We enjoyed a hot latte with fresh pastries on a busy weekend morning. There's always a lineup, but it moves fast. The prices have increased over the years (same as everywhere else), but it's a nice spot to pick up fresh bread, desserts, cakes, and hot table items. Parking is super tight in this small plaza, though. read more

Forgot my lunch when at work and this place was close by. Someone picked up for me so didn't get to look inside or talk to the staff. I got a veal sandwich. This is only $10 and I must say this is more than worth it. The veal cutlet was delicious. tomato sauce felt fresh and tasty. The size of the sandwich for the price is a great deal. I see they have lasagna and other delicious looking foods. I am going to have to forget my lunch more often to go back and try some more tasty dishes. Bread is crisp and holds well. It fell apart a bit at the end, but that is user error as I devoured this. Portion is a good size but I still wish I ordered a second one, but would have been way to much food Definately requires a revisit. read more

Francesca - Veal sandwich - Bakeries Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Francesca bakery has been around since 1994 making 2024 their 30th year anniversary woo! My friends and I visited for lunch and enjoyed trying an assortment of things. They have a great variety of items at their hot table. Some things we tried included arancini, pizza, empanada, and more. The hot foods were served warm, everything tasted freshly baked and was comforting on the cold day we visited. I would come back to try the tons of other things if I'm ever in the area! read more

Francesca - So much variety to choose from! - Bakeries Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

An outstanding Italian bakery specializing in Sicilian foods and pastries. They have all you could want from a bakery/deli, and offer a hot table and catering as well as beautiful cakes. The cannoli, croissants and danishes are among the best you can find in the GTA. The parking is crowded and hectic, and a perfect storm for fender-benders: street parking may be your best choice. Once you get inside, the bakery is often crowded and the European style line up system can be hectic or confusing. Basically, walk straight in, ignore the cash registers and go right up to the case that interests you. Then, stare imploringly at the counter staff and try to catch someone's eye. Once you have their attention, they are friendly and will help you out. Don't be put off by rude customers, who may have been rattled by the parking experience or figuring out the line up system. The hot table offers a plentiful selection of delicious looking Italian and Mediterranean dishes, and the filled tables in the small dining section reflect its excellence and popularity. Friday is Fish Day, with great choices for seafood lovers, such as Paella, fried fish and calamari. I will definitely be picking some up next time I am in the area. The cakes also looked fantastic. I really wanted to try the Siciliana, which was a vibrant bright green and appeared to be either almond or pistachio, with a preserved lemon garnish. However, despite several attempts, I was unable to get someone to fetch me a cake, and there was a sign warning me not to even try taking one out for myself. I was running tight for time, so I gave up. I've had extensive experience in European bakery/delis, and I know that, eventually, someone will help you out, so I will try again when I have more time. Most Italian bakery/deli places have some frozen offerings, which often reheat up into gourmet-worthy meals. Today, Francesca's only had Mac and Cheese, so I gave it a try. The ingredients are exactly what you would put in if you were making it yourself: bechamel sauce, pasta and a 5 cheese blend. At $15.49, that's less than you'd pay to make it yourself, especially if you buy all those cheeses. I'll be heating that from frozen for tonight's dinner. I might add a panko crumb topping for some gratin-style crunch. There was a great cannoli idea at Francesca's that I must mention. If you are celebrating the birthday of a cannoli lover, then you can order a huge cannoli stuffed with lots of small cannoli's. It would be a show-stopping dessert! If you want great Italian food with a sicilian flair, whether fresh baked, sweet or savory, hot or frozen, then try Francesca's . If you can find a place to park, have some patience and time, then Francesca's offers much to make it all worthwhile. read more

We stopped at Francesca's today to pick up an oregano focaccia $4 for the week and a couple of the meat rice balls with a side of the fresh made tomato sauce. The rice balls $4 make for a hearty snack or a side for a meal and are a favourite of ours! I tried to pick up a couple of cannolis but they all just got bought out by another customer! It's my first visit on a weekday lunch time and the parking lot was as full as it is on the weekend with all the lunch tables full of diners. read more

