Blackbird Baking Co is a bakery in Kensington Market, Toronto.
Blackbird Baking on Baldwin in Kensington is baker Simon Blackwell's sourdough bakery since 2014, 23 varieties of bread including 10 sourdough loaves.
Must order: The Kensington white sourdough loaf and a morning bun.
Tip: Murray, the sourdough starter, was the first Canadian inductee to the Puratos International Sourdough Library in Belgium in 2018.
Address: 172 Baldwin Street, Toronto, ON M5T 1L8
Nadege Nourian's flagship patisserie on Queen West has run French pastry since 2009, macarons and seasonal entremets opposite Trinity Bellwoods park.
Order: A box of macarons, including the rotating seasonal flavours.
Tip: Second branch at 1099 Yonge in Summerhill. Lunch counter does croque-monsieur and quiche.
Worth the queue: Macarons
Forno Cultura on King West is baker Andrea Mastandrea's Italian bakery since 2013, the King location the main production house for breads, open kitchen.
Order: A square of focaccia Romana and a chocolate babka.
Tip: Sister Queen West branch at 1056 Queen carries the same loaves. The biscotti and panettone are seasonal worth the trip.
Worth the queue: Focaccia Romana
Bakerbots on Delaware in Bloorcourt is baker Rosanne Tang's ice cream sandwich shop since 2011, cookies pressed around housemade ice cream daily.
Order: An ice cream sandwich with malted milk chocolate cookies.
Tip: Closed Sunday and Monday. The space is small; takeaway only on weekends.
Worth the queue: Cookie ice cream sandwich
Carousel Bakery in St Lawrence Market Upper Level 42 has run the city's reference peameal bacon sandwich since 1977, the Biancolin family the operators.
Order: The peameal bacon sandwich on a kaiser, choose mustard at the counter.
Tip: Closed Mondays with the market. The kaiser is soft; the bacon stack mountains. Featured on Bourdain, Food and Wine and the NYT four times.
Worth the queue: Peameal bacon sandwich
Caldense Bakery on Dundas West has run Portuguese pastries since 1968, the pastel de nata baked through the day plus full savoury counter with rissois.
Order: A pastel de nata at the counter, plus a galao for the walk home.
Tip: Take a number from the dispenser at the counter. Multiple Caldense locations across the GTA including Symington, Eglinton and Royal York.
Worth the queue: Pastel de nata
Future Bakery on Bloor in the Annex has run since 1982 as the city's cafeteria-style Eastern European bakery, hot meals plus a cake counter to 23:00.
Order: A slice of chocolate truffle cake with a coffee at the window.
Tip: Open 365 days, late night until 23:00. The cake counter holds 20+ slices fresh-cut.
Worth the queue: Chocolate truffle cake
