Quejos Cheesebuns

Popped in here for a snack. We actually didn’t have the namesake cheesebuns — the DF choices didn’t appeal to my daughter, and I was in the mood for something different. Instead we went for the pie, which was delicious, along with a banana chocolate chip muffin for later.

Small, hot chicken sandwiches are $ 5 — not quite enough to serve as a full meal, but certainly a tasty snack! Odd layout and ordering, it’s really more of a deli/​bakery than a restaurant.

Quejos is awesome! I’m not gluten intolerant but my boss is. She said that their cheese buns were amazing. I like cheese buns gluten free or not so I was on board.
We ordered for our whole office over the phone and went to pick them up. When we got the order back to the office 1 of them had been made incorrectly. We called Francis who was willing to drive to our office that very minute to make it right! We opted for a free bun on our next visit which was honoured!
The food is great, I would recommend these to everyone — gluten free or not! :)

Love this place! I’m not restricted from eating gluten, but I try to reduce my consumption of it for general health reasons, and when I eat here I cannot tell any difference from the «usual.» Seriously. A flaky-​tender pie crust, to-​die-​for buttery shortbread, scrumptious cookies — I heart them all!
On my most recent visit, I decided to finally try the famous cheese buns. I felt kind of disappointed as the extra cheese and sun-​dried tomato & basil buns were a bit chewy (not quite to say rubbery) inside. However, after warming them in the microwave for 10 seconds I certainly had no problem polishing them off, so I don’t feel that was enough to take away a star from the review. They were super-​yummy.

I, like so many of my Unilocaly cohorts had too often overlooked this spot due to its close proximity to Hawkers. When I want a veggie fritter, its like having foodie blinders on. So much so, that when I found myself thrown into the land of the gluten free due to an allergy test/​diet, and Unilocaled the closest GF haven, I thought the app was lying. Because I would know if one of the best rated GF shops around was a mere 3 blocks from the house right?
No… apparently not.
Even though time and time again, the GF world surprises me with delicious things, i’m still very skeptical in trying new spots. The «it tastes like cardboard» era of the GF explosion is etched into my consciousness and so I always feel a bit wary of new spots that claim to beat the wheat. But with my beloved bagels & baguettes off the table, I needed a breakfast substitute and already knew that me and rice flour bread don’t get along.
So I popped in here desperate for a sandwich fix. It’s a nondescript little spot and pretty simple on the inside — but they’ve got a couple cases of take home and a deli case full of GF buns.
First tip — don’t get the day olds. I learned this the hard way. They are definitely a steal and still hold up if frozen, but for the real deal — get the fresh ones. Worth the extra few nickels.
The fresh ones are surprisingly awesome. Like Jamie F so enthusiastically mentions — gluten free cheese buns are something to be celebrated. They are a great texture when toasted — crunchy on the outside, softer on the inside and a super great consistency. In kind of the staple compliment of GF anything — I would eat these (and do) even after I could introduce gluten back into my meals.
They’ve got a ton of different options. Personally the jalapeño and just plain cheese are favs. I can’t say spectacular things about the service. In fact the handful of times i’ve been here, it’s been pretty curt — not unpleasant but definitely short — but the buns are good enough that I overlook them.
Plus they are the perfect size for mini snack sandwiches. Which is just a happy snack all around. I’m a fan of this place. Not blown away, but still a fan. I’ll save the next star for the take home case investigation and if this magical, happy service appears on my next visit, but gluten free or no, i’d definitely suggest you poke your head in.

GLUTEN FREE CHEESE BUNS! This place is AWESOME! I always get the extra cheese. They are delicious on their own, toasted with butter, or as a sandwich. I feel blessed to live only two blocks from this magical place.