Francesca - More pastries - Bakeries Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Very busy place, always bustling with people that can be intimidating if you are new trying this place out. Always enter left....goes desserts then transitions to bread....to sandwich...hot table....pastry window...then you go to the cashier. One cannot make orders from cash, unless they're not busy. If you're ready to order just make eye contact and smile as they seem to take orders out of order here. Lots of pretty ladies serving this place efficiently, everyone is very friendly and helpful. Limited seating inside, lots of products from Italy for sale in middle of the room. The sandwiches are really fresh here and still at a decent price point. $8.49 + tax($9.59) gets you a soft or crusty bun, two kinds of deli meat, fresh lettuce, tomato, choice of cheese, mayo. Ask for it to be grilled/pressed for more crunch! Parking is limited but there's always that one spot coming free if you wait. Some park on the side but it's a bit crazy here on lunch rush. Croissants are one to try here, almond and almond with chocolate is always a safe bet, $4.85 Olive focaccia is delish especially at $5.99! read more

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Excellent hot table , sandwiches and pastries . Staff are great and service is fast. My go to place for veal .

The go to place we go to order food for our family events. Lots of selection. The pasta, meats and sandwiches are great. The service is good, never had any complaints with that. Francesca's offers a sit in as well but I have never sat in to eat, I have only ordered food to go but a lot of people sit in to eat and there is space. read more

Francesca is an Italian bakery that serves cakes, bread, lunch (cafeteria style), pastries and gelato. The parking is a but tight when it gets busy as there's only one entrance that acts both as entrance and exit. If it looks busy, I suggest just parking on the local road and walking over. I also suggest going early if you want their popular items such as lasagna as we went at 12:00 and they already only had 1 slice left. Service: Each "section" has its own staff though some will cross cover to get you what you need. Then once you've gone to all the sections you want, you go to the cashier with all your stuff and pay. It can be a bit hectic as it's hard to know who's in line and who's just looking. Food: Veal sandwich - I felt like this wasn't as good as other veal sandwiches I've had in the city's other Italian bakeries. The veal was super thin and didn't have much flavor. The bread used was hard and thick. The server didn't add any sauce to our sandwich which just made it dry. They did add mushrooms and roasted peppers which we appreciated but overall, the sandwich just lacked flavor and was dry. 1.5/5. Arancini - While the veal sandwich didn't meet my expectations, the arancini here are some of the best I've had in Toronto. They do a nice large size with the outer crust being crispy and crunchy yet light. The rice is soft and delicate without being mush. The meat and peas inside are nothing special. Definitely get it with sauce on top. 4.5/5. Ricotta and chocolate danish - the pastry has a flaky exterior while the interior dough is strong enough to hold the fairly generous layer of ricotta and chocolate. The ricotta had a nice cheesiness but not super strong and the chocolate adds a nice sweetness to compliment the cheese. 3.5/5. Chocolate canollo with candied orange - this was amazingly good. The exterior is a chocolate, crunchy deep fried dough with a smooth and sweet rich cream inside. The candied orange on both ends add a nice fruity and tartness that really balances the whole dessert. 5/5 Price: The prices for desserts and pastries are higher than other bakeries but I feel like they're worth it for the uniqueness. The food is appropriately priced for what you get. They do have some decent specials for lunch which seems quite a good deal. read more

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My family's favourite authentic Italian bakery! We love their pastries, crusty buns, lasagna, veal sandwiches and cakes!

Went here this weekend, and was impressed by the make over the place got. I really like that there was more staff to accommodate the weekend rush. The glass cases are filled with fresh pastries, and they are delicious. I bought some cannoli with chocolate chips on them, and it took about 16 minutes to get me cannoli, where the staff told me it's cause they had to put the chocolate on. When I got the box there were some chocolate chips sprinkles on them. I thought they were dipping the edges into chocolate and letting it dry. Each cannoli large size was $2.49, what a deal for freshly made! They were crunchy on the outside, and soft ricotta filling on the inside with the Darcy mini cups sprinkled on the the sides. They have a very mild sweetness. I would have liked to see a little more sugar in them, but maybe that's my sweet tooth. I've purchased cakes from this bakery before, and each one was a hit. I do really enjoy their goodies, but I hope they can fine a way to reduce the time I have to wait for me items. read more

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My husband and I really love the cannolis and their cakes! Ice creams, too! Their rice ball is so good and filling!

