Cafe Florentin is a dimly lit, almost romantic cafe sprinkled with cozy dining room chairs and soft loveseats. Located in the Beaches , the cafe looks onto a serene park, is WiFi enabled and owner Erez Hadad has been running the place for over 2 years.

Cafe Florentin's business card states they offer the "Beaches Best Espresso" so I had to test their claim. I ordered a single espresso macchiato ($2.40) from the organic espresso bar. The coffee beans are from Bristot and they are rainforest certified organic. Stefania ordered a hazelnut latte ($4.10) with soy milk. There is an extra charge of ($.50) for soy or lactose-free milk. Both our coffees came with a little piece of Swiss chocolate on the side. I dunked mine in my espresso, and watched it melt slowly and sweeten my already delicious espresso.

Every single item on the menu is made in-house. We both tried a blueberry muffin ($1.50) and a Portuguese custard tart ($1.45) to go with our coffees. The muffin was oozing with ripe blueberries and sweetness, while the tart was flaky with a dense cream inside. Their homemade pies are extremely popular and can be ordered whole ($18.90) or by the slice ($4.50). With flavours like pecan and strawberry rhubarb, the options are endless. They also cater to the Pie Shack , also located in the Beaches.

There are also many savory options like the panini di giorno (sandwich of the day) with choices like the prosciutto and gruyere ($6.85) served with mixed greens. Cafe Florentin also serves full breakfast, probiotic smoothies ($4.50) and even beer and wine.

Hadad studied at Le Cordon Bleu and has more than 10 year of baking experience. Living in Canada for 3 years, Hadad and his wife Karen Hadad who is also the pastry chef, both decided that Toronto was the best place for them to be right now. With another strictly take-out location in Leslieville , Cafe Florentin has culture, cuisine, coffee and custom pies covered.

Cafe Florentin is open from 8 a.m to 8 p.m, 7 days a week.

Photos by Stefania Sgambelluri