Top 5 bakeries in Toronto, chosen from local press

CP24's October 2026 report said Tangssant Viennoiserie won the Grand Prix at the Best Croissant and Best Baguette in Toronto competition, judged by food critics and chefs in a blind taste test. Head chef Zhaofeng Huang told CP24: "We just let our product run ourselves. Many people, they walk by maybe the first time and then they keep coming back." blogTO described the win as taking home "the title" for its "flaky, melt-in-your-mouth viennoiserie" at the city-wide competition.

• “The Best Croissant and Best Baguette in Toronto competition, held by French Morning Media Group on Oct. 4, bestowed Tangssant Viennoiserie the Grand Prix prize for croissants.”

  CP24, Alex Arsenych · news · October 10, 2026 (opens in a new tab)

• “Tangssant Viennoiserie swept the Grand Prix at the annual Best Croissant and Best Baguette competition for its flaky, melt-in-your-mouth viennoiserie.”

  blogTO, Sandeep Panesar · news · October 7, 2026 (opens in a new tab)

blogTO's July 2024 best bread list said Brodflour mills organic Canadian grains on site at its Liberty Village spot before transforming them into "fragrant, chewy sourdoughs, Scandinavian-style ryes and a host of specialty loaves." Toronto Life's October 2026 pastry chefs feature included a recommendation from baker Marchelle McKenzie, who said: "It's my favourite bakery because the customer service is amazing and their staff always make great recommendations."

• “Organic Canadian grains are milled onsite at this Liberty Village spot before being transformed into fragrant, chewy sourdoughs, Scandinavian-style ryes and a host of specialty loaves.”

  blogTO, Christine Peddie · best-of list · July 10, 2024 (opens in a new tab)

• “My favourite pastry would have to be the butter tart from Brodflour. I find traditional butter tarts to be so sweet and one-dimensional, but I believe Brodflour uses milled flour and flaky salt. It's so, so delicious.”

  Toronto Life, Dylan Munoz · best-of list · October 14, 2026 (opens in a new tab)

blogTO's July 2024 best bread list said Blackbird Baking Co. was shaping sourdough "into life's most essential loaves" long before it became a trend, naming its Kensington White as a classic. Insauga reported in August 2026 that the bakery opened a fourth Toronto location in Mirvish Village, with co-founder Simon Blackwell saying it was "a love letter to Toronto neighbourhoods" and a chance to build "a community hub for the people who have supported us from the very beginning."

• “Long before it was the thing to do, the team at this bakery (with locations in Riverside, Kensington Market and St. Lawrence Market) was shaping sourdough into life's most essential loaves.”

  blogTO, Christine Peddie · best-of list · July 10, 2024 (opens in a new tab)

• “Opening a bakery with seating gives us the chance to create more than just a place to sell bread; it allows us to build a community hub for the people who have supported us from the very beginning, and create space for new friends to gather.”

  Insauga, Amy Carlberg · news · August 31, 2026 (opens in a new tab)

Toronto Life's October 2026 pastry chefs feature included a recommendation from vegan recipe developer Haruna Makino, who named Issho Bakery's canelé as her favourite pastry in the city: "It's crunchy on the outside and moist on the inside, with a beautiful buttery aroma and just the right amount of sweetness. For me, it's the care and creativity behind each canelé."

• “My favourite pastry in the city is the canelé from Issho Bakery. It's crunchy on the outside and moist on the inside, with a beautiful buttery aroma and just the right amount of sweetness.”

  Toronto Life, Dylan Munoz · best-of list · October 14, 2026 (opens in a new tab)

Gleaner News covered Harbord Bakery's 80th anniversary in September 2025, reporting that the family-run Annex institution has been baking challah and pastries at the same address since 1945. Former Governor General Adrienne Clarkson, a regular customer, told the paper: "I consider it to be a place of not just memory, but also a place of food; wonderful, great food." Toronto city councillor Dianne Saxe added: "There's a real heart here you're never going to find at a commercial grocery store."

• “We're so lucky that after 80 years of difficulties, they are still here and thriving. There's a real heart here you're never going to find at a commercial grocery store”

  Gleaner News, Rose Harbener · feature · September 5, 2025 (opens in a new tab)