The Bench Bakehouse

Bought a couple baguettes, fig & walnut loaf, chocolate almond double baked croissant, almond double baked croissant, chocolate brioche and a mixed berry scone. Thought it was odd that my purchases smelled strongly of oil and onion; Even the wife could smell it from the front passenger seat when I placed the bag into the trunk. When we went to try the pastries, they all smelled and tasted of onion, as if they had been baked with some infused onion oil. Baked on the same pans as the onion loaves? Who knows, but it was a little off-putting particularly with our sweet pastries. They were all individually packed in paper, so there wouldn't have been any sort of contamination. Read all the reviews and seemed to have been a one-off. Nonetheless, 5-stars because the baguettes and croissants were still excellent! Haven't broken into the fig & walnut loaf yet. We're very excited to have found a bakery with such an excellent baguette. Will definitely add Bench to our regular rotation.

The Bench Bakehouse is a quant bakery with plenty of flair and baked goods to help one reminisce or imagine they're in urban France; this place is a must boasting simple pastries to espresso and olive oils and sardines. I had an americano with a danish, which was just delightful. However, the inner and outer part of the croissant was a bit dry. There isn't plenty of seating, but that's probably for the best, given the density. I'd return.

We tried 3 items. The tiramisu was okay, a little too bitter for my taste and the white layer was too runny. The double baked almond croissant was amazing! We bought near the end of day so I put in the air frier for a minute at home before eating and it was woww! Soft inside and crunchy outside. The matcha white chocolate cookie was hard but also yummy. Definitely will come back for the croissant!

A cozy spot on Commercial Drive with a variety of mouthwatering treats.
The Kouign Amann is to die for.
We tried the cinnamon roll and peach Danish last time - yum!
I Noticed they increased their prices a bit. Still, totally worth it.

Personally the best bakery I've come across in the lower mainland. My girlfriend and I will seriously drive all the way from Surrey just for the baked goods here. Their croissants and tiramisu are ridiculous - and you HAVE to try the kouign amann. It's like an extra buttery croissant with a caramelized sugar crust and salt on top. They are next level.

If you are in the area (or not, lol) stop in here and try everything!

Un moment gourmand pour toute la famille! So delicious! Très rare dans le North West in US but so amazing in Vancouver for française gourmande! Sorry for melting language

I visited this morning craving their famous chocolate almond croissants and ended up getting a full box of pastries because I couldn’t resist.

All of their baked goods are so rich. I will be coming back sooner than expected, my family also loved the chocolate chip cookie and the carrot cake slice!

This delightful bakery is renowned for its premium artisanal bread, delectable pastries, heavenly cakes, and aromatic coffee. The cozy interior with a rustic feel adds to its charming ambiance.

I was particularly impressed by their croissants - they are exquisitely delicious, flaky, and buttery, and in my opinion, a sheer perfection. The variety of breads available, such as sourdough, rye, and multigrain, is also impressive.

Apart from bread, The Bench Bakehouse also offers a diverse array of pastries and cakes. My top picks are undoubtedly the croissants and the irresistibly scrumptious quiche.

I am quite disappointed when I arrived 3min at the door before 5: 00pm and the store is closed today. I saw there were still so many pastries left, was going to pick up a few.
Drove half an hour for nothing and I had to turn back. I know that the products are great but the customer service can be better with improvement. I'm sure other customers would appreciate that as well.

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.

Had their croissants and raspberry danish at a friend’s place and was blown away. I’ve been searching for the perfect croissant and i have to say these are the best I’ve had in Vancouver. Buttery, flaky and airy crispy layers of perfection. The custard and fruit filled pastries are a big heavy for my tastes but everyone else hovered them down! We went to Purebread in the afternoon. No comparison.

Wonderful Baguette, something to chew on. I thought double baked croissant had too much almond paste but good. The brioche loaf is fabulous.

This place is absolutely wonderful! Hidden Gem for sure Best tiramisù I’ve ever tried in my life!

All bread and pastries at The Bench Bakehouse really make me keep looking forward to the days to visit them (again and again).

I love every single thing I've tried here. The Bench become fav my routine. And now it's my go-to pastry spot in Vancouver!

️ Chocolate Almond Double Baked = My fav. The almond custard and their signature croissant's texture is incomparable.

️ Shortbread = Heavenly good with all the very very nice buttery-rich smell, perfect sweetness level and crumbly yum.

️ Brioche = Stock them at home and dip with their homemade chocolate hazelnut spread is really a prefect matching.

Also love their seasonal menu. The strawberry coconut cream danish (replacing the peanut butter ones) is really juicy yum as a spring treat.

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.

Super awesome bakery on Commercial Drive.
We first discovered them on a Farmers Market.

All the breads and baked goods we have tried so far are delicious! Their seedy loafs and the sesame one are our favorites.

The chocolate croissant in the Vancouver Staycation combo is super delicious! The flaky pastry, passion fruit cream filling, and milky chocolate coating are so perfect! A sweet dessert but not overly sugary and oily. Must try!

Amazing croissants. They satisfy my craving for a flaky Montreal croissant. Thanks for being in the neighbourhood:)

Day Date! We've been cooped up for so long, we just had two take advantage of the beautiful weather today. Headed to The Bench Bakehouse for Hot Chocolate Festival!

We ordered the following:

Tropical Staycation - while the milk chocolate really came through, I was missing the passion fruit, until I added the marshmallow. Then omgoodness, it took the drink to a whole other level. The marshmallow had a tartness to it that offset the sweetness of the hot chocolate. It was a perfect balance.

Chocolate Dipped Passion Fruit filled Croissant - this was as good as croissants get. Super flaky, full of delicious tart passion fruit cream with sweet chocolate.

Trees Company - my partner had this one & he really enjoyed it. He said he tasted the rosemary first then the maple. He said it was rich & creamy & the flavours were well balanced. Unfortunately they were out of the Kouign Aman it was supposed to be paired with, so he opted for the Lavender Shortbread instead.

Lavender Shortbread - this was quite unique. It was good combination of savoury & sweet.

Passion Fruit Marshmallows - I'm so happy we bought a bag of these. One came with my hot chocolate & it was soooo good, I'm happy I have more to enjoy later.

Overall this is a great little bakery. The only reason I wouldn't give it 5 stars is their pricing is inconsistent/missing. I didn't see pricing for the hot chocolate festival items. There were three baskets of marshmallows with price tags of $1.25, $5 & $6 & since we didn't take a receipt I'm not really sure how much we paid for them.

@inspiringfoodie

As a French living in Vancouver, this is my go to whenever I need good bread or pain au chocolat.

My favourite bakery on the drive. A perfect mix of decadent pastries and fantastic bread. Chefs kiss.

Went in for the hot chocolate festival and it was busy! Masami was attentive and I bought their Palmier and Pain au Chocolat which were both awesome! The Palmier is made only occasionally, so I am glad I got it! Will be back for more!