Good Egg

Cute little neighborhood bookstore/​gift shop in the Kensington Market area. Had a nice electric selection of household items. Items seemed to be priced on the higher side, but I guess that’s the cost of retail and a independent store? If I lived in the area, I would frequent this place for birthday and hostess gifts.
They had cute little chicks painted outside their storefront.

Good gift store for someone who appreciates cooking or just little kitchen trinkets. There are plenty of recipe/​cookbooks, but there are also cards, magnets, wine stoppers, etc. Prices do tend to be a little on the high end for little trinkets, but these are items/​books you probably won’t find in a typical Chapters or department store, so it is well worth the deal!

This is one of those stores that draws you in with the kitchiness of it all and spits you back out onto the sidewalk wondering what just happened. I found myself doing laps around the place wondering what I was going to see next that I must have and should buy, but maybe another day. Filing items away in my memory, hoping they will pop back into mind at the right moment, ‘o yeah, I saw one at Good Egg’. Reminiscent of a head shop, some of the items will make you wonder what they are for, and others, like the pepper grinders, stick in my mind as a ‘must have item’. The books are drool worthy, rich and delightful, even if you only dwell on the covers. Kudos to the staff for bringing a world of the extraordinary to Kensington!

If I lived in the area, I would come here all of the time. What a place to buy gifts! It’s a mix of Urban Outfitters and Etsy. Such a unique and kitschy selection of things. I personally, wanted to buy out the entire store. The highlights for me were the book section and the card/​stationary selection. If you want hilarious, out of the ordinary books or like cards that are a little different-​then this is the place for you. My only complaint is that I do not live close and they do not have any way to purchase things online. No website or even an etsy profile. I want your stuff! Let me buy it!

This store is quite interesting despite being on the smaller side.
The focus is on food related stuff and do it well. They carry a nice variety of cookbooks (some even collector items) cookware (Staub, le creuset) and other food related gadgets. There are some cooking classes too apparently though I didn’t have time to explore that part.
Some food items are also on offer but do cater to high end items (Kusmi Teas etc you get the idea) though the variety is limited.
Whats perplexing is the location of this store, hmm I always though Kensignton Market that is about making a statement against what is sold at this store represents. Ah well another win for capitalism :) They even had some promo prices on the cookware which hardly goes on sale.
3.5 Stars

nice little book store in Kensington with a large selection of cookbooks. You don’t go in here with a something specific in mind, but more of a general idea, or just to peruse.

A great store in which you can find all the books about food you want. Their staff is extremely knowledgeable and they will go to great lengths to «go to the back» and check if there are are more of the merchandise you’re looking for.
This is a great store to buy gifts. If you have a book about food that you want to buy, don’t bother going to big bookstores! Support this nice, friendly, independent store!
They will always greet you warmly, even though you are only there to browse. I do dare you to not buy anything.

One of the most consistently interesting gift stores I have ever been to. It always gives me great ideas for presents, even for people who are difficult to buy for. Gorgeous gadgets, kitchenware, bags, letterpress greeting cards, calendars, posters, and so on. Incredibly tasteful selection of books ranging from classic kids’ books to cookbooks and much more in between. You will discover all kinds of lovely things here you never knew about. Not cheap, but full of inspiration.
The staff is not always particularly friendly or helpful, however, even when sought out; I can see why other reviewers mention a haughty attitude. They tend to act as if they’re doing you a big favor by selling you their goods; I can’t remember ever hearing a simple «thank you» upon making a purchase. Hard to understand why that would be so difficult for them.

I once took a class here for an introduction to cooking. I was stoked; it was supposed to teach you basics on cooking for those who are beginners, and I really needed someone to teach me.
So many things went wrong, and I really learned nothing. First, the class was advertised as including food, as we would taste the food we cooked, except we didn’t really eat — it was more like a bit of asparagus here, a sample of egg there. I was starving. We also didn’t really cook — we just watched her. Second, there was no seating (no stools, no chairs, no nothing) for the entire time, which was hours long, so you got restless and it was hard to see over everyone standing in a huddled mass. Classes are held in the back of the store, which had no A/​C, and so we were all boiling hot.
But perhaps the most inexcusable was the teacher’s (who owns the shop) social life which kept trickling into the class. Clearly over half the class was already made up of her close friends, who obviously didn’t pay the same expensive price tag I did, because they talked during instruction, and they talked to my instructor about things totally unrelated to cooking. People kept stopping by to socialize, and she would just shift her focus to them and not give another care to anything else. It was a total, disappointing waste of my time. This was over a year ago and I’m still bitter.

VIBE
Oh, how I love it in here. It’s like a food lifestyle store with books only being part of the equation. And if you’re strolling the neighbourhood, they have a maps of the nabe that you can take away. Smart. Owner is a bit Dr. Jekell/​Mrs. Hyde; glad I’m not the only one that thinks so. Bad egg. Otherwise, the hipster staff really are lovely and knowledgeable.
THE GOODS
Really interesting food memoirs, cookbooks, maps, le creuset ware, knives and other fun bespoke foodie stuff. I always have to refrain myself from buying everything in the store. It is well curated.
OBLIGATORY CATCHY REMARK
Nothing smells rotten in here (almost).

I promise to rate Good Egg higher if I ever purchase something here.
As it stands, Good Egg is an excellent place to kill a few minutes while waiting for your table at the local tacqueria, empanada joint or jamaican Patty shack .
Small in size, but huge in cuteness, Good Egg is mostly staffed by hipsters who don’t mind if you browse. They’re slow to approach, but ready with informed answers to your questions.
Fun stuff to buy includes walls of cookbooks, a smattering of Le Creuset enamelware, and an edited selection of Wusthof knives.
Foodie gimmickry abounds. It’s a great place to buy your favourite culinary gearhead a stocking (or sausage) stuffer, complete with a smug sense of ironic detachment. Prices seem just north of steep, though, and true funksters will probably prefer the much larger, more indie Blue Banana across the street.
I’m still heading there next time I visit Kensington Market, though.

