In an effort to enjoy the last few weeks of beautiful biking weather (when it’s just warm enough to ride, but not so cold that your hands need mittens), we made a brunch stop out on Queen East. Riding down the extravagant Sherbourne bike lanes (can we take a second to just say how sad it is that there are so few of these in the city?), our destination, like many brunching east-enders’, was Bonjour Brioche.

Located right by the Distillery District’s front gates, the Brick Street Bakery has been wooing Torontonians since 2001. Known for its selection of baked treats, the homey space is filled with the scent of just-out-of-the-oven bread, which includes picks such as warm croissants and basil and parsley loaves. Although there are now four locations around

Sarah Griffiths and Ken Galbraith had been looking for an ideal location to plunk down their Bud’s Coffee Bar project for a couple years when the Leslieville couple decided upon an up-and-coming strip of The Beach neighbourhood along Queen Street East. Just opened last week, the coffeehouse is the first in the area with a distinctly indie vibe.

Queen West is chock full of great cafés, and Cafe 23 stands out amongst the crowd. This little coffee shop located just east of Trinity Bellwoods Park is making great coffee and playing some great tunes. Supporting local bands and making sure coffee house music isn’t limited to soft rock and jazz, the café hopes

This legendary dessert restaurant located in Greektown has been in the biz for the last thirty years, so to say they know a thing or to about making a delicious pastry, waffle, or cake is an understatement. Their house-made ice cream and crepes are the stuff of legends and they work with the best suppliers

Chances are, those who have been to Israel (birthright, anyone?) are familiar with Cafe Landwer. The popular Israeli café, which got its start back in 1919, finally opened its very first Canadian outpost in Vaughan earlier this year.

Cafe Neon Queen is the third location in the Cafe Neon family. With one location in Bloordale and the other in the Junction Triangle, this spot is known amongst many Torontonians. This cosy cafe at Queen and Ossington has great breakfast, brunch and lunch offerings. The coffee is provided by Sam James Coffee bar and

For over 30 years, Café Polonez has been a family-run restaurant in the heart of Toronto’s Polish community. The name comes from the French word “polonaise,” which is a ceremonial Polish dance similar to a waltz. Café Polonez is known for their homemade lightly-breaded schnitzel, alongside plenty of other authentic Polish cuisine such as herring

Inspired by Hawaiian breezes and the California sun, Calii Love is bringing brightly coloured, feel-good health food to Yorkville. Be it a poke bowl, smoothie bowl or salad bowl, this counter-serve eatery is inspiring everyone to eat a little cleaner, no matter what time of day it is or how much time you have. The

If you judge a book by its cover, then this place is dead. It looks like a cheesy, overdecorated ethnic caricature, with more Spanish tchotchkes than any sane person should have to look at. The menu too is off-putting, in its excessive length, which suggests that you can have anything you want — from the

Chef Robert Rubino is taking his skills from Italy to Etobicoke at Cellar Door Restaurant. Classically trained at Il San Domenico restaurant in Italy, Rubino learned to make handmade pasta and pizza dough like a true pizzaiolo. Cellar Door is a Canadian-Italian restaurant that is making some of the best and freshest Italian fare in

Taste a mother’s love in every bite of a treat from Charmaine Sweets. Owner Teresa Ho and her daughter are baking cookies, cakes and other sweet pastries from their Leaside locale. Trained in the classic French techniques of pastry baking, Ho not only shares her love and expertise of all baked goods through her menu

With four successful restaurants under their belts, owners Matthew Rosenblatt and John Berman (El Catrin, The Boiler House, Pure Spirits, and Archeo) decided to open a fifth, the newest addition to the Distillery District, Cluny Bistro and Boulangerie.

A dazzling display of sparkling bubbly, oysters, caviar and café au lait await at the aptly named Coffee Oysters Champagne (COC), but there’s more than meets the eye.

Guided by the mantra “too many options is a prison,” The menu at Cops is simply drip coffee and hot mini-doughnuts that are made fresh from scratch every day. Although the doughnuts have two regular flavours — cinnamon sugar and Cops’s own glaze — and a rotating weekly special, Cops has partnered with a multitude

Offering an origin-based approach to coffee, De Mello Palheta is one of Toronto’s favourite coffee shops plus roastery. The industrial chic space in midtown welcomes guests in with a colourful mural on the exterior and is adorned with a cluster of umbrellas inside, on the ceiling. There is no bad luck here, though, as the

When you hear that Donna’s was started by three Momofuku alums, the food that they offer may surprise you, but the quality of said food will not. In the hip Junction triangle area, Donna’s is serving up everything from fresh-pressed juices made in-house, to sandwiches — like the shrimp salad, served with iceberg lettuce and

Duo patisserie is a chic Markham bakery that specializes in viennoiseries, cakes and chocolates. It is a French-inspired cafe with a Japanese flare. The must-try item here is the croissant which comes in the traditional form, as well as pain au chocolat, almond, chocolate almond, roast beef, ham and cheese, salami and cheese, and a

This Japanese café is something out of the ordinary; in fact, there is nothing ordinary about it. Eative mixes the traditional Canadian breakfast with edgy Japanese cuisine and a splice of an espresso bar all in one. On top of the extensive list of ice creams and soft serves, this café dishes out eclectic menu