Chances are, you already have a favourite, neighbourhood påtisserie. Your “regular”...a place for crusty, fresh bread, or a sweet-treat to go with your Flat-White that they make just right. What about the rest of the city? Zygg has put together a must-try list of spots to entice you to take a ride, far and wide, and explore new areas by bike. Clustered by region for the perfect day trip, we suggest a route, some hot locales, and list their particulars with a few specialties. If you cycle via e-bike, no area is too far, nor too tough a terrain to tackle, no matter where your journey begins & ends. Zygg’s fleet of ebikes have terrific range & power to take you there.
Using the guidance of resources like the City of Toronto’s Cycling Network Map, plan ahead, so you can get to your destination at your own, safe pace and meander, checking out other attractions. Or, use Google-Maps with the cycling filter on. With the new (and upcoming) “lite navigation” mode, cruising via two wheels has never been so easy.
Get kitted up with layers, a backpack, panniers or a basket, and embrace the crisp winter ambience as you amass your stash of baked-goods.
MIDTOWN:
From points east, west, north and south, all routes will lead you to “Pastry Mecca”: Midtown!
Start on Mount Pleasant Road, just north of Davisville, then loop over to Bayview Avenue.
Jules Cafe & Patisserie - JulesCafe.ca
617 Mount Pleasant Road
Baguettes, Quiche, Croque-Monsieur. Their Chocolate Almond Croissants and Beignets are super-decadent.
Thobors - thobors.ca
627 Mount Pleasant Road
Breads, Pastries, Chocolates and Savory Lunches: The Pink Praline or Caramel Brioche is amazing.
Flaky Tart - flakytart.com
711 Mount Pleasant Road
Old-school “home baking” : Cookies, Tarts, Pies, Squares and Special Event Cakes. Butter-tarts and Brownies are the way to go.
Bomou Artisanal Bakery- bomou.ca
1636 Bayview Avenue
Try the Fougasse (Olive & Rosemary Bread), Bon Bons, Pistachio Croissants.
La Cigogne - patisserielacigogne.com
1626 Bayview Avenue
A huge selection of Assorted Macarons, Madeleines and Truffles are oh, so pretty.
Rahier - rahierpatisserie.com
1586 Bayview Avenue
Exquisite Miniatures, Mousse Cakes, Tarts and European Cookies by the wrapped bag.
EPI Bakehouse - epibakehouse.com
1526 Bayview Avenue
Fantastic Loaves, Boules, Baguettes. Their Sourdough is legendary.
CORKTOWN, RIVERSIDE, LESLIEVILLE
Roselle Desserts - roselleto.com
362 King Street East
Whole Cakes : Valrhona Chocolate Mousse Cake, Banana Cream Pie Eclairs are wow. Their take-away, “cake-cups” are easy to transport.
Brick Street Bakery - brickstreetbakery.com
27 Trinity Street (The Distillery District)
Savoury Treats - Sausage Rolls, Ham & Cheese Rolls/ Spinach & Feta Rolls, Cornish Pasties, Steak n’ Stout Pie, Chicken Tarragon Pie, Buttertarts, Portuguese Custards, Scones
The Sweet Escape Patisserie - thesweetescapedistillery.com
24 Tank House Lane, (The Distillery District)
A destination, custom-order place for Specialty Cakes, Cupcakes and Festive Cookies.
Blackbird Baking Co. - blackbirdbakingco.com
635 Queen Street East (they have another outpost in Kensington Market)
Sourdough and Multigrain Baguettes, Flatbreads and Focaccia
St. John’s Bakery - stjohnsbakery.com
153 Broadview Avenue
Organic Bread made in the French method; the Walnut Raisin Sourdough is addictive.
Bonjour Brioche - thesweetescapedistillery.com
812 Queen St East
Flans, Savoury Tarts, (like Salmon/Gruyere Quiche or Pissaladiere with carmelized onion, tomatoes, anchovies) Brioche Royale, Lemon Twists.
THE BEACHES
Bobette & Belle
Bobbette and Belle - bobbetteandbelle.com
1121 Queen Street East
Haute Cakes, Pies, Tortes, Cookies, Bars and yummy Cupcakes!
Zane Patisserie and Boulangerie - zanepatisserie.com
1842 Queen St East
Fantastic Tartes, Pâtisseries and Quiche.
Petite Trianon - petitetrianon.com
2020 Queen Street East
A Parisian Tea House with Scones, Croissants, Tea-Sandwiches and more.
Somun Superstar - somunsuperstar.com
998 Kingston Road
Bosnian Wood Fired Bread and some of the best reviewed Sandwiches in the city. Try their Woodfired Pizza on the weekends.
