Black Walnut Bakery Café

You can tell everything is made in-house, which is impressive given their wide range of offerings: quiches, sandwiches, cookies, muffins; they have it all. The ingredients are high quality, and the flavours are thoughtfully developed. Pink lemonades are often too sweet, but this one was perfectly balanced. The lemon square was nicely tart, the quiche had generous chunks of feta, and the muffin had that rich, buttery flavour you only get from homemade baked goods. Service was bubbly and helpful, and the interior was quaint. There’s just enough seating outside, with a setup that lets you choose between sun or shade. Special mention for offering the London Fog iced; my first time trying it, and it is now my new go-to. Prices were surprisingly reasonable considering the quality. Easily the best coffee shop I’ve tried in London so far.

I started coming here for the cruffins about a year ago. They used to be a real treat, but during my most recent visit, I was disappointed the base of the cruffin was soggy, which made it feel not worth the $5+ price tag. Another thing I’ve consistently noticed is the atmosphere. I never really feel welcomed here. The staff always seem too busy or focused on moving product rather than creating a friendly environment. It’s a bit off-putting and makes the overall experience less enjoyable.

Paid parking sucks as it is expensive ($4.35/hr), but the place itself is super. I really enjoyed my cappuccino and turkey & swiss sandwich. I also tried the skor bar & chocolate chip scone (not pictured). I'll definitely be back. 4 stars on atmosphere because it was a bit noisy with all the university students, so it's hard to have a conversation, but the good quality items made up for that.