*By: Deepi Harish*
Ever wonder what happens to baked goods that don’t get snatched up by the end of the day? After having many conversations with bakeries across the city, I’ve learned that there are four possible outcomes:
1) Staff takes them home
2) Donations are made to local charities
3) Thrown away — what a waste
4) Sold at a discount
This piece is all about zooming in on the fourth outcome, by highlighting where customers can get discounts on fluffy, flakey, buttery baked goods, which curbs the food waste problem at the same time. Plus, given the current state of the world, the grab-and-go business makes more sense than ever.
Where To Get Discounted Baked Goods In Toronto
Absolute Bakery (589 Parliament St)
This grab-and-go bakery has quite the eclectic spread. You can buy a meringue cookie, beef roti, pecan pie to a quiche, all in the same place. Everything is made in-house, from scratch, every day. Yet, it’s their danishes (that come in cream cheese, mixed fruit, poppy seed and chocolate) that are all rage at this local Cabbagetown mom-and-pop shop. Absolute Bakery bakes all their items in small quantities to ensure they get sold by the end of the day, except for the danishes, they make a few extras. For all the unsold danishes, Absolute Bakery offers them for a hefty discount the next day — 3 danishes for $3 dollars.
Dark Horse Espresso Bar (Multiple Locations)
Dark Horse Espresso is currently up to six locations across the city (some are closed temporarily given the circumstances). Fun fact: their first location was among the city’s first cafes to offer freshly roasted coffee. Dark Horse keeps it simple, they offer a solid cup of coffee with simple treats. All of their pastries are baked at their Davenport location. They also have a partnership with Dear Grain to offer just about everything you crave with your coffee. Starting at 4pm, all locations sell their unsold goodies for a 40% discount every day. Items that are usually left include muffins, cookies, brownies, croissants and butter tarts.
Jimmy’s Coffee (Multiple Locations)
This is one of my favourite coffee shops in Toronto that has now become a chain with eight locations across town. It’s consistently good coffee, plus they get creative with their seasonal menu — which applies to their homestyle baked goods and drinks. When Jimmy’s does have baked good left at the end of the day, they sell them for 50% off, two-to-three hours before closing. The only thing left are croissants. Everything else is a goner.
Almond Butterfly (Multiple Locations)
This should be everyone’s go-to for gluten-free goodies. Almond Butterfly has two locations; the one in Trinity Bellwoods is a bistro that carries brunch and cocktails (their sidewalk patio is open for full service), as well as everything sold at the Annex location, which is a bakeshop and café. Baked goods include muffins, brownies, squares, sandwiches and some really good chocolate chip cookies. And it doesn’t stop there, they make about a dozen cupcake flavours, including strawberry milkshake, chocolate cookie dough and vanilla confetti. You would never know they were vegan and gluten-free. Almond Butterfly offers customers a 50% discount on unsold goodies the next day. The items you might be lucky enough to snag are muffins and cupcakes.
Mabel’s Bakery (Multiple Locations)
Mabel’s specializes in artisanal breads and homestyle baked goods. Their croissants are considered one of the best in the city because they’re made with 84% butterfat European-style butter. Good thing Mabel’s has four locations in counting. This is another bakery that sells everything from beef empanadas to peanut butter Rice Krispies squares to artisanal cheeses and preserves. You won’t get your hands on a triple fudge brownie or almond croissant, as they go quick. However, you might be able to pick up unsold bread for half price the next day, along with pies and cakes that have reached their best-by date.
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