Baker Street Cafe
I never did post here about this little place, and I’d been meaning to for some time.
Baker Street Cafe opened earlier this year in what used to be an Irish pub called Annie’s. They seem to be pretty popular for breakfasts and claim they have been given a ‘Best Breakfast in Ottawa’ award. Before we went here, I’d heard they were a place to go if you wanted down to earth, honest and wholesome food.
Sounds pretty good, right? Well, maybe not.
The first problem we noticed when we came in was the fact that the place still really looks like a pub. The lighting inside is poorly done, so that unless you’re right at the window (where it is too bright on a sunny day) you’ll feel like you’re in a dark and dingy place. They’ve also painted one entire wall with chalkboard paint, which is good for functionality (they can write all the daily specials and such on it) but not so good for reflecting light and giving some warmth to the place. Rich commented that it felt like having breakfast at The Dom.
We also noticed the floors were pretty dirty. Now, I’m not a neat freak by any stretch of the imagination, but when Rich reached down to adjust the coasters propping up one end of our table (which was another problem in and of itself) he noticed some old french fries and other bits of food under the table. Yuck. Needless to say, we switched to a booth shortly after.
We also had a bit of a problem getting our server’s attention. She seemed to be pre-occupied with something else, and while other tables were offered coffee refills with good frequency, we only got one near the very beginning of our meal. We weren’t the only table with that problem; another table had ordered drinks that never arrived. It wasn’t unfriendly service at all, just inconsistent.
All of that said, here’s the thing: The food really is good. I had eggs florentine, which was delicious. The eggs were perfectly poached, the sauce was a good consistency, and the accompanying roast potatoes and fruit were delicious. Rich had their cinnamon raisin French toast, which came with sausages or bacon (he chose sausages) and fresh fruit. He said the French toast was delicious, but he was a bit surprised at the fact that their sausage is the large ‘banger’ variety rather than breakfast links, which are what one would expect with breakfast. Even so, the sausage was tasty, just unexpected.
While food quality was good, we found food quantity was a bit much. We know people like to have the best ‘bang for their buck’ but honestly, there was too much food on our plates. We both felt overly full when we left, and neither of us cleaned our plates. So if you’re going to head here for breakfast, I suggest you go very hungry, or share plates with someone else.
Would we go again? Probably not. I think I’d order take-out if possible, but I found the place a bit too dark and dingy to want to sit and have breakfast there again.
Baker Street Cafe, 385 Richmond Road, 613-729-8807. Breakfast for one with coffee, $10-$15.
I went to Baker Street Café for breakfast this morning and after we ordered our food we had to wait for and hour and a half before we got our food, everyone in the store was in the same situation, we ordered at 1:00 and got our food at 2:30
Their phone number has changed …or are they out of business now? Three websites all list their 729-8807 number, but it has been disconnected.
anyone know what the deal is?
Lorne: A friend of mine who goes there often (she works just around the corner from them) says they are for sure still open. Not sure what’s up with the phone number, though. Maybe it has changed.
if you go on a day during the week it is not at all busy, and so you get excellent service and get to eat excellent food, but there is a lot.
I’ve been to Bakers Street many of times, and although the wait is long its definetly worth it. The food is excellent and I always love the service. Everyones nice, the atmostphere is great, the music and art on the walls makes it very enjoyable. Thank you very much for your great restaurant!
I discovered the Baker Street Cafe earlier this year, and it has become my new favorite place to go for breakfast! And judging by the long lines at the door, it looks like I am not alone! The first time we went, there were three of us waiting in line, and one of the servers brought a platter of mini muffins to everyone in line. Nice touch!
Though it doesn’t look like much from the outside, the inside is bright and comfortable. I find the service to be quick, the portions huge and everything is fresh. I find the prices very, very reasonable, in fact, I think they are better priced than other local breakfast spots (Cora’s, which I dislike, Corner Bar and Grill both in the Glebe and their new location in Westboro).
I usually have the two eggs breakfast with bacon, homefries and fruit. When I was there last weekend with my three-year old daughter, the giant, colorful cupcakes caught our eye, and we just had to bring one home. It was as delicious as it was beautiful!
I went again this morning – met a friend I hadn’t seen in a while. Needless to say, we had a lot of catching up to do. Breakfast was served promptly, we both enjoyed our meals. Service was efficient and friendly, but not over the top. And we didn’t feel rushed, despite the line at the door.
Love it, and if you didn’t like it the first time, I encourage you to give it another chance.
Hi Candice,
Sorry to hear you were so critical when you experienced this wonderful café. I felt like I was transported to London and I loved every bite.
The food is DELISH! and very much worth the wait.
Josée