I have been coming here strictly for their cannolis! So far they sell THE best cannolis. Simple filling with no extra topping whatsoever, just ricotta filling. They always pipe it fresh to order as well. The cannolis come in two sizes, small and large, and I highly recommend getting the large ones because you would want more after that first bite. read more

Francesca - Bakeries Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Lovely place for a quick lunch and dessert after with coffee. The parking is tight as there are not too many parking spot and is close to main road so you cannot park on the street. They have a selection of cooked hot food and also some sandwiches. I usually go there for the pastries, rum balls and cannolis. They have several staff working before the counter and pretty efficient . Nice customer service. The prices are reasonable. Definitely recommend !! read more

Really upset with my first in person experience here at this bakery everyone keeps raving about. I read a review by a fellow yelper saying how the customer service was lacking, quote: "The young girls that work there constantly stand and do nothing as clearly customers wait patiently for service. The whining in the store is unreal honestly have to go and see it yourself. Zero professionalism. They don't want to do anything and all want to pass off work to another girl. When they finally service you they look like they're going to cry because they have to actually work." AND THIS WAS ACTUALLY TRUE. Hence why: 1/5 rating on customer service. 5/5 for the taste of the cake I bought - delicious and well balanced. Had their tiramisu cake for my bf's birthday last weekend. Decided to buy their Sicilia pistachio cake for my brother's birthday this weekend. Checked out their website and noticed this promo right in the middle of the page saying "BUY 3 AUTHENTIC CANNOLI, GET 3 FREE". It's literally a banner on their website. Showed up today to pick up the cake I had ordered and a young pleasant girl behind the counter grabbed it for me. I then asked if I could get the buy 3 get 3 cannoli special and goes out back to prepare them for me fresh. After handing me the box, she tells me just tell the person at cash and she'll ask you to sign up for an email and you'll be good. It sounded like she's told this to many customers before and it always worked. Note: I don't see this email sign up advertised at all on the face of website. The website doesn't even tell you to click the sign either, it's just a front page banner. I get to the cashier and she looks like she hates her job and life. I tell her that her colleague told me to do the sign up for the email at cash. She says: "Show me the email promo then I'll give you the promo, no email/no promo" I'm like lol??? Your colleague just told me that you'd show me how and where to sign up. Cashier explains that there's a newsletter on the website to sign up for and then it would send me an email confirmation email and that email would have the promo on it. I said ok np, can't I just do it right now? (with my phone ready and out) This is when she threw her hands up in the air, exasperated, like I don't know, I don't care, you're holding up the line. I ask her it should be automatic no? She's like it can take days hours, minutes idk. VERY UNHELPFUL and basically she didn't give a fuck about customer experience/helping a customer etc. So I said BYE. I'll just pay for my cake and you can keep your cannoli's. I later came home to investigate the website further and noticed that the banner does have a hyperlink which had a 504 GATEWAY TIMEOUT, and after 3 refreshes it took me to a sign up page for their newsletter and the email came INSTANTLY. This just shows that I could've done it right then and there but this specific employee at the bakery couldn't give even 2 seconds to help out a customer. Overall, TLDR: cake was great but customer service was terrible. read more

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Fresh. Good ingredients. Neighbour joint. What's not to love?? Picked up small calamari, spinach, ricotta stuffed small shells, veal parm, arancini with meat, and a cherry danish. All good tasting. The arancini was a little bland tho: $3 for rice, basically with peas and a slight meat filling. (Lamanna's on Kingston Rd are better.) read more

