Patisserie Cocobun – Guy-Concordia

There’s not much I can say about this place that hasn’t already been said. For people who go to Concordia, this is a staple. For a quick bite or a refreshing drink, it doesn’t get better than this. Although we have plenty of options around, nothing is as convenient. It’s in the metro and in between the EV building and the underground passage to the H building and LB building.
Everything here is delicious. You won’t be disappointed. It’s also very affordable.

Coco Bun is a delightful little bakery snuggled up against the rush of morning commuters; a clean, spacious, and brightly lit store where students and office workers mingle to chose the penultimate breakfast bun.
It took me two and a half orbits around the nibble-​filled central island before reaching the conclusion that making a bad selection would be near impossible. So I chose at random and found myself paying a buck and a half for a giant custard-​filled bun.
The bun was still warm from the loving nurture of its Plexiglas cocoon, so I hurried the Middle Kingdom treat to my office, deftly closed the door behind me and yanked my breakfast from the bag like an eagle snatching a bunny from its warren.
At the first bite I was rewarded with a mouthful of sweet, toothsome pastry, and a surprisingly generous amount of custard. I wasn’t particularly dainty in manner as I polished off the bun. Rather, I pretty much resembled a famished Cookie Monster replete with sound effects and gesticulations.
THIS. This is how breakfasts should be.

I went there so many times for snack or even for lunch while I was a Concordia student. The buns are cheap. It’s a serve yourself place.
I like their almond croissant when they have some. It’s not the best, but great when you crave for one hehe
Cashiers are quick.

One of the items I bought was tasty, one was old and stale. My big complaint was the rudeness of the cashier. I was trying to use my credit card because I was low on cash. The machine was rejecting the card and the cashier insisted it was because it was a credit card. I showed her the word ‘debit’ on the card to no avail. It is the only debit card I own. It would have been so easy to be nice, to say ‘I’m sorry your card doesn’t work.’ But she basically called me an idiot. I won’t be back. This is especially surprising from a company with some connection to Japan. A retail company in Japan would never treat a customer like this.

There is not a lot of bakeries where you can buy a huge, filling pastry for $ 1.50 + taxes. Totally worth the visit. They also make fabulous bubble teas! There are also mooncakes, which are pretty uncommon on this side of the globe. And the thing that keeps me returning again and again is the staff’s smiles and contagious happiness behind the counter. I think this is what makes the whole place filled with a special positive energy ! :))

I’m not sure that there are any great Chinese bakeries in Montréal. Not like the ones in Toronto or Vancouver anyway. This one is decent though. I’m glad there are bakeries like this in parts of downtown Montréal that isn’t in Chinatown. It’s easier for me to go here than to make my way to Chinatown on my lunch break. Plus it’s right in the metro so it’s quite convenient!

For what it is, this place gets a full 5 stars. It’s a bakery that sells hot buns, dessert buns, and pastries/​cakes for cheap. While there have been a few misses for me, there haven’t been enough for me to write this place off or take a star away from it.
If you’re near guy concordia metro early in the morning (before 10), you’ll be lucky enough to find their signature coconut bun. If you’re there for 830ish, you’ll also get em’ hot! These typically sell out quickly because it’s one of their best breakfast buns that’s also less than 2 $.
Cocobun opened for my last two years at Concordia and I can’t tell you how many times I would stop here for a quick lunch or snack. For less than 5 $, I could get 2 hot buns and a dessert bun. If you’re hungry and buy six buns, there’s also no tax.
Solid choice for those looking for a snack or quick bite. They’re also easy to hide in your pocket if headed to the SGW library ;)

This is the largest Cocobun of the Chinese bakery chain. The buns and rolls taste just like any other stores, and they have more varieties as well.
I am quite disappointed to find out that they no longer make any fresh buns after 7pm, especially the hot ones which require the oven to keep them warm. It’s located near Concordia, you always have hungry students trying to grab a bite after 9, so please make more.
The bubble tea was alright, but the lady who makes it was just busying chatting with the cashier instead of making my drink…
The buns are noticeably more expensive than Chinatown’s as well. Again, cash only unless you spend more than 5 $.

