Baked Expectations

This is one of the best bakeries in the Osborn area. If your looking for cakes for party or any other need to satisfy your sweet tooth this is the place to go.

I read about this place in the Winnipeg Cookbook I received for Christmas and it sounded amazing. We walked in and the restaurant was about half full around 3pm on a Monday.
We were able to seat ourselves immediately. Our group had three people and a stroller which they accommodated really well.
For lunch two of us had the triple decker grilled cheese with tomato, mushrooms and spinach on dark rye and the other an omelette with mushrooms, onions and broccoli. The grilled cheese didn’t have enough cheese in proportion to the three pieces of bread. There wasn’t a lot of flavour even with the veggies. The best part of the sandwich was the dark rye bread.
We had come for dessert so even after our lack luster lunch we decided to share a piece of Salted caramel chocolate cake since the reviews were really for the baked goods. Unfortunately the cake was disappointing. The cake itself was dry and had the texture of being a day old. The icing was very sweet and lacked a rich chocolate flavour. The caramel sauce drizzled over the top and through the middle layers of the cake was a very good and it left you wishing there was more to moisten the cake.
Our server was cordial and apologized for the long wait we had between being seated and him returning to take our order. However, we had to prompt him for the daily soup and quiche options and repeat parts of our order a few times for him.
Overall it fell short of the expectations we had.

I went there with a friend for the first time and was amazed by all the yummy desserts they had. Very fancy at a reasonable price. Love love love this place. Everything was delicious and great service was a bonus. highly recommended! !!!

Baked expectations is home cooking and home baking at its finest. I can’t speak much for the food menu items, all I’ve ever come here for are the desserts. The dining area is one big open space. To one side is a display area of the cakes and pies to choose from. The rest of the space is a round dining area, plenty of room to bring a few friends. The space is causal enough to come in shorts and T-​shirt if you wanted.
I’ve been here a few times (3) so far in the last month. Each time I have been greatly impressed with the cake I selected. The red velvet cake is nice and heavy with an amazing icing. The banana cake was excellent and had a nice texture without falling apart. The last one I had was the chocolate cake. Layers of chocolate with some banana slices in for good measure.
If your sweet tooth is calling then this is the place you should be at. They also do take-​out in a nice branded box. My wife has tried their pies (safer if you have a nut allergy) and she’s always satisfied.

I honestly don’t understand how this place is still in business. I used to go years ago because there isn’t a lot of desert restaurant options but my cake or pie was usually dry. The cardinal sin in baked goods. I’ve had to go back for friends. I was never blown away and almost always dissapointed. Perhaps I’ve been spoiled by my mom’s baking. Also the manager or owner or whoever she is seems completely nuts. Don’t just walk up to a table and ask how their food is, mid conversation, in your pj’s, and not identify yourself. The staff turn over rate seems very high. I had a friend that was going to apply for a job here and came early shortly after they’d opened for the day and the manager or owner gave her shit for coming «during lunch rush.» The place was empty. She did NOT go back to drop off here resume later, as she recognized that she didn’t want to work at a place like that.

Disappointed that their Tia Maria torte is made with half real whipped cream and half cool whip. They claim it’s because real whipped cream is not firm enough the cake would topple however, real whip cream can be whipped so it’s firm like cool whip (I mean it can turn into butter???) so I feel this is just a way to cut costs. Don’t like it anymore.

I’m in Winnipeg for a couple of days to visit my mom and decided to take her to Baked Expectations, a Winnipeg institution from back in the day when I lived here, for dessert. The food was ok, she had an apple cheesecake which she seemed to enjoy while and my pavlova had a rather gummy meringue, it was quite tasty. The drink selection was poor. The only mixed drinks were ones made with liqueur. And the prices were atrocious. $ 29. for two desserts, one drink and a cup of tea.
My biggest issue was with paying. The sign on the door said no credit cards, only debit, but when I offered mine up, they informed me they would not take American debit cards. Fair enough. I pulled out cash. They then stated that the American dollar was only taken at par. Excuse me!!! The exchange rate is 81 cents on the dollar. So effectively, I would be paying almost $ 36. for the already overpriced snack. When I questioned it, they said they could refuse my money all together. Great customer service, guys. You can bet I won’t be back here anytime soon. And my first stop after was to an ATM to score some Canadian cash.
You can bet that if the exchange rate was the other direction, they would be factoring it in.

Love the food, especially the Chicken Fettucini Alfredo and Tia Maria dessert cake. Prices (especially on the cakes/​desserts) keep me from coming back as often though.

I’m Winnipeg just for visit and I tried the salted caramel chocolate cake and it wasn’t good at all … The caramel was too runny and not salted as it was suppose too be .
I couldn’t finish the cake…

Loved the caramel pecan cheesecake, love the carrot cake, the oreo cheesecake is kinda dry in a disappointing way.

Reducing stars once again– went here for a slice of cake and a coffee and had less than exceptional service.
My boyfriend and I were celebrating our anniversary so we went here for a little dessert. We waited 5 min at the door before I finally asked if we could just sit anywhere, which we could. No big deal.
Sat down and was «greeted» by our server who clearly was at the end of a long day. The hostess put together 2 tabletops behind us and the server AUDIBLY sighed and rolled her eyes in the direction of her new table and asked me to repeat my order because she couldn’t hear me over her own sighing.
Service was fast, though, and she managed to pack up my leftover oreo cheesecake without issue.
I’m a stickler for service, what can I say.