Francesca - Gelato prices, May 21, 2021 - Bakeries Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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This is my go to bakery in the neighborhood! They have good pastries and hot food. I love their arancini, good size with lots of filling, and I like to have it with the sauce! Their pasta and sandwiches are also delicious. But every time I visit, I just could not resist to buy their croissants! Their price is fairly cheaper to other "croissants focus" bakeries, and they taste very good and flaky! Also, they have a great selections of individual cake, and birthday cake. If you love freshly baked breads, they bake their breads in house! They are very good! They also have deli meat and cheese you can purchase. read more

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Pretty good neighbourhood bakery, however the customer service is lacking. I visited at 7:30am on Feb 11 after my night shift at the hospital and the lady at the front counter was busy cutting deli meats. I went up to her and asked her if she could help cut a loaf of bread so I could make sandwhich meats, to which she responded "sir, what do you think? What do you see on the shelf?" sarcastically. I think she may have misheard me and assumed I was asking if they sell bread. Of course they sell bread, it's a bakery! But her sarcasm was not appreciated, especially after taking care of covid patients all night long and being degraded by my own patients. Maybe it may have been my accent, who knows. I ordered a loaf of bread and the onion focaccia as well as a premade sandwhich since I was too tired to cook but was starving. Food was good, next time I'm here I'll probably avoid her. read more

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This bakery offers the best Napoleon during my cravings over the years (I can't believe I didn't write a review about them earlier)! I also grab a few of their jumbo meat empanadas whenever I swing by, they are under $4 apiece and very hearty! read more

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Busy crazy place but LOVE everything about it. Fresh bread made daily, pastries, hot table, sandwiches...it's all so so good. Their arrancini are to die for and they come in two sizes. Their cannoli are the best in the city, read more

Finally got a chance to visit this bakery after passing by it every since forever! Came here on a weekend afternoon, they still had plenty of desserts available. However, their bread options were almost all sold out already - business is booming here! They have a hot table here, but when I came all they had was various arancinis (maybe the pastas are only available on weekdays?). Ordered their: - Cannoli - really tasty! One of the better cannolis that I've had so far! Ricotta filling and the shell are both very fresh. - Zeppole w/ ricotta filling - the filling is basically the same as the cannoli filling. The ricotta filling is great as it isn't too heavy and rich. - Arancini - it was good... not amazing or mind-blowing by any means... but it was dece After trying their delicious basic Italian desserts, I will definitely be back to try their more "fancy" pastries and desserts! Fyi... The parking lot for this place is a tad small so you may have to wait for a spot depending on how busy they are. read more

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I had a lovely first time experience here yesterday. I actually came here looking for a mini cheesecake for my mom's birthday because she absolutely loves cheesecake, but is on a health kick right now, so I thought a mini cake would be great. While I was there, I mentioned it was my first time, and that I heard the pistachio cookies were great, and the very sweet employee offered to let me try one. They are amazing! I absolutely loved how soft they were! The cheesecake was also delicious! the graham cracker base even had a bit of cinnamon flavour which was a nice touch. I will definitely be returning just for these two items! read more

The food here is fantastic. I love their Italian sandwiches and arancini. The arancini have very generous fillings and a gigantic. I prefer their food to Lammana's, the other Italian bakery nearby. The desserts are beautiful, but a bit to sweet for my palette as I can't handle too much sugar. If you like the sweetness of European style desserts then you will love it. read more

Had a terrific veal sandwich for lunch the other day. Parking is a challenge but worth the effort

