Organic Boutique

I agree they sold me cherries for much more than they were worth. The charming owner does seem to be able to ‘make up a price on the spot’ — I will be more wary in the future.
They do carry some things which the BYOB next door does not.
But if you go here you should watch out for the rose-​water /​cherry manipulation.
The problem is the stuff tastes so good it is worth the inflated prices he charges but it’s bad he is manipulating people.

A case of the charming, sweet-​talking, dishonest sneaky owner…
What most of the other reviewers have mentioned are definitely on point. TOO many of the products were unmarked, and was like ‘vintage’ sale where he would make up the price based on looking at the customers. It is kind of sad to find a place like this in ‘still trendy hipster West Queen West’ around… goes to show how many customers gets allured into purchasing here. Ages ago, before the neighboring store… BYOB was around… this place was ACTUALLY selling organic produces and products… guess the people behind it figured that they could earn more by selling the same model as BYOB seeing how much they could profit from this. But ironically if you’ve been to both stores, you would think BYOB is more over priced, but that untrue… more than 75% of the time the prices ended up being a HUGE chunk more at this store. Do yourself a favor and don’t go there… its a scam. I brought a jar of these amazing cherries for cocktails and was charged like $ 25 for it when the BYOB charged like around $ 18 and the makers of the cherries themselves charged $ 13 – 15 online on their own store… isnt that ridiculous!!! The owner made such a long story about all the different brands of the cherries and how this one was the best and how it was made… after telling my mixologist friends that are in the industry, the story was the joke of the night :(After that, totally felt like my experience here was out of an episode of PORTLANDIA…

After doing a bit of research online I found that Powell & Mahoney cocktail mixers sell for $ 8.00 + shipping.
Feeling a bit ticked off that I paid $ 20 per bottle.

This place is an anomaly in how it actually remains in business. Almost all reviews and peer experiences in this place are negative. This guy, the owner, has a big chip on his shoulder. One of those, «its not me, its EVERYONE else who has a problem» attitude. I went in to buy a pack of vitamin C. It cost $ 1.25. I gave him a $ 20 bill and he just looked at me and said «no thanks». I say, what do you mean, «no thanks», and he goes on to tell me he doesn’t want to break my $ 20 for such a small purchase. I go on to tell him he needs to learn how to respect a paying customer and that I will never be back. The other glaring problem I have with this business is their callous competition with their neighbour, a cocktail store that sells bitters, cocktail glasses, etc. This guy has gone the extra mile to make two big signs, the only signs outside his place and they only advertise his bitters and cocktail ingredients. Just a clear indication that this guy might have some inferiority complex, or some type of competitive mental condition that would actually make him think this is a good idea. Just really bad form and inexcusable. So to wrap this up, don’t go here, its expensive, the guy is a dick, and he has no respect for his clients and community.

Well, I see we have all encountered Steven lol He was really really helpful and helped me pick out some bitters and of course, as others have said, convinced me to get black walnut because I told him I wanted to make old fashioneds. He also sold me really
amazing tasting cherries (Luxardo). I’m in bartending school right now so his help was actually really nice… just after reading these reviews I wonder if all that he told me was really true or just to get me to buy more? oh well, now I have yummy cocktails! Still went over to BYOB to buy what I was originally going for lol

Be careful when you go in this place. As has been mentioned in other reviews…
1. The owner is nice and does a masterful job convincing you of your need for black walnut bitters and rose water. He will tell you how everyone else has increased prices, but he hasn’t.
2. There are samples for people who seem eager to buy. They do have a solid selection of cocktail related items.
3. They do have quite a unique selection of several different items such as olives, sauces, waters, etc.
However…
Most stuff here is not priced for you to clearly see. Once you have picked a couple of things, the owner will get you to sample something else. It won’t be priced! If you are afraid to ask or become too trusting of him (as I did), you will have sticker shock! There is a reason things are not individually priced. You can buy them for less elsewhere.