Sold 3.5
This was my dessert /​coffee place to go to during my university years, so when Im visiting Winnipeg its a must stop for me. 10 years ago I might have given this place a 5 stars.
The desserts are great I love the cheesecakes, pavlova, and great sandwiches too. Cant go wrong most things are great and open late.
Some changes from my uni days, prices have gone up, and the price for a dessert was already pricey back then when I was a poor student, slices of cake have become smaller. I find service hit and miss depending on when you come. Place looks exactly the same, cool diner feel. Only accepts cash or debit!

We went here based on a local’s recommendation and it was alright. It reminded me a lot of Johnny Rocket. The place had a retro theme going on for them which as nice. They also had a great display of desserts, ranging from cakes to pies. All good things if you were looking for it.
We had the classic burger with cheese and it was nothing out of the ordinary. I do warn you that they don’t take credit cards.

Fantastic! Had the double decker grilled cheese. First time in my life if seeing such a concept and i was blown away very tasty. Bread options available and cheese and toppings great. French fries were the crispiest i have every had. Oh and the cake is out if this world had chocolate German cake portion huge but taste even bigger. Definitely recommend too all! Will b going back for sure

Way adorable and open late! Your experience will depend entirely on your server, because the food is pretty much exactly what it’s supposed to be.
Some of the wait staff are friendly– but tonight I went after a big rush and was still ignored most of the night. Keeping that in mind, enjoy the retro atmosphere, pink lemonade and fabulous tortes!

I wish I could say I enjoyed my experience there but it was horrible from the very start. Traffic up the wazoo. No parking. Located in a hard corner. Do we turn left? Do we turn right? Doesn’t take credit cards. We just kept on driving. Epic fail.

This place was recommended by a friend and I was not disappointed.
I have went there twice on my holidays, first for just dessert and the second time for lunch. They are known for their desserts and they do not disappoint!
The Shmoo cake was amazing and I highly recommend it.

If you live in Winnipeg and haven’t been here — you must be living under a huge rock. This place is a staple and will be around for a long time. Most people tend to head here for their amazing (and I mean amazing) selection of desserts. They are made fresh daily and if you can, come with as many people as possible. I say this because then each person can order something different and you can all share! I’m a genius and you’re welcome.
Unlike a lot of hot spots in Osborne — Baked Expectations is actually quite clean and looks updated and trendy. There are a lot of chairs and tables, but they are really close together so if you are heading here on a date try to get a corner side booth.
The other food they make here is also really good. I would highly recommend coming in for breakfast or lunch. The servers are great and really fast. This is just one more reason people keep coming back!

I give this place a 3 but there are some caveats… I don’t have a huge sweet tooth but when it comes to birthday cakes and the odd sweet craving, this is my go-​to place. They have the best cheesecakes here… ultra creamy and just plain ol’ yummy I love their oreo cheesecake and the strawberry cheesecake. If you like chocolate, the «crazy chocolate cake» is delicious without being overly decadent as some chocolate cakes can be — it’s covered in a dark chocolate ganache, and has 3 layers — chocolate cake, chocolate cheesecake in the middle and then another layer of chocolate cake. I also like the tia maria which is just layers of chocolate chip cookies soaked in tia maria layered with whipped cream.
It’s either cash or debit only, this place has never accepted credit card so beware! It’s ridiculously busy on the weekends as crowds pack into this place for take out and dine in. I wish they had more than one poor girl working behind the glass case.
Service can be a bit slow and inefficient due to lack of staffing coinciding with a rush. It kind of annoyed me when I was waiting for take out the other night and was waiting there patiently to order a slice to-​go when 4 servers were gossiping on the side (in view) while one girl was working feverishly as the take out line grew. And I was not pleased when I opened up my take out box to see the smallest slice of crazy chocolate cake ever! They are usually pretty good about given a fair size especially since the slice came to $ 8.41 tax included. But I was very disappointed with the puny slice I got! The upside is that I saved on the calories… LOL.
Savoury foods are decent here as it leans towards diner style food like burgers and chili fries. I like their chili fries and they serve some good mochas and hot chocolates here as well.
Nice place to gather with a bunch of friends and pack on the fat and sugar as it provides for a lively atmosphere. But the chairs are really uncomfortable and the service is hit and miss due to insufficient resources.

I have been coming here since I was a young girl living in Winnipeg. Now it is on my «must do» list when I visit. My family eats in, takes out and has even had Baked Ex cater desserts at a wedding.
My favourite cakes are the Cinnamon Torte (I am tempted to have my friends fed ex me one right now!!!) and the Apple Bavarian cheesecake. The drinks are excellent as well. I also really enjoy the veggie sandwich. The prices seem reasonable to me for the portions that one receives.
The funky, cheerful décor is always a treat to walk into and the people watching is usually fun as well. I have had a great time with groups or just reading a magazine and taking a refreshment break by myself. If I had Baked Expectations in my city, I would visit regularly!
One caveat is that the only bathroom is located downstairs so it is not convenient for disabled or elderly who find stairs difficult.