friendly and helpful staff. Coffee is a few steps better than Starbucks but falls short to most dedicated espresso bars. The beans are burnt obviously because they’ve immersed the grounds with boiling water without waiting for the cool down. At least it tastes that way.
Variety of fun pastries with ample seating inside and out. Great spot to people watch.
Note: I’m very picky with Coffee, so take my rating as a very conservative one.

This place was recc by a local for their coffee. All I can say is Ummmm! Their coffee is awesome. I had it with their upside down cupcake (i think it was called that). It looked like a macaroon… so cream cheese frosting in between two round pieces of sturdy cake loaves. It was pretty big. I would pick the traditional cupcake if I had to do it again. Mainly because the cake wasnt very moist or cake like… more bread like. I assume it has to be that way to hold the thick cream cheese in between.
Either way, if you’re in the neighbourhood, try it!

I have been going to Baka café for sometime, probably twice a week for over a year, but have recently decided to go elsewhere for a few reasons. (We usually have a group of 5 – 8 people and will sit on the Baka patio during the summer months)
My wife is a tea drinker and earlier this year Baka had changed the brand of tea they are serving. My wife asked about the change of brands to the server and my wife was given a curt and snippy retort.
Recently, my wife and I were running errands in the neighbourhood and we were feeling like a snack so we were looking for options and remembered Baka had a Friday evening promotion Pizza & Wine.
The patio was full, so I went in to order while my wife waited for a table.
While ordering, I didn’t see any signs about the promotion, and when I went to order I asked about the pizza options. The server pointed to the menu and said those are the options. So I ordered our food and went outside to join my wife.
While waiting for our food, my wife asked about the wine, I told her the promo must have ended because there was no-​signage.
So, we sat at our table and waited for our pizza, and when it arrived, my wife asked about the promotion. And the server came back with a snippy retort.
The food is tasty, but its the service that has been our spoiling our recent visits.
There are many options around. We have started going to another café for our weekend morning routine.

This is a nice little café with a modern atmosphere. Their upper floor us used for meet up groups and is a great space for people to relax or do some work.
The food is quite good too. Delicious paninis and baked goods. Pay at the cash and they servers will come look for you if you decide to sit outside in the patio or upstairs where there’s extra seating.
Connected to a Bell store and not totally obvious where this place is from Bloor, so look out for Bell. This place is just a round the corner.

Went here for a pizza and wine night. The cost was good but the pizza mediocre. It looked like someone spilled flour on it. Not sprinkled, spilled. We sat upstairs and the tables were all dirty. I had to wipe down the table before we sat down with a wet paper towel and this was after we picked the cleanest table… They have a good Croatian beer and a decent wine selection. Also attended a paint night here but decided to not get food.

Amazing food and the best coffee. This worth the stop if your in the area. You have to come out and see the live bands during open mic night.

Love love love this café!
We usually go to this place a few times a week as its close to our house :)
The menu was recently updated which has been great as everything I have had so far tasted amazing!
The staff, food and drinks all get 5 stars from me!
Be sure to check out their upper level– we hosted our baby shower there and got amazing reviews from all our guests regarding the space, food & service. :)

Our go to neighborhood café with a cool Croatian feel with great staff. You can go for light breakfast, lunch (great soup and sandwiches, I usually take the combo), or simply for a good coffee. They have a very nice terrace in the summer.
We usually go there on weekly basis!

Fantastic new spot in BWV. We will be going back there frequently. Nice and spacious. Lots of seating, bright and new. Staff is very courteous. Chill atmosphere — ie: ot as «loud and annoying» as ZaZa and their patrons lol

Excellent café! Good prices and great service. We were greeted kindly and not pushed for an order (Which happens a lot to me since I take way too long on decision making — but I always appreciate patience when it occurs.) When I asked which soup she preferred I was offered samples of both, extra points. The soups are made in house (score!) that day they had pear & squash which was light and refreshing although a bit thin, plus a bacon brisket which was salty but had nice big tender chunks of both meats.
We went for a Ruben with pear and squash soup side for $ 14. Both were brought to our table promptly, the sandwiches are made and pressed to order and had a nice balance of toppings. Downside being the bread was boring and the sandwich wasn’t heated through as the meat still had a chill to it.
Cappuccino was above average, although the espresso lacked character the milk was frothed perfectly. It was served wet (the way I like it) unfortunately without latte art (lazy pour or maybe it was abstract.) My friend had a vanilla latte which had a perfect level of vanilla.
I didn’t try any baked goods, though it looks like they have a few made-​in-​house offerings and the rest are from circles and squares (which is excellent stuff). I have pretty high standards for café’s since I work at one, but these guys are doing a great job!

These guys value their customers. BEST service and the food/​drinks are great too. We discovered this place at the beginning of the summer and drop by for brunch as often as possible. THANK YOU for letting our little dog sit with us on the patio.
The young man who works here is awesome and friendly. Small touches make such a difference and have made us customers for as long as you stay open!
Wish other places were like you guys!

Clean, simple yet nice décor and friendly service. I had a hummus wrap and a cappuccino. The cappuccino was pretty good, and looked beautiful! The hummus wrap was tasty but too many vegetables, not enough hummus.
It’s just a bit to sterile feeling for me, lacking that cozyness factor.