The top bakeries for eclairs in Toronto are wise to have one of the most sought-after French pastries on their menu. While many have tarnished the dessert's reputation with bad pastry dough, too much sugar and fake chocolate glaze, Toronto chefs are redeeming the eclair by combining traditional French recipes with innovative flavours.

Here are my picks for the top bakeries for eclairs in Toronto.

The Tempered Room
This Parkdale gem serves beautifully-crafted mini eclairs ($3.75 each or 3 for $10) that come in three flavours. Chef Bertrand Alépée is known for adding a modern twist to traditional French recipes. Some of the flavours include matcha sesame, raspberry bergamot, and cacao passion fruit. And because of their modest size it is totally acceptable to try them all.

Nugateau Patisserie
Nugateau is Toronto's first pastry shop dedicated solely to the eclair. Pastry chef Atul Palghadmal offers 12 to 14 flavour each day, including salted caramel, Persian pistachio, Japanese matcha and maple bacon. Nugateau is the only place where you'll find savoury eclairs, such as the ones with foie gras or wasabi smoked salmon.

Delysees
Ever wanted to eat gold? You can at Delysees when you order their renowned gold eclair, which is filled with hazelnut cream. But if gold isn't your thing, you can also find a wide variety of flavours like lemon meringue, red velvet, Madagascar dark chocolate, salted caramel, blackberry cream, roasted pistachio and almond cream.

Roselle Desserts
Head to this Corktown gem for a special kind of eclair. Master pastry chef Stephanie Duong takes classic French pastry techniques and combines them with ingenious flavour combinations. Her banana cream pie eclair ($7) is the epitome of #treatyoself. It's got white chocolate, caramelized bananas and rum, and is surprisingly not overly sweet.

MoRoCo Chocolat
MoRoCo Chocolat offers more than just a posh assortment of chocolates and high tea. The Yorkville chocolatier has a regular spread of salted caramel, rum raison, raspberry,and chocolate eclairs on display. They also offer seasonal flavours, like peppermint during Christmas.

Maman
You can't go wrong when you order anything from Maman. That includes an order of their delicious eclairs. You can typically find a small batch on display at lunchtime from Wednesday to Friday with flavours such as chocolate, coffee and key lime.

Mon K Patisserie
This bakery takes French recipes and adds a Japanese flair - so it should be of no surprise that they bake a delicious green-tea eclair, along with salted caramel and chocolate ($3.75 each). Be sure to place your order three days in advance, however, as eclairs are only baked to order.

Thobors Boulangerie Patisserie Cafe
This Parisian cafe now with two locations in Toronto is all about keeping it simple and sticking to a classic French menu, similar to what you would find on a Paris street corner. Here is where you can expect to find a classic chocolate eclair along with other delectable French pastries.

Le Neuf
Amidst the chaos of the downtown core is this little oasis serving an assortment of classic French pastries, including eclairs. Le Neuf bakes classic chocolate-glazed éclairs, a nice treat to have with your café au lait. No frills, no fancy flavours, just plain choux pastry filled with a light custard and topped with a thin layer of chocolate ganache.

Pain Perdu
This bakery-cafe on St. Clair West serves eclairs in chocolate or vanilla. Here you will find traditional French eclairs to indulge in after a classic French lunch.

What did I miss? Add your suggestions for the top bakeries for eclairs in the comments.

Writing by Sarah Resendes. Photo of Nugateau Patisserie's eclairs by Hector Vasquez.