Kinda pricey … I suggest you guys to go to Chinatown’s Harmonie, which is the same store but less expensive …

This review is for the buns.
I tried the BBQ bun, sausage roll, ham and egg roll and they are by far the best chinese buns I’ve had. The buns had a good bun to filling ratio. This is coming from someone who grew up on Chinese buns from a variety of Chinese bakeries. I really enjoyed the heated display cases they have for the meat filled buns.
The red bean paste filled «pineapple» bun is also delicious. It is a bit on the heavy side but that is due to the nature of the bean paste. The green tea roll with red beans were also a nice touch.
The bubble tea is way subpar, so stick to the baked goods at this place.
bottom line: Solid buns, stay away from the bubble tea.

Un superbe endroit pour les pâtisseries asiatiques! Elles ont toutes l’air très fraîches et du jour, les goûts sont savoureux et souvent intriguants, mais toujours très bon. Vous avez le choix entre des pâtisseries/​brioches sucrées ou salées, le choix de boissons est très vaste aussi, jus de litchi, lait de soja, coca, eau, il y en a pour tout les goûts. Essayez leur brioche au taro, elle est délicieuse !!
Mais le plus incroyable ce sont les prix, qui sont bien plus que raisonnables (entre 1.50 $ et 3 $ pour les pâtisseries les plus basiques). Parfait pour un cheap petit snack!

This place smells amazing! I finally got around to trying some food here, but was disappointed. The BBQ pork bun, though tasty enough, was about 50% bun, 15% pork, and 35% pure air. Definitely a disappointment, even at 1.50 $. Oh, and the bun was a little soggy on the bottom. I’ve had better.
I also purchased an egg tart, which was quite tasty. The crust, however, was a little under-​done and overly flaky; it kept falling apart. At $ 1.00 per tart, I’d buy it again. This time, I’d use a fork and not my hands :)

I love this place, from the time it opened as Harmonie until today as Cocobun. I’m rating 4 stars because they not only offer the biggest selection of sweet and savory buns (bao), but cookies, pastries, and bubble teas. Sure, maybe not everything I’ve tried is 100% the way I like it, but I’ve never had anything bad, and the counter girls have always been patient when I’m trying to decide which drink to get. I appreciate that it’s conveniently located in the metro, so I can grab something on my way to or from my destination. I’ll miss their chocolate buns when I go back to NY *sad face*

Même pâtisseries chinoises que leurs succursales de la Place Alexis-​Nihon et du quartier chinois et même concept que l’on retrouve un peu partout dans le reste du Canada, aux USA et à Hong Kong. «Self-​service», pas cher.
J’aime cependant moins cette succursale que celle d’Alexis-Nihon (Atwater) parce qu’ici on né peut consommer sur place, seulement pour emporter.
Qu’a cela né tienne, je né peux résister à prendre une pâtisserie au porc BBQ ou une tartelette aux oeufs (ou les deux) quand je passé près d’ici. Accompagné d’un thé au lait style Hong Kong, c’est le bonheur!

Usually the prices are good and the buns are decent, but last time I found a hair in my cream-​filled pastry, aren’t they required to wear hairnets?

Des pâtisseries de toutes sortes, de toutes les couleurs et même certaines avec des saveurs difficiles à imaginer! Et tout ça à des prix qui font de cet endroit probablement un des plus populaires chez les étudiants de Concordia. Super pour boucher un coin quand on a faim et qu’on est «sur la go» mais nécessairement les meilleures pâtisseries en ville. Par contre, pour les pâtisseries asiatiques, c’est les rois! À essayer au moins une fois dans votre vie.

It was pure luck that I found Cocobun after exiting the metro. I was hungry, and could use a snack, and the smell of hot pork buns coming from the entrance was too much to resist.
And there it was! A Japanese style pastry shop hidden in a Montréal subway station. It was too good to be true.
I picked out a couple of pastries, a pork bun, and some mochi to take home for later. And it was all so cheap, just about $ 1 – 2 dollars each for everything. It was so good I came back here the next day too.
They have tongs and trays at the entrance to help pick out and carry your pastries, so thoughtful!