I really smell something cooking when I walked into Good Egg! There is a small kitchen at the back of the store and something really cooking on the stove.
Good Egg is not just a cookbook store, cool kitchenware store, great gift store… It also held cooking classes… Maybe I need that more than a cookbook?!

Great place to buy a housewarming gift, or a gift for anyone with a home or a kitchen!
Some of the products are super cute and/​or funny. Most are really practical and useful.
Last time I was in there I was tempted to buy a few things — including but not limited to an ice pop maker for under $ 20. What a good idea! And good ideas are what you’ll get when you pop into Good Egg.
The store is small and may get cramped on a busy Saturday, but make your way to the back — that’s where they had the sale items last time I was there.

This is seriously one of the coolest stores ever. If I were to describe what kind of stuff this place sells I’d probably say a cross from «Kitchen» to «Coffee Table» to «Living Room». Really, this place is pretty awesome if you’re looking for something in those rooms.
You kinda have to shop around for some of the stuff you’re looking for in particular, and the prices very from average to OMG why is this priced so low?
The only thing I can say is that they have a rolling inventory of whatever they decide to bring in, so they may not have everything at any given time (which kinda sucks). Come often and see what new goodies they have in!

Adorable store with cute kitchenware.
A great place for the cook and baker in you (or your friends).
Will be back when I need to get cute kitchen gifts

You will find something you want to buy here and then you’ll find something you want to buy for a friend.
Great cookbook selection rounded out by knick knacks, kid’s items and cute odds and ends.
One thing though — I’ve found the owner to be a little short with customers. She just comes across as, I guess, brisk. And while they sell kid items, keep your kids close, I’ve witnessed a few staff to parent scoldings.

Warning: I’m feeling somewhat long winded and philosophical. Sorry, this is going to be one of «those» reviews.
I guess the problem comes down to the proposition that book stores can not charge admission. Given how much people like to just wander in to book stores to browse, kill five minutes, escape someone on the sidewalk, and how little people go in to book stores to actually buy a book, it would make sense that people should be willing to just leave a quarter or three in a jar at the door. There is a good that is being consumed for free.
This is not to say that all things should have a price attached to them, but when that service is being provided at a cost (e.g. rent) and that service is becoming increasingly rare given the prevalence of places like Amazon, shouldn’t people be willing to subsidize it to keep it in business?
I try to do my part. I buy cook books here every once in a while. But that’s the problem: it’s only once in a while. The remaining proportion of the time, I go in, browse, see what looks interesting, and then look at the price tag. Then the problem hits: how much is it worth to me to have this place. Is it worth paying $ 45 for a book I could get online at
for $ 26? Day to day, I do go on Amazon and buy it at nearly half the cost. But once or twice a year? Sure. Because I like being able to come in and browse. The price of books in Toronto (Canada?) is just frustrating. When it is Book City, I have no problem walking by and seeing them go under. When it is the Good Egg, I really want them to stay in business but the reason I am willing to pay more is because it is a tax, plain and simple and a «public good» is being provided.
So why do I feel this way? The Good Egg had a characteristic that all great book stores share that is sadly too rare (rhyme word score +2). I’m thinking particularly of Green Apple in SF. They bring things to my attention that I never would have thought of, and even more to the point, I end up wanting to buy. A North African/​Moroccan cookbook? Neverwouldthoughtait, but yeah! I also have to applaud the fact that they have started stocking cocktail books. This was not the case a year ago but it is nice to see they are making an effort. The staff are wonderful too, they gave me a fresh chocolate chip cookie once. It was yummy.
I’ll keep coming and keep buying, I just wish I did not end up thinking of the mark-​up as a tax.

I snuck in here when it started to rain and wandered around looking at more Barbapapa stuff than I’d seen even when I was a child, adorable little baby products, cookbooks aplenty and the most beautifully unnecessary (albeit potentially useful) kitchen accoutrements and accessories.
I loved this store. Couldn’t help making a little list in my head of all the things I wanted.
One of the folks at the cash was pleasant and even held the door open for me when I was coming in; the other one was pretty much off in her own world. Though this was fine with me, since I just wanted to browse the store in peace, and they didn’t seem to care that I had been in there for a considerable amount of time.

I want to live inside this store. I could do it.
I’ll bet you two adorable aprons, a dozen pastel egg stands, and a Momofuku cookbook.

Definitely worth a look if you have any interest in Culinary School as there is a FRENCH section to browse through where I breezed through Escoffier’s book and was contemplating to purchase or not.
Escoffier’s Le Guide Culinaire is exactly as what I’ve heard about it. There is some INTIMIDATION to it if you are not fluent in cooking terminology or basic cookery.
I also noticed Robuchon’s as well but Escoffier’s was enough to blow my mind. I walked through this CUTESY place looking at what some of these EGG shaped things are intended for but unfortunately I don’t need an Egg Bank which was priced way out of my budget.
I looked at a Stuffed Purple Squid and wished it was a Stuffed Octopus as it looked so much like the live Octopus that Detroit Red Wings fans like myself will through onto the ice when they score.
I can see there’s lots of what I would call Toys that are Food themed, which isn’t really the side that draws me back. The things that other stores place nearby the registers to intice you, here it is SCATTERED to let you explore as if it is an Easter Egg Hunt.
I think of this as a Kitchen Stuff Plus + Chapters Hybrid that is Food themed.