Restaurant: Lucullus Bakery
Location: 31 Elm Street, Toronto, ON M5G 1H1
Price Range: $
[wp-review]
I have passed by Lucullus Bakery multiple times on my trip to school in the past, yet somehow I failed to notice that this was a bakery lol.. From the outside, I would have never guessed that this was a Chinese bakery, it looked more like a Western bakery or restaurant! Apparently there are 3 locations of Lucullus Bakery, with the other ones located in Richmond Hill/Markham.
The bakery is spacious with 2 floors of tables and lounging areas, perfect for a coffee date or study. The first floor is the bakery and you can carry your orders onto the second floor after making the purchase.
From my past visits, I found the second floor tend to be much more quieter, so you will most likely see me up here typing up blog posts! Although the place is kept really clean, I find it strange that there is only one server for this massive bakery, so occasionally tables don’t get cleaned out as quickly.
Above is just some of the pastries that they offer, which are the typical pastries that you would find in any other Chinese bakeries in Chinatown. Although these aren’t cheap, the buns at Lucullus Bakery have no artificial flavors or preservatives, plus they are located in downtown core so that justified the prices.
Lucullus Bakery also carries a good selection of cakes and Asian drinks. I probably should have read Yelp reviews and and ordered their cheesecake instead, as it seems to be a crowd’s favourite.
I didn’t try any of the buns on first visit, instead I ordered the steamed chicken and a drink combo for $6, which was definitely a steal when you are living in downtown Toronto! The Hong Kong milk tea was really smooth and silky, and well balanced with creaminess that isn’t too rich and sweetness that doesn’t overpower. Since there was too much green onions, that was all I tasted when I tried the steamed chicken :(. However the portion is generous and the dish wasn’t too salty nor greasy, it actually tasted quite good for $6!
I can’t remember how much I paid for the cake LOL… I think it was roughly around $6? I didn’t enjoy the texture of the cake, but then I never had a proper strawberry meringue cake so I’m not sure if this is how the texture is supposed to be? It wasn’t overly sweet and there was even layers of whipped cream and almond meringue, so with every bite you are getting everything. The texture just wasn’t my cup of tea as it was incredibly chewy and it crumbled easily.
Yea I can’t remember how much I paid for this. I also forgot to take pictures of the menu. Shoot me. Derp.
Interestingly on the second floor, they had a banner which stated that Lucullus Bakery have the best Green Tea latte in town. With that said, I was really disappointed as the tea was extremely bitter and I found lumps of matcha powder at the bottom of my cup.
While I didn’t enjoy some items at Lucullus Bakery, I have enjoyed their other drinks like Hong Kong milk tea or hot lemon tea. Their buns and lunch specials also receive rave reviews on Yelp and Zomato as well and this bakery is located in a small quite street of downtown Toronto (surprisingly!), which is perfect for studying. Would I come back? Definitely! There are numerous times where I don’t feel like going all the way to Chinatown for buns, and this place can definitely fill you up with their cheap, delicious meals!