Neighbourhood: Harbord Village
Chef: Philip Haddad
Covid-19 safety measures: Social distancing, mandatory mask policy for patrons and staff, frequent sanitization.
Accessibility: Storefront is accessible, washrooms are upstairs.
The food
Philip Haddad—part prosthodontist, part ultra-passionate baker—first garnered a serious following in 2018 when he sold perfect loaves of sourdough via Instagram. Since then, his baked goods have been available at Donna’s in the Wallace-Emerson neighbourhood. Along the way, he’s hinted at a bricks-and-mortar bakery. Emmer—three years in the making now—finally opened this month in Harbord Village, complete with snaking (but socially distanced) lines and much fanfare. Sourdough, brioche and croissants—both sweet and savoury—are Emmer’s literal bread and butter, but the opening of patio season will also bring a lunch and dinner menu (the details of which are on lockdown for now). There’s a rotating selection of toasts and sandwiches, like an egg and brioche breakfast bun. It’s made with house-fermented crème fraîche, egg yolk and gobs of Gruyere.