Good coffee, good local music at The Bunker Cafe & Studio

Delicious drinks and local music come together at the Bunker Cafe & Studio, a unique Stratford venue that recently launched a new menu for autumn.

Jereme Berg, who runs the cafe side of the multi-faceted business, said the concept was the brainchild of his two business partners. 

“They wanted to have a place in Stratford that could be a home for music and a home for musicians to get together and perform and share their music with other people,” he said.

Set at the corner of St. Patrick and Wellington streets, the Bunker, which first opened in February, includes a live music venue, recording and video studio, as well as a cafe. The space hosts regular open mic nights, live performances, and workshops. Recent performers have included local names like Maggie Foster, Luke Robertson, and Maya Rose Wilson.

“We try our best to showcase local musicians and talent, so a lot of the people that come out are from Stratford or the surrounding area,” said Berg.

Berg, a self-described “coffee snob,” was brought on to operate the Bunker’s cafe element. “My friends have told me when they would come over to my house that it’s like going to a cafe because I’ve always had all the equipment and everything,” he said. “But this was my first launch into a cafe business.”

The Bunker Cafe’s core menu focuses on specialty drinks, including pour-over coffee, cappuccinos, and lattes, all of which are made with beans sourced from a small-batch roaster based in Kitchener. 

“We start with a very high quality coffee,” said Berg. “We’re really big on natural ingredients.”

The cafe mocha, for example, is made with real chocolate.

“It’s melted into the milk so it makes it super creamy and sweet."

Natural ingredients are also key to the cafe’s autumn menu offerings, which include a widespread fall favourite: a pumpkin spice latte.

“A lot of places will use an artificial flavouring or some sort of syrup,” Berg said of pumpkin spice lattes. “But there's actually real pumpkin puree in [our version of] the drink and real spices.”

Classic fall treats also serve as the inspiration for the Bunker’s new apple pie latte. Like the pumpkin spice latte, Berg said the apple pie latte incorporates real ingredients, like apples and cinnamon. Berg intends to continue offering limited-time seasonal drinks, saying an egg nog latte could be in the works for November.

In addition to drinks, the Bunker Cafe offers a brief dessert menu of sweets provided by local baker, Black Angus Bakery & Catering. The selection includes several types of cheesecake, along with key lime pie.

The cafe’s decor nods to its musical theme with records decorating the walls, alongside photos of local artists like John Till and, of course, Justin Bieber. 

“Everyone who comes out loves it,” said Berg. “We've been growing every month."

The comments are positive - the one Berg hears the most?

"I've never seen anything like this before."

The Bunker Cafe

104 Wellington St., Stratford

thebunkercafe.ca