This place literally smells like heaven and has ANY pastry-​dough concoction you could ask for, as well as bubble tea. It’s a smart concept and has a great system where you pick up some tongs and a tray, fill up on what ever you’d like, then take it to the counter and pay. It’s located in the Guy-​Concordia metro, so amidst all the human traffic it tends to get easily noticed.
BUT, I feel like everything there is 80% dough-​bun based and 20% filler.

Dear America, Get a clue!
How can we NOT have a bun bakery? How evil is such a thing… coming out of the gym at Concordia, smelling the buns, going into Coco and then presented with the daunting task of… what to get?
Each bun is anywhere from like $ 1 – 2, huge, cool or warm and delicious. I myself am a fan of the hot buns stuffed with curry, hot dog, chicken, omg you name it! Also, if you get 6 buns or more there is no tax, so just DO it.
The concept is cute too. You walk in, grab a tray and tongs, fill er up and then bring it to check out… CASH ONLY!

Vous avez envie d’une gourmandise, mais vous êtes fauché(e)? Vous êtes pris dans un horaire de fou, donc pas de temps à perdre? Vous êtes près du métro Guy? Pâtisserie CocoBun (auparavant Pâtisserie Harmonie) a la solution pour vous!
Que vous ayez la dent sucrée ou une préférence pour la salière, il y de tout pour vous satisfaire: des tartelettes aux oeufs (un classique!), des brioches farcies de purée de haricots rouges, de costarde ou de crème de marron, des feuilletés et de savoureux petits pains farcis au thon, au porc BBQ, au boeuf au curry. Le gâteau roulé suisse au thé vert et les biscuits japonais sont excellents!
On y vend également des biscuits, des gâteaux de fête, des pains et des bubble teas.
Le service est rapide, par contre il n’y a pas de table pour s’asseoir. Qu’a cela né tienne, emportez votre casse-​croûte et trouvez-​vous un petit coin sympa pour le dévorer! Profitez-​en pour faire un brin de jasette avec les étudiants de Concordia ou les groupes de manifestants du quartier…
Pas super pour le tour de taille, j’avoue. Mais une fois n’est pas coutume et à ce prix, cela vaut le détour si vous êtes dans le coin.

This review is just for the bubble tea. I looked at the other stuff and nothing really called to me, so I skipped straight to the bubble tea. It wasn’t all that impressive, and it was a little pricy. The tapioca was not as fresh as it should have been. All in all, Patisserie Harmonie is not somewhere that I think I would return to.

Patisserie Harmonie is right in the Guy subway exit of the Guy-​Concordia station. The concept is pretty fun: you take a tray and help yourself to various delicacies spread around the shop! I’m no expert but I’m not sure whether these are truly asian or an asian twist on occidental pastries. A lot of the selection consists of buns filled with custard cream, but they also have chestnut cream, red bean paste and mango filling. You can also find a wide array of buns filled with meats (these can be hot or cold) if you want something savory. A lot of Chinese cookies and Japanese mochi to be found as well!
I had a mango-​filled soufflé and a strawberry bubble tea (which they call «milk tea» just like they do in the US). The tea was incredibly sweet, a bit too much for my liking. My soufflé was huge and good, but no frills. This isn’t a delicatessen and everything does taste processed. I was really surprised by the price/​size ratio: everything is under 5 $! This would be an amazing spot if you want a really quick lunch or snack!

As with its Chinatown location, this place is just delicious. I highly recommend any of the hot buns (go early before they sell out), though many of the cold ones are pretty wonderful too. The bubble tea is ok. The cakes look FANTASTIC, though I have sadly not tried one yet.
This location is great for poor students looking for quality cheap eats in the neighbourhood. This location is decidedly NOT good if you frequent Le Gym, which is right next to it. If this is the case, I suggest using the other exit so as to resist the inevitable temptation that will occur each and every time you pass this place…