I too was heading to hawkers with an empty stomach only to see that it was closed on Mondays =(
Quejos has all sorts of glutten free dairy free buns, muffins, perogis.
You can get their buns to go or they will even make them into a sandwich for you.
Décor: Theres a freezer in the front for take home items, I saw perogies inside. Seating for about 4 – 5. One small table in the front.
Service: is friendly and the ladys behind are very patient.
I tried the jalepeno soya chicken bunchwich. The bun had a nice crispy outside. The inside was moist and chewy. The chicken portion was generous moist and fresh. Comes with lettuce, tomato, and mustard, mayo if you like.
Everything tasted really fresh however I did not really taste any jalepeno flavor in my bun at all. Next time i’ll try the guava cheese spread others are talking about.

I always tend to overlook this place because I basically beeline to Hawkers (directly next door). BUT, a friend of mine who is fond of South American food wanted to check this place out so I agreed. Best decision I made that day.
We walked in and the lady behind the counter was very patient and explained what quejos were and was VERY generous with the samples! Great gluten free treats!
I ordered a jalapeño infused quejo with cream cheese and guava paste. It was made to order and came out piping hot. You basically eat it like a sandwich and with every bite, cream cheese was oozing out of the gluten-​free goodness. The guava paste was also quite sweet and I could have eaten it straight up.
This place also offers new-​age South American drinks (cold and carbonated mate in a tall boy can?!?) and raw quejo dough so you can make it yourself.
The only thing that makes this place dangerous is the fact that the quejos are a small treat and you could easily end up eating 2 – 3 in one sitting. BUT, if you’re just popping in for a snack because your stomach is growling too much and the lineup and Hawkers is too long, this is THE place to go.

While I had seen this place on Main before, I never developed the urge to eat here, especially since I am leery of gluten-​free pastry. A few weeks ago, during our Splendid Sunny September of 2012, I was strolling up Main with my girlfriend and we actually walked right past this place. «What the heck is a Brazilian cheesebun?» she asked. I consider myself pretty well versed in baked goods, so I felt the impulsive urge to backtrack and try one of these buns after being stumped. Manioc, or cassava, is a tuber used to create tapioca. This is used instead of wheat flour at Quejos. If you have had tapioca pudding or bubble tea with pearls, you can guess the consistency of Quejos cheesebuns: they are dense and chewy. While these aren’t necessarily favourable adjectives when describing baked goods, the texture of these buns is unique and enjoyable, especially if you make a sandwich using them. Like many of the reviews here, I too recommend getting a bun with added flavours because these extra ingredients reduce the glutinous quality of the buns. I read online that poor quality manioc contains cyanide and can be harmful. I hope the friendly staff at Quejos aren’t using bitter tubers: o

Ok I have been to Brazil and ate a huge quantity of Pao de Queijos, I even learned how to do it. so Quejos’s bun are not the best.
But now, if you don’t know the real stuff, they are excellent and taste great.
You get the chewiness and the crispy into a square version.
They do a lot of flavors, like Basil and tomato, Jalapeño pepper, extra cheese, …
They have the options as dairy free or regular cheese.
The store does make sandwiches for you and they are pretty tasty.
I just like the place, and especially those little bread as they are Gluten Free and tasty.
J’aime les petits pain au Tapioca !!

Holy f*ck I’ve been buying these buns everywhere in the city for years, I had no idea that they had their own store front on Main street. Thanks to Car Free day, I was able to see this instead of missing it on the bus. The outside is unassuming and I thought at first it was a Mexican restaurant. This is the store front of the gluten free buns, the best I’ve ever had. I live by these. It’s awesome that I do not have to go all the way to North Van or GI etc. to get these. Thank you car free day for forcing me off my feet. They have other gluten free gems. They make gluten free sandwiches as well.

So yummy… even if you’re not gluten free go get a bunwich! Havarti on the spinach bun especially… eat one!

I love these cheese buns. Gluten-​free, yet I still have to fight my gluten-​eating boyfriend for the last one. Love the variety in flavours — I’ve had the extra cheese, jalapeño, garlic, and olive buns, and there’s still so many to try! Get them fresh out of the oven, but buy some frozen ones as well to take home so you’re stocked up when you get the cheese bun craving.

