Aida K.

Located inside the commercial complex at the northwest corner of Commercial Drive & is where you'll find this fantastic bakery. As soon as you open the doors to this complex, you can smell the glorious scent of their baked goods in the hallway Their most direct entrance is on the side I bought the sandwich peanut butter cookies and coconut macaroons. The bag of cookies included 2 moist dense peanut butter cookie sandwiches with sweet creamy peanut buttery mix filling and 2 crispy airy chocolate cookie sandwiches with sweet creamy peanut buttery mix filling. Yes, these cookies were to die for! The coconut macaroons are traditional with the dark chocolate base I need to come back here and try some of their cakes! (Find me on Instagram - @aida.loves )

Angela F.

I was invited to try a selection of baked goods and there is a large variety of bread and pastry at The Bench Bakehouse to choose from! It is located in II Mercato and there is a parking lot behind the plaza as well as street parking. The staff are very friendly and there are four seats by the corner window for dine-in. I tried the croissant, morning bun, lavender short bread, brownie, and rye bread. The croissant was my favorite! It was perfectly flaky whiteout being oily and was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Their breads are naturally leavened and everything is baked fresh daily. The morning bun is also really good and tasted like a cinnamon bun croissant! It is made with croissant dough and rolled with cinnamon and sugar. The lavender short bread has a nice note of lavender and is partially coated in white chocolate.

Gloria F.

I first tried Bench during last year's hot chocolate festival. I am so glad to be back again! I really enjoyed their croissant with the strawberry and chocolate filling I also picked up a loaf with apricot and lavender. The staff also offered to cut the bread for us, yay! The crust was a bit tough for me to chew to enjoy But I would definitely go back for other pastries and croissants for sure! Protip: You can also order the goodies online

Vic Y.

This French-inspired bakehouse is A+++. Interior is a vibe, staff are so sweet, and the lot has 45 mins free parking (just register at the machine). Now for the baked goods: Kouign Amann - Always one of my favourite pastries and they sure make a good one. Due to how sweet they are these could be an acquired taste for some, but they definitely work for me. Cinnamon Bun - Officially my #1 in Vancouver. Icing is more cream cheese-y than sweet. You can taste the 100% real butter and how lovingly this was made from scratch. Worth many return trips. PS. It didn't just survive but THRIVED after a second day re-heat. Pesto Scroll - Biggest surprise of the bunch! The flaky layers and fragrant pesto came together to make something truly magnificent. One of my favourite savoury pastries ever. Also ate half on the 3rd day (illegal I know) after re-heating and it was still fab. Morning Bun - First, this thing is huge. Second, if you like the caramelized crust of a Kougin Amann but also desire the flaky butteriness of a croissant, this pastry is pretty much it. So good. Croissant - Not the best shot but this was an absolute unit of a croissant. Exterior flakier than your average Vancouverite, interior pillowy soft, though it could have been just a HINT more buttery for me. Tied with 1-2 other bakeries for #1. Doesn't come with icing, I accidentally lay it on the cinnamon bun lol. Kouign Amann Crunch - These are crunchy but don't hurt, caramelized but not bitter, sweet but not too sweet. This bakery has brought balance to the (pastry) force with this snack. 100% recommend.

Lucy D.

I really wanted to try their Kouign Amann but unfortunately they were out. Will get there earlier and try next time! In replacement, I tried their Kouign Amann end bits. Super crunchy with deep caramelized buttery notes. I have been munching on these non stop. I enjoy flakey croissant with lighter texture. The ones here has a denser inside and not as flaky exterior. Still very rich and buttery. Breakfast bun had a subtle cinnamon flavour. Texture wise, it was similar to the croissant. It may have been better if I heated up.

Carolyn L.

First off, the kouign amann is not the best I ever had, mainly because it is not the buttery sweet treat I have come to love. I find it is the "lite" version as it is not overly buttery or sweet and that may appeal to some people. To me a good kouign amann must have that jolt of taste which wakes up the senses, that "wow, it's so rich" factor which makes sense why it is called the fattiest pastry. But the kouign amann crunch (sold in bags) are pretty good. What I love here is the Black Forest granola. It is crunchy with a bitter sweet chocolatey taste. I keep coming back to get it. The croissants are delicious. Crisp and flakey and light and buttery. They are what croissants should be. The scone is also delightful, not of the typical smaller size type though. It is not overly crumbly when broken off and is not dry either. Great with clotted cream and jam and tea. The bread is baked fresh daily and excellent. Almost everything I have tried here are really good. It is worth the drive if there is nothing similar in your neighborhood. Oh and the tiramisu is also highly recommended. One of the best I had. Closed on Monday. And there is 45 mins free parking in the Mercato building, making it easy to grab something from here.

Kerry S.

I occasionally drop in for a treat like their delicious lemon Shortbread,a small Loaf Cake or Bread.The selection is limited and the space is small but what bothers me more is the ungrateful staff.Not once did I get a Thank-You when buying items or any warmth out of any employee.Not a comfort zone for sure.

Mari E.

I was looking for kouign amann but unfortunately I didn't see it. Instead of that, huge croissant caught my eyes! So I tried Baileys Cream croissant which is bigger than baby head! I didn't notice first inside of the store but the glaze has something pearlish pigment and looks so shiny under sunshine. Simple but gorgeous. Both glaze and cream has Baileys flavor and so delicious. I'm sure I will be back again. The counter staff are very friendly too.

Natalie W.

Dropped by for a snack and left very satisfied. For social distancing, they have clear signage of where to go and how many people are allowed in at the same time. They also have boxes taped onto the ground to know where you should be standing. I wanted something savoury and decided to go with the sausage roll. The sausage was flavourful and actually not very salty. I found it kind of on the sweeter side, but it was still tasty. The pastry was suuuuper flaky and delicious. Just looking at the sausage roll, you can see all the layers. It was a really good pastry and just writing about it now makes me want to go back to get more haha. My friend had their pesto scroll and also said it was delicious. But seriously, if you haven't tried this place out, go do it now. You won't regret it.

Nicole L.

Commercial drive is infamous as the Little Italy of Vancouver, but there's a little known secret sitting on 1st Ave - Bench Bakehouse! The local shop does pastry so well you can hear the crunchiness of each flake being pulled apart Signature goods to order have to be the almond croissant and strawberry coconut danish These goodies are baked fresh daily, and bakers come to prep at 4am! Staff are also very friendly and approachable too

Sandie C.

One of those rainy days where ya just stumbling around along commerical drive and wondering where the next best cafe could open up... Well we were wanting something small after a light breakfast and looked up on my handy dandy Yelp app that this hot and new bakehouse had just opened up. Tucked away in the shopping mall is the beautiful bench bakehouse, quaint and welcoming with the beautiful smell of baked goodness. We found ourselves wanting to try more than what we had anticipated. Because we both wanted sweet things and couldn't say no we got a high tea plate, something little of a bit of the things we wanted to try. The passionfruit melting moment is something I've never had explode in my food buds before... seriously wow. I wasn't a big fan of the bread pudding only because it was a bit too eggy for me, this peanut butter cookie was also a bit of a treat.. but hands down the passion fruit melting moment.. just wow.

Priscilla Y.

More from Bench, this time with an Orange Blossom and Peach Danish and Pistachio Cherry Danish. Both so great...The best thing about their pastries is that they aren't too heavy or rich but still tasty as ever. Light and flaky, I come by to grab some of Bench's delicious goods any opportunity I have! Great service and friendly people too! :)