sidewalk citizen bakery

pro: selection, taste, atmosphere, location

con: price, service

sidewalk citizen is a bakery/cafe in eastvillage, simmon's building.

i like their pastries and i go there very very often.

the best part about them is the taste/flavor. pie-ish pastries such as croissant and stuff are beautifully done. their plain croissant is the best in calgary in my opinion! also, other kinds of bread is awesome! i have never tried cake, i'd like to try someday. i have never tried their breakfast or lunch menu either. next time!

second, the place is so nice! the simmon'sbuildingis such a coolbuildingwith bricks and inside is pretty nice too. there are coffee shop located in the samebuildingas well. it's phill and sebastian coffee(not my favorite coffee store though) so you can grab a cup of coffee and your favorite bread.

the neighborhood is very nice, it's right by bow river and there are nice parks around. it's great place for walk or enjoy sunshine on benches:)

however, their products are very expensive. the reason why i have never tried cake is it is way too over priced. a small cheese cake 7-8 bucks...it is pretty steep to try! my favorite, almond croissant is almost 6 bucks per one. to me, it definitely isn't something you want to buy every morning or feed to your entire family. but again, it does taste good so it's good to have for your treat.

also, especially weekend it gets very very crowded. however, they only have one casher. so you need to wait in line since you order till you pay for so long. i really wish they opened two registers on weekend.

overall, i love their product and if definitely recommend you to check out, but it isn't cheap either.

i am lucky enough to live in less than a minute away from the simmonsbuildingwhich houses charbar, phil and sebastian and sidewalk citizen bakery. the bakery is always busy, especially on weekends. the pastries and desserts, though pricey, are delicious. my favourite is the bread pudding. i have yet to try the sandwiches/salads, but know i will soon!

i don't know what took me so long but i finally got to try out sidewalk citizen bakery! i've tried coming once at 4pm, and let my past experience tell you that 4pm is way too late to stroll into sidewalk citizen expecting croissants to be available. there was practically nothing left when i showed up at 4pm. having made a rookie mistake, i showed up this time at noon and the simmonsbuildingwas packed! my friend and i ordered lunch and realized that no empty tables were to be found. for those who have not visited the simmons building, apparently the tables between sidewalk citizen and phil and sebastian can be shared. this was told to me by the server who delivered my breakfast sandwich when i was still waiting for a table to open up. unfortunately all the tables on the main floor were occupied, so we went upstairs where it was less crowded.

there were so many delicious sounding items on the menu that made finalizing my decision very difficult. it also didn't help that the line to order was so long that i spent about 10 mins standing beside the pastry cases, oogling at everything. in the end, i settled with the avocado sandwich and it was amazing! garlic aioli, fresh avocado slices, optional add-in bacon strips, and topped with a fried egg ready to ooze between your fingers after the first bite. perfection. it was a simple breakfast sandwich that hit the spot.

been to this location a few times. pros- the quality was great each time i went there. i had products from cookies, other baking goods, to their sandwiches. the location is great- central, close to the trails & adjacent to summer venues. thebuildingthey're located in is superb- the restored heritagebuildingmakes for great ambience & vibe.
cons- the amount of products are not as available during the afternoon or later during the day (esp., during weekends). this leaving not much selection in terms of variety or further choices; with conclusion of having to spend money on food you may or may not want at the time. it does not appear they bake onsite despite the apparent space to do so (or so it seems), with the amount of space to store products for sales. i wish they would make or provide a bit more baking products, esp. during weekends so that there would be more to choose from (near the afternoon or end of day). for example, this afternoon after 3pm, i was going to go buy something for a work potluck, but had nothing to choose from. it was a disappointment as i was looking for more baked products and had to go to another bakery further away.

this cute little place inside the simmon'sbuildingin east village has one of the best sandwiches and soup around. they serve it on this nice little wooden board if you're staying and the atmosphere is nice and peaceful. they people working there are also really friendly. good portions as well!

love this place! located in the historical simmons building, this bakery is a wonderful addition to the east village area. i love how they are a local bakery that uses local, organic ingredients to create their delicious goods. there are numerous baked goods and dishes to choose from, such as croissants, danishes, brownies, cakes, cheesecakes, muffins, breads, grilled sandwiches, quiches, soups, and more! my personal favourites are the brown butter pear tart, earl grey apple tea cake, and the banana pudding cake. the staff are quite friendly and efficient. this location gets pretty busy during the morning and lunchtime rushes. make sure to visit this place earlier in the day to take your pick of the lovely baked goods before they run out fast. i am so in love with its location and building! it has the perfect location by the river and situated in an amazing reclaimed building. personally, i love the reclamation of historical buildings into cool, modern, and beautiful real estate. the simmonsbuildingreminds me of the memorable distillery district in toronto. it is the perfect place to grab good quality coffee, sweet & savory baked goods from sidewalk citizen bakery, and/or enjoy dishes from the argentinian restaurant charbar.

overall, great experience! i highly recommend visiting this bakery!!

i don't really understand the hype about this place - it's a cute place inside the simmon'sbuildingbut i've tried a handful of times and nothing has wowed me. the line up is always a little hectic and they need to do something about the way they serve customers because the person at the cash is always confused about what you're buying and you need to list it out for them or they make a mistake ringing you through. can't imagine how much money they've lost not charging people for things because it's already happened to me twice and i've had to remind them they forgot.

at lunch, m and i went to check out the simmonsbuildingin east village. charbar was packed so we went over to sidewalk citizen. i really like the soups and pizzas at sidewalk citizen’s kensington location, so i was confident that food at this location would be good as well. m picked up a pastry filled with cream that was decorated with blueberries. she said it was one of the best pastries she has eaten in a while. at 63 years old and an avid traveller and eater of desserts, i’d say that’s quite the compliment.

their baked goods are my favourite in the city! fresh, creative and i can always find something new to try. their breakfast sandwiches are also delicious, however, expect to wait a bit of time since they're making them fresh to order :) surprisingly, their pizzas are my favourite thing to order! that pizza crust is so crispy and flakey and they're quite large so you can definitely split between 3-4 people. love the addition of sidewalk citizen and the simmonsbuildingto east village. it's an absolutely beautiful space.