I have been enjoying cakes here for most of my life. My mum used to buy them for special occasions when I was a young girl and I continue the tradition for my own family.

I especially like the Diplomat cakes (their signature cake) and, at Christmas, I really enjoy their beautiful and intensely flavourful Yule Logs.

The bakery has bankers hours. They close Sunday and Monday and stat Holidays. They stay open only until 6:00 PM. If I need a cake for a Sunday or a stat Holiday, I purchase and pick up the day or two before. The buttercream icing is made from real butter and is rick and dense - the cakes stay fresh under this delicous icing for a day or two easily!!

The service is so so. I have had everything from dismal to good. I once went in to dine in at the tea shop area. The server was so miserable that I actually walked got up from the table with my young son and walked out without completing my order!! The service at the counter is much better, not outstanding or particularly warm, but acceptable.

In any event - the cakes. Ooooooooh the cakes. Yummmmmmmmmmm

Here's why:

I've been there twice & i've tried a number of cookies, pastries & cakes. and i think the best thing there is 1 cookie: the jam sandwich. the jam sandwich is buttery, a bit firm, & not too sweet. you can keep it for a few days. some of the macaroons are good, not all. I also found the Napoleon & custard quite good.

What I don't like about this place is their overuse of butter cream. The florentine has it, some of the cookies have it. And their butter cream is too hard & too rich. I tried a Vienna hoping I could get a taste of Sacher torte from Vienna, but it was so far from an Austrian cake. It was dry & i didn't finish it. Many of their cookies are hard; they're supposed to be. But because of that, there isn't much choice of cookies. The diplomat was a huge disappointment when everyone raved about it here. It was not crispy cuz when we cut into it the first time, it was so hard that the knife didn't come out. Same problem with the butter cream in that.

This place is a hit & a miss. I've thrown out or didn't want to eat atleast half the baked goods I bought from them. The stuff is not cheap too. Spent about $15 on baked goods each time, plus $15 for the diplomat.

Took the kids over to Bon Tons and picked up a Diplomat cake with the powdered sugar and cherry topping (kids pick) and a couple dozen cookies. I've had the diplomat cake before and it's a nice wafer layered cake, not too sweet~ just right! The kids enjoyed it for their first time. They also noted it was not as sweet as the typical store bought cakes.
The cookies we picked up were standard fare - 7.80/doz. They also have fancier sweets.
The huge and nicely designed Easter eggs were out and plenty to choose from.
The store decor is a bit antiquated but who really cares-
not there for the looks nor am I eating in- it's a pastry store front!
Overall, great choice of tasty diplomat cakes.

I have fond memories of visiting Nottes Bon Ton when it was a cozy little Patisserie on Granville street with my grandma. We would take the bus down for tea and I would pick out something different each time, then we would purchase a few goodies to take home. I ache for those days, and while the ambiance is nothing like the magical place I once frequented on Granville street, the pastries, confections and cookies haven't changed a bit. The flavours still take me back 25 years to my childhood and even having travelled extensively, I haven't found a bakery that even compares to Nottes to this day. Make sure that when you leave with your cakes, cookies, pastries, or whatever you fancy, that you don't forget to also take home a package of their divine rum truffles. Absolutely mouth watering. Thanks for the memories Nottes, and thanks for continuing such a wonderful, high quality tradition.

I recently visited Bon Ton's after reading the glowing reviews to buy a birthday cake. I settled on the Chocolate Vienna, a hazelnut cake with hazelnut buttercream between sheets of chocolate cake. The cake was extremely dry and had a strange bland taste. The buttercream was buttery yes, but not very flavourful. The most flavourful part was the hazelNUT garnished on the top. Although this is the only product I've tried of theirs, this cake will not inspire me to return too quickly. Maybe it's just a matter of personal taste, but I think this place needs an update. If you compare the cakes here to the ones at Sweet Obessions, the cakes at bon ton are a lot smaller, there is less attention to detail, and are altogether not very polished. The service took a while as well and the girl I asked questions to gave short curt answers and wasn't much help. The place is also musty, old, and looks like it's ready for a renovation.