EAST YORK, SCARBOROUGH, DON VALLEY NORTH
mon K Patisseries - monkpatisserie.ca
1040 Coxwell Ave
Seasonal Pastries and Holiday Cakes. Order cakes in advance of the week you will pick up through their website.
Sultan of Samosa - sultanofsamosas.com
1677 O’Connor Drive
Sad that their Corktown locale has closed, however, you still have a chance to snack on some of the “Best Samosa In The World”. 10 types of Samosa - - great to buy for parties! Their Tandoori Chicken and Ten Vegetables are superb!
Daan Go Pastry Lab
Patisserie Royale - patisserieroyale.com
1415 Kennedy Road
Traditional Middle Eastern baked goods. Their assortment of Cookies and Baklava are made with the finests pistachios, nuts and grains.
Daan Go Pastry Lab - daango.com
3380 Midland Ave
Chef Christopher Sui is the newest and youngest Master Chef Canada. This place is full of awesome, eye-candy: Signature Cakes, Character Macarons, and Desserts, like a Hello Kitty inspired “Tira Meow-Su”.
Allan’s Pastry Shop - allanspastry.webs.com
3056 Don Mills Road (Peanut Plaza)
Hands down the best Patties in the city: Beef, Chicken, Curry Goat, and Vegetarian. One of the only places that makes Jamaican “Hardo” Bread.
KENSINGTON MARKET, CHINATOWN
Little Pebbles - little-pebbles.com
160 Baldwin Street
Japanese Pastry : Strawberry Daifuku Mochi, Black Sesame Chiffon Cake.
Blackbird Bread - blackbirdbakingco.com
172 Baldwin Street
You always think “bread” with Blackbird, however, they make a mean cream-puff.
The Night Baker
Bunner’s Bake Shop - bunners.ca
244 Augusta Avenue (also in The Junction)
100 % Vegan, 100% Gluten Free. Always a great welcome for Holidays and special occasions.
The Night Baker - thenightbaker.com
825 College Street (also at 405 Danforth)
Cookies galore, by the single or the box.
TRINITY BELLWOODS, PARKDALE, LIBERTY VILLAGE
Terroni Sud Forno - terroni.com
716 Queen Street West
Italian Breakfast Pastries, Bombalone (filled donuts), Panetteria, Panini, Pizza, Pasta to go.
Dlish Cupcakes - dlishcupcakes.com
833 Queen Street West
Cupcakes, cupcakes, cupcakes! They have a days-of-the-week chart profiling flavours on offer.
Brodflour Urban Mill & Bakery
Hadrien Verrier Patisserie - hadrienpatisserie.ca
1418 Dundas St West
Classic, “French-Master” baking. Also available at The Evergreen Brickworks Saturday Market.
Fantail - fantail.biz
333 Roncesvalles
Sweet and Savoury Croissants, Brioches, Scones and an Apple Olive Oil Cake to die for...
Brodflour Urban Mill and Bakery - brodflour.com
8 Pardee (Liberty Village)
They source their own Heritage, Canadian Grains, mill it themselves in their certified organic stone mill to preserve flavour and nutrients, then bake into wholesome goods.
BLOOR WEST VILLAGE, THE KINGSWAY, ETOBICOKE
Hot Oven Bakery - hotovenbakery.ca
2226 Bloor Street West, 2974 Bloor Street West
They have it all: Great Bread, Pâtisseries, Cakes, Home-style Baked Goods.
Hot Oven Bakery
The Cake Smith - thecakesmithinc.com
2352 Bloor West
Specialty Cakes by order: perfect for birthdays, graduations, weddings, and key events.
The Pie Commission - piecommission.com
927 The Queensway
Savoury Pies - (Steak n’ Ale, Meat Pies etc.) - A supplier to many pubs and restos in the city, it is a great place to stock-up (fresh or frozen) for your own home-kitchen or cottage/chalet.
Tatsu’s Bread - tatsusbread.com
3180 Lakeshore Blvd.
Daily Bread, Sweets and awesome, made-or-order Sandwiches.
Fleur Du Jour
And, any day of the week, your e-bike will make that hill (Bathurst, Christie, Spadina Road, Avenue Road...) no sweat, and easy to dash out to get that last craving or something for that impromptu brunch or dinner party. Check out this gem on ST. CLAIR WEST:
Fleur du Jour - fleurdujour.ca
603 St. Clair West
Their individual Viennoiseries and Pâtisseries are sublime.
Let us know which were your favourite-finds, or ones we have left out. Tag them at #LOCALPASTRY #BIKETO