This place was a cool welcome surprise. I was originally heading to the much more well-​known BYOB, when I got confused and entered this place by mistake. I noticed a sign outside advertising bitters on sale, and lo and behold, they were reasonably priced!
Simply a great collection of standard cocktail bitters and other accoutrements at some of the best prices you’ll find in Toronto. Everything I checked out was cheaper than the prices next door. I picked up some of the Luxardo brand maraschino cherries (not the gross ones from your childhood) for a price that might even be cheaper than in the states.
The proprietor was friendly and helpful. He also knows his cocktails which helped with my selection of bitters.
Not sure about the rest of the selection. I think they were mid-​renovation which is why the food section of the store looked pretty chaotic.

Next door is beautiful BYOB, but if it’s bitters you are after, you should probably just dip in here.
BYOB brings the Mad Men chic with gifts you can’t afford and glasses you simply can’t live without, but when it comes to actually celebrating Organic Boutique is what you’re after. It has everything you need to put in the cups (minus the alcohol), at a much more reasonably price.
Housed here are every kind of bitters ever created, to bring subtle flavours to your Manhattans, Old Fashioneds and any other concoction you choose to shake up. I’m partial to rhubarb and orange, but whatever you’re feeling they have. And lucky for you *real* cocktail cherries are onsite, too, because it is an organic shop.
Clink clink.
PEPPER POINTS for their Genoa pesto. Make your pasta perfect to go with your dazzling drink.

Meh. I’d rather go to Whole Foods, or anywhere in Kensington than here. I am a real foodie (read: snob) and nothing in here appealed to me.
I didn’t want to pick up a single item, can you believe that? I am a freak for new food products.

The owner of this place is 45 but looks about 20, and he’d love to tell you how he does it!
The prices are pretty high but not higher than I’d expect from a heath food store. They’ve got bulk sized agave for cheap and some rare items you’d never find at a regular grocery store. The owner probably wants to give you some samples of whatever he’s snacking on behind the counter too. Last time I was there he gave me some coconut sugar coated cacao nibs that were friggin delicious. (I bought an $ 18 bag along with some pricey nut butter). Another time he gave me some gluten free crackers that tasted like bark.
Overall I like the place mostly for the guy running it, and how close it is to my house.

I have never been treated so rudely in a store. Many of the items had no price tags and I was looking for high end chocolate. So I asked the person working there what the different chocolates cost, and he said «we don’t sell by price, if you want price, go to price chopper» and later «you’re not the kind of customer we want here.» He could have been helpful, instead he was rude and dismissive. I’ll go elsewhere. I don’t object to high prices, I object to horribly rude staff.

Wow, I just read the thread on Google and was completely surprised by all the negative reviews! I haven’t been to the store in awhile, but like Karen M., the friendly owner was definitely a draw for me too. He’s always been helpful & informative and even charming…
As for the store, it’s small but surprisingly clean & stocks some pretty interesting specialty products.

Not for everyday shopping to be sure, but if you’re looking for different or hard to find organics this may be a place to go. There’s a very clean and light feel inside the place. You’ll find all kinds of things from organic chocolates to yerba mate tea bags to specialty crackers, to organic produce to environmentally sensitive cleaners.
Expect the price that you’d see from a «boutique» — the name is appropriate.

Karen, if you think the guy is «friendly», you must not have had the temerity to do something crazy like, say, pick up one of the items for sale. Check out the thread on Red Flag Deals (it’s the first hit when you google «Organic Boutique Toronto») to see just how friendly the guy who owns this store is.

I have a love/​annoyed relationship with this place. The love part is it is at the end of my street, about 10 seconds away. The annoyed part is every time I go in there I end up spending $ 20 on like 2 or 3 items. However, as a person with food requirements their selection of organic, vegan, wheat free, dairy free, etc is excellent. It is always the same friendly guy working there and he is always suggesting new things to try, the last being tofu bacon which now makes a tomato sandwich a real treat! I wish I could shop here full time but the reality is I just can’t afford it. I do visit occasionally as they stock a few of my dairy free staples and the location is just too convenient for me to ignore.