Cafeography
Toronto

Bakery cafés in Toronto

Cannoli on St. Clair West, pastéis de nata from Dundas West and donuts from 05:00.

Photo: Marta Branco, Pexels License

Portuguese immigrants, many from the Azores and Madeira, began arriving in Canada in numbers in the 1950s, and Azoreans kept coming from 1953 into the 1970s. In Toronto they settled in Portugal Village and west along Dundas Street to Brockton Village, a stretch nicknamed Rua Açores. The 2021 census counted 85,165 people of Portuguese ancestry in the city of Toronto.1

St. Clair West, which takes in Corso Italia, shares the lead in bakery cafés with Queen West and Downtown Yonge, just ahead of the Danforth, Bloordale and the Financial District. Donut shops make up a good part of the rest: Dipped Donuts at 93 Front Street East and 161 Baldwin Street, Unholy Donuts at 596 Bay Street and 95 Maitland Street, Fab's Donuts at 1618 Queen Street West and Letterbox Doughnuts at 1590 Queen Street West.

Local tip: Pair the Junction Triangle's coffee bars with its bakeries: Forno Cultura is at 158 Sterling Road, Sud Forno at 128 Sterling Road, and Caldense, known for its pastéis de nata, has a Junction Triangle branch.

Where these cafés are: Downtown Yonge & Church-Wellesley (6), St. Clair West & Wychwood (6), Queen West & Trinity Bellwoods (6), Bloorcourt & Bloordale (5), The Danforth & East York (5), Financial District & St. Lawrence (5), Parkdale & Roncesvalles (3), Midtown & Yonge-Eglinton (3), Leslieville & Riverside (3), King West & Liberty Village (3), The Junction & High Park (3), Kensington Market & Chinatown (2), Junction Triangle (2), Yorkville & Rosedale (1), The Annex & Koreatown (1), Dundas West & Little Portugal (1).

At a glance

55Cafés listed
32With opening hours
00:00Earliest opening
01:30Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: The Donut Factory, from 00:00 (Mon–Fri 05:00–01:00 · Sat–Sun Open 24 hours).
  • Closes latest: La Diperie, until 01:30 (Daily 13:00–01:30).
  • Most listed streets: Queen Street West (7), Bloor Street West (5), Danforth Avenue (3).
  • Most common features: wheelchair access (15%), open late (15%), wi-fi (13%).
Kensington Market & Chinatown

Dipped Donuts

  • 161 Baldwin Street
  • Mon 11:00–16:30 · Tue–Thu 09:00–18:00 · Fri–Sat 09:00–19:00 · Sun 09:00–18:00
  • +1 647 906 3668
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King West & Liberty Village

Mado Café & Bakery

  • 440 Front Street West
  • Mon–Thu 10:00–21:00 · Fri–Sat 10:00–22:00 · Sun 10:00–21:00
Map WebsiteIs this you?Report

Nothing matches those filters here. See all cafés in Toronto.

Italian bakeries on St. Clair West

Tre Mari Bakery has sold bread, hot food and cappuccino near St. Clair West and Lansdowne since 1960; blogTO called its cannoli the star attraction.2 It is at 1311 St. Clair Avenue West, in the Corso Italia stretch. Shelíss Bakeshop Café is at 1154 St. Clair Avenue West, and Bad&Boujee Donuts at 1024 opens late morning, 11:30, from Wednesday to Sunday.

Off St. Clair, Sansa Bakery & Cafe is at 352 Oakwood Avenue and Primose Bagel Co. at 317A Oakwood Avenue.

Forno Cultura and Sud Forno

Two newer Italian bakeries have spread across the city. Forno Cultura began in King West Village under Andrea Mastrandrea, a trained architect from a family of Italian bakers; it bakes bread, focaccia and cornetti and sells dolci such as amaretti and baci di dama (hazelnut sandwich cookies).3 Its biscotteria is at 65 Front Street West in Union Station, and its café at 158 Sterling Road.

