UB Social Café & General Store is located at 3015 Dundas St W. This Junction café’s name, UB, stands for “Unemployable Baker” but with the baked goods you’ll find here, you’ll be left thinking how. Selling a large selection of pastries, local goods & fantastic coffee, the café is open Tuesday-Friday 7am to 4-5pm, and weekends 9am to 4-5pm*.
SOCIAL CAFÉ
UB’s site claims they serve the Junction’s best coffee, and they may be right. The café hosts a large drink menu that has something for everyone, including unique drinks like a black pepper turmeric latte. My personal favourite is their iced latte, which is probably one of the best I’ve had from any café ever. I don’t throw that statement lightly; I’ve visited a lot of cafés & have drank a lot of lattes. UB’s is really good. The foam on top is *chef’s kiss*
Every time I visit UB Social Café & General Store, I leave with at least one baked good (honestly I usually get 3-4 per visit). All of their baked goods are made from scratch in-house, except for their croissants from France. Their offerings rotate, but you’ll always find something delicious when visiting. They offer treats like butter tarts, biscotti, cookies, muffins, and on the rare occasion, cinnamon buns (if you visit after they baked these, it will make your entire day; they smell SO good)
That ‘at least one baked good’ I always buy? 10/10 times it’s the café’s chocolate croissants. These French croissants are bites of flakey deliciousness, and can be purchased both baked & frozen (the same is available for plain croissants and other goodies). Nothing elevates a morning like croissants, so I typically buy a half dozen frozen and make them on days I need a bit of a pick-me-up. To de-thaw and bake takes 50 minutes (instructions provided with purchase).
UB sells other frozen home-made foods, such as chicken pot pie, lasagna, mac & cheese, and tourtiere. If you’re looking to pick up lunch, you can even call the café ahead of time and ask them to bake any of these for take-out.
Besides their incredible croissants, their empanadas have a soft spot in my heart. They’re fairly big and packed with flavour. There are a variety to choose from, but my personal favourite is the breakfast one.
GENERAL STORE
Along with its coffee & food items, UB also sells a smorgasbord of local goods - from pieces of art, to canned goods, to kitchenware, and more. You can tell the café cares about community when you see the brands they carry, or when viewing their always-full bulletin board of local classes/sales/for hires/news.
With so much to see, it’s fun to browse at the array of offerings as you wait for you order to be prepared. Overall, UB is a great spot to restock your pantry while also getting a quick bite or drink.
FINAL NOTES
To help enforce proper social distance etiquette, the café has removed its seating, limited its number of people in the shop, and have even taped 6-feet guidelines to aid customers. The café also only accepts debit and wipes down the machine after each purchase. Plus, you can order on your phone with Ribitt.
The café is taking every precaution to ensure it is safe to continue to remain open and serve its community. To support the café during this time, along with stopping for coffee, consider buying pantry goods, stocking up on frozen goods, or ordering meals for takeout.
I have yet to visit the café without standing in a short line or one forming shortly after my arrival. It’s that good. With friendly staff & amazing food/beverages, I have no doubt you’ll love UB Social Café & General Store as I have come to.
*Given the COVID-19 pandemic, hours depicted in this post may be skewed as businesses adapt to better serve its staff, customers, and community.
Comments