Extremely poor handling of cake reservations + customer service. I called in the day before to ask about whether I could have a medium cheesecake ready with "Happy Birthday" written on it for the afternoon on the next day. Keep in mind that these are one of the cakes they regularly make, so there should be many of them available. The morning of picking up the cake, I called to confirm the time that the cake would be ready at, and they said it would be ready at 2 pm. When I got to the bakery at 2:30 pm, the employees there seemed to be scrambling and unable to find my cake. They left me waiting for 10-15 minutes, only to have different employees ask for the details of my cake several times since they couldn't find my cake in the end. After waiting (they were rushing to prepare it on the spot after I had arrived), my cake was finally here, except they gave me a large cheesecake instead of a medium without even asking me in the first place (because they ran out of medium sized cakes), and still insisted that they charge me the $36 for the large instead of the $28 for the medium - even though it was their fault for being unable to fulfill my request regarding the size of the cake, with me informing them of this request the day before. So, here are the following things that went wrong in my interaction with them: 1. Saying that it would be possible to reserve a cake the day before, but failing to call me or inform me in advance that my order would not be fulfilled the way I wanted - and failing to ask for any alternative requests as a result 2. Confirming the morning of that the cake would be ready at 2 pm, when cheesecakes are made everyday, and yet still somehow forgetting about my order until I show up to the bakery 3. Not willing to charge me the price for a medium cake, which I originally requested, as a result of their inability to give the product that I wanted, and overcharging me as a result of their mistakes 4. Going through with the order assuming that a large cake size would be fine, and failing to communicate this to me while my cake was being prepared after I arrived at the store While their food may be good, their logistics + management of cake reservations is nothing but a disaster. Go elsewhere to get cakes for a special occasion in a timely manner. read more

Chilli chicken sandwich with coffee in this cool weather heats up my day. The selections of pastries and sandwiches are great and it's made fresh daily. Reasonable prices. Lots of parking but it's always busy when lunch time comes. Friendly staff. It's a nice place to have a quick and healthy lunch. read more

Francesca - Bakeries Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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I have been coming to this place since last Summer. The style is more like a food court but friendly and comfortable. You can order take-out or stay-in. There are tables and chairs on the other side. So far, I have no complain as to the food, its variety and service. This place is a gem in the area. I'm so glad it is so nearby my new workplace. I love Italian food and all the food including bakery items are made by Italian!! Every time I go, I have to be very self-controlled because their bakery items are so good. Lol, I failed today. I bought some mini cakes for my afternoon tea! They do catering with delivery charge. Holiday catering menu is available as well. Check with the staff. read more

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Has a nice seating area and is close to STC. The fruit-flavoured gelato here is so flavourful. I got the blackberry and mango flavour and they're peanut-free, unlike the nutella! Also sell really good quality pasta and baked goods. The cannolis aren't bad. Most of their pastries have a cute design and are extremely sweet. I like their chocolate cup and Tiramisu. Might come back to try their cooked goods if I'm ever in a rush read more

Francesca - Bakeries Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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1) Expectation - very good online reviews brought me to this restaurant. Expectation is hopeful for a nice meal! 2) Experience - Clean quick counter service. Staff are courteous, friendly and helpful. Clean uniforms & good food handling (gloves and tongs). I ordered the sandwich, cannoli, Americano. Delicious sandwich. I'm not familiar with cannoli, but unfortunately it wasn't for me. Busy Sunday lunch service with constant flow of customers. I felt comfortable in the eating area. 3) Final thoughts - I enjoyed the meal and overall experience. Well priced. I would recommend to others to try this place! read more

The place was bigger than I thought. We can sit and have sandwiches inside. They have good selection of Italian sandwich, baked goods and pastries. Pastries are good and not so expensive. Even the whole cake looks good and it is not as expensive as Metro or Sobeys. If you want to bring the whole cake to your friends, it is good. When we buy pastries there, there is no clear line and we don't know who came the first and who should be served the first. The clerks don't pay attention to who should be the first either. So you just have to yell them what you want whenever you find timing. read more

Francesca - Bakeries Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Simply the BEST RICE BALLS "arancini" you will ever eat Hot table is delicious as well (veal, chicken cutlet, sausage, lasagne, etc.) Bakery items are dangerously good No Complaints read more

Cannoli here are sooooo good. Better than we've had anywhere else, including NJ which is filled with Italian bakeries. The ricotta filling is not too sweet so it's a great combo with the pastry. $2 for small, $2.5 for large read more

This place is lovely. There are a lot of food items to choose from and it makes you want to buy everything they have. The baked goods are delicious and my favourite to get from here is the peach danish. It's to die for nomnom. The mortadella sandwich tasted really good.I highly recommend you give this place a visit because you'll keep coming back for more! read more