Love their banana bread. I could live off it and get fat. But I won’t.
Their muffins are also tasty! I’ve only tried the items that are gluten
free and dairy free. It’s a reasonable price too.
Haven’t tried the savory stuff yet since I’m a sucker for sweets– but sometime when I’m on that part of town I’ll give it a go.

Happen to be aimlessly exploring Main St. and happen to walk by Quejo. Of course, I was intrigued and had to check it out.
Glutten-​free Quejo… Whaaaaaaa??? It took me a second to process the concept, and then decided to go for it and try it out. I went with the Sao Paolo with Jalapeño Pao de Queijo, that comes with chicken. It was a very tasty sandwich and all the ingredients were very fresh.
While it definitely didn’t compare to your typical pao de queijo you get at the Brazilian hotspots in LA, it was surprisingly tasty for gluten-​free Canadian pao de queijo. I hope to get the chance to try some of their other gluten-​free baked goods which looked delicious.

Love this place!
The buns have a crispy outside and a soft, cheesy, chewy inside. They are good on their own, especially when they are warm. I also love the veg sandwich. This place is also real easy on the wallet.
Every time I come back to Vancouver I go to this place because these buns are so unique and delicious.
Other than the buns the store carries lots of good stuff like hemp hearts, tasty juices, GF cookies, all at reasonable prices.

Crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside, these gluten-​free sandwiches are the perfect small, inexpensive meal.
The ladies who work here are friendly and helpful, often pulling buns right out of the oven so that they are extra-​fresh and warm. There are even diary-​free options for those of us who avoid both gluten and dairy.
There are also dozens of gluten-​free grocery options.

I loooove this place, and I don’t even need to eat a GF or DF diet anymore! I still pop in to grab some buns and treats for my cousin, and when I do I get a little snack for myself.
The buns are flavourful, chewy, and delightful. I don’t know why I am so obsessed with them, but I really love them. My favourite is the spinach and onion. The muffins and cookies (which you can find samples of on the counter) are great, too. Even to a wheat-​eater.
The lady who runs the place is always nice, so bonus.
What makes this a 5-​star is that it’s a place that caters to a growing need for GF and DF products, and they actually make their stuff with care and FLAVOUR. For a while I was cutting out a lot of foods and this little place brought so much joy to my heart and bread-​deprived tummy. My cousin feels the same, and I will be bestowing her with a pile of treats from Quejos when I see her today. But their buns are so good that anyone can enjoy them. Try that with some rice bread from Choices. You will not get the same reaction from wheat-​eaters. Trust.
I devoured two buns in my car on my way back to the office yesterday. Yum.
Tip: a lot of products are not dairy-​free, but some are, and are made with soy. Everything is labeled, so no need to worry.

Once there was a girl, and she love loved her carbs. Carbs were, in fact, a beautiful and sought after thing in all her kingdom. It was a sweet and gratifying relationship for both parties. Then she came across the horrible queen CLEANSE, and could no longer indulge in this satisfying relationship. Which is kinda like having a wicked stepmother, but without all the sweetness.
Luckily, a magical carriage came along one day at Granville Island and saved her. And the name written on the side of the magical carriage said ‘Quejos’. The End.
Thank you Quejos, for providing wheat-​free, gluten-​free, yeast-​free (even dairy-​free if you want) yummy buns. Chewy… to be sure. But a perfect thing to fill me up… and make me ‘fill’ good about it.

Quejos on Main Street.
I love carbs!!! This is an interesting bread that is wheat, gluten and yeast free.
Brazilian style cheese buns come in these flavours: extra cheese; sun-​dried tomato and basil; flax seed and almond; spinach and onion; fresh garlic; jalapeño; and black olive.
In addition to the pastries and buns you can buy, you can order sandwiches to go. My favourite is the Sao Paulo. Choose the flavour of bun you would like then it is topped with chicken, tomatoes, mayo and mustard. Totally hits the spot!
Since moving to Toronto, I have missed this bread! Nothing competes with as of yet. For those of you that live in Van or are making a trip this really is a gem.