Restaurants

Underrated Neighbourhood Gem: Seasons Bakery Shines Amongst Heavy Competition

The Commercial Drive haunt doesn’t disappoint.

By Nathan Caddell /

On a sometimes forgotten strip of Commercial Drive, Seasons Bakery has healthy competition coming from all sides. Matchstick is a five minute drive west. Livia is a dozen blocks north. And Flourist, a destination bakery in itself, is a short walk south.

Those other places get all the hype. But the narrative is starting to turn a bit (the lengthy lines are both good and bad to see, as a frequent visitor), mostly because Seasons demands attention.

Formerly Bakery Sate, Chris and Melanie Chung (and their adorable kids) took over the establishment in 2020 and quickly turned it into a must-visit, complete with a renovation just recently finished.

And here’s a personal mea culpa: I didn’t draft Seasons in our Bakery Draft (though I did shout them with an honourable mention). That was a mistake that’s only become more and more evident with time.

As it currently stands, Seasons is my definite go-to in a neighbourhood jammed to the brim with morning food and drink options. Crucially, its hours are solid (open at 8:30, unlike some others in the ‘hood…IYKYK), but more importantly, the team at Seasons just puts out absolutely class pastries day after day.

The cream puffs look too beautiful to eat and are as tasty as anywhere else in town. The fresh baked bread is on par with the loaves on offer at Livia and Flourist. The croissants are both works of science and art. The cookies are on point.

And the item that I get more than any other at bakeries—the hallowed savoury scone—is of the cheddar chilli green onion variety. It’s easily the best non-meat version in the city. Plus, the coffee is provided by Timbertrain and Bright Jenny, ensuring its of high quality.

Beyond all the accoutrements, the vibe is just great—it absolutely smacks of good people doing good things in their community. I do hope there’s a time in the near future in which Seasons can actually host people inside (it’s currently a takeout counter only), because this is a place that you just don’t want to leave.