Francesca - Mortadella sandwich - Bakeries Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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I've tried this place for the very first time today & they have a good selection that isn't too overwhelming for someone that's here the first time. We came to specifically try the cannolis, which did not disappoint. They were $1.99 each for the small ones. The cannolis were really good. The exterior was crunchy & had a good flavour. The cream on the inside was thick & not too sweet. I feel like this is a dessert you can eat all day & not get tired of it. I'd definitely come back to try their other options. There is a deli here as well, if you want to grab something savoury to eat before dessert. Like a deli should they mainly have sandwiches. read more

Francesca - Small cannoli ($1.99 each) - Bakeries Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Francesca Bakery has been around for ages, located in a strip plaza on McCowan just south of Sheppard.... I don't even remember how long. They did some renovating lately so it does has a more modern look from the outside.. If you driveby you won't even notice it is a bakery! OK even if you park your car right in front of the store you still not sure if it is open or what inside! Since all the storefronts are covered up... but when you step inside you will see display cases of yummy, pretty looking pastries.. There are a good selections of different individual serving of cakes which are priced around $3.75.. and they all so cute and pretty...and the one that I ordered taste as good as it looks! There are a little area with tables on the side that you can eat your cake and drink your coffee.. Freshly made cappuccino($2.50) served in proper glassware goes well with all the sweet! They accepts Visa, Mastercard and Interac for purchase over $5 read more

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I was in Scarborough with a friend and we were looking for a place to grab a quick lunch. We found Francesca Bakery on Yelp (of course) so we thought we'd give it a try. My review is a three, and probably because I opted for their savoury offerings instead of sticking to the great-loooking sweets on display (why dare to be different??). During my visit I tried the lasagna. While it looked honestly incredible, it did not turn out the way I wanted it to . . . It was not flavourful enough, the sauce tasted more like the bottled ones and the pasta itself was a bit too low on salt. It wasn't terrible, but definitely not as expected. The great Americano, and the plethora of interesting items on sale made up for the mediocre pasta, I think I will be back for more if I happen to be in the area. Of course, I'll stick to the cannolis this time around! read more

Francesca - The glorious looking (but OK tasting) lasagna - Bakeries Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Since I began working in Scarborough in early 2000, I love dropping into this Italian bakery for a delicious veal sandwich! It seems the parking lot is busy all the time and sometimes drivers like me are competing with workers and their service vehicles for the limited parking. If you successfully find parking, it's worth the adventure and you'll be rewarded with tasty food including desserts/treats and European drinks. Don't pass up trying the Cannoli too! Service is excellent. I haven't sat in the dining area because I'm always on the run. Gotta go... read more

Amazing cakes I enjoyed the Sicilia the most, its made of pistachios, they have Sheep milk cannoli, Napoleons is good too! Will come back for more read more

Francesca - Cookies - Bakeries Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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I have been on a hunt for the best croissants - almond, custard anything that's flaky, buttery and fresh without being overly sweet. From Amadeus, Rahier, Gouter, Bomou, Andolini's. I was open to trying anything from French to Italian. I accidentally discovered this Scarborough gem through Ubereats. I ordered the custard croissants for the office. I wasn't expecting much and to my surprise everyone loved it. Its the perfect flakiness and sweetness, and thats when I decided to visit the place the next day. This time I ordered the almond, chocolate and custard. I think I have reached the end of my hunt. Francesca is the place. It is quite a drive from my place, but for the best croissants I don't mind. read more

Francesca - Bakeries Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

One of my favourite bakeries! I love how quick the service is here. Not only is it prompt but all of the employees are so sweet and understanding to what your needs are. I usually also stop in to get something if I'm going to a friend or families house and they always tell me what they think would be appropriate to take so thank you for that! I absolutely love love love the pistachio cookies. I cannot get over how soft they were! The cinnamon swirls were a bit too hard and sweet for my liking. The shortbread is divine! Also try the apple cake, it's always a hit for birthdays in my house! read more

Francesca - Bakeries Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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