Sud Forno is the bakery of the Terroni restaurant group. It bakes sourdough, cornetti and pizza stirata (stretched pizza) at 716 Queen Street West, a few steps from the original Terroni, and also at 22 Sackville Street, 128 Sterling Road and 132 Yonge Street.4

Pastéis de nata from Little Portugal

The pastel de nata (Portuguese custard tart; plural pastéis) is the pastry most Toronto bakeries share. Nova Era, founded by Joe Dias in 1991 at 1172 Dundas Street West, opened eight more locations in Toronto, Mississauga, Kitchener, London and Ajax, and became a wholesale producer of pastéis de nata for grocery stores in Ontario and Quebec.5

Caldense, founded about half a century ago, is known for its pastéis de nata and has bakeries in the Junction Triangle, in Etobicoke and on Dundas West. Golden Wheat Bakery Cafe in Little Italy lists Portuguese tarts as a best seller.6 Further north, blogTO lists R Bakery, with two North York shops, as a classic Portuguese bakery for morning buns, sandwiches and pizza; R Bakery Cafe is at 326 Marlee Avenue.6

Bakery cafés that open early

The Donut Factory at 101 Pape Avenue opens at 05:00 on weekdays and stays open around the clock at weekends. Found Coffee at 225 Front Street West opens at 06:00 every day.

From 07:00 you have more choice: Dessert Lady Cafe & Bakery at 1 Sultan Street in Yorkville opens 07:00–19:00 daily, Fab's Donuts on Queen Street West from Tuesday to Sunday, Donutlan at 688 Gerrard Street East every day, and Bakery Garden Café at 504 St. Clair Avenue West on weekdays. Letterbox Doughnuts closes at 14:00, so go early.

Sources

  1. Portuguese Canadians, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  2. Since 1960, still the go-to bakery on St. Clair, blogTO (October 31, 2011), accessed October 2026
  3. Forno Cultura’s latest outpost is rooted in the culture of Toronto, Azure (Sanam Samanian, June 14, 2020), accessed October 2026
  4. Sud Forno, Terroni, accessed October 2026
  5. Nova Era Bakeries, Movimento Perpétuo (Tempo Historical Consulting), accessed October 2026
  6. The Best Portuguese Bakeries in Toronto, blogTO (Christine Peddie, December 4, 2023), accessed October 2026
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Specialty coffee

18 cafés

Patios

52 cafés

Wi-Fi

53 cafés

Open late

34 cafés

By area: Queen West & Trinity Bellwoods Kensington Market & Chinatown Financial District & St. Lawrence King West & Liberty Village Downtown Yonge & Church-Wellesley The Annex & Koreatown Leslieville & Riverside Parkdale & Roncesvalles

FAQ

Bakery cafés in Toronto: questions

Where can you buy pastéis de nata in Toronto?

Nova Era, founded in 1991 at 1172 Dundas Street West, makes pastéis de nata and supplies them to grocery stores in Ontario and Quebec. Caldense bakes custard tarts daily in the Junction Triangle and on Dundas West, and Golden Wheat Bakery Cafe in Little Italy lists Portuguese tarts as a best seller.

Which Italian bakery cafés are on St. Clair West in Toronto?

Tre Mari Bakery at 1311 St. Clair Avenue West has sold bread, hot food, cappuccino and cannoli in Corso Italia since 1960. Shelíss Bakeshop Café is at 1154 St. Clair Avenue West. Elsewhere, Forno Cultura has a café at 158 Sterling Road and a biscotteria in Union Station, and Terroni’s Sud Forno bakes at 716 Queen Street West.

Which Toronto bakery cafés open earliest?

The Donut Factory at 101 Pape Avenue opens at 05:00 on weekdays and runs 24 hours at weekends. Found Coffee at 225 Front Street West opens at 06:00 daily, and Dessert Lady Cafe & Bakery in Yorkville and Donutlan on Gerrard Street East open at 07:00.

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