Luna Bakery is a Korean bakery and cafe located on a busy strip of Yonge St. in North York, making fresh rice cakes and rice flour-based pastries daily.

Housed in a hard-to-miss two-storey blue building, the space mixes traditional Korean decor with modern art and desserts.

Owner Luna Lee is no stranger to design, having over 10 years of experience working as a graphic designer back in South Korea. She started a catering company there before making the decision to move her life to Canada in 2018.

The bakery started out with only wholesale production in 2019 but Lee chose to take a leap and opened her own retail space in March of 2023 as customer demand grew. 

Lee tells blogTO that it felt like a good time to ride the popularity of Korean food due to social media and K-dramas like Squid Game.

"There's an eager audience for Korean food right now and we re-interpret traditional desserts with a modern twist. There is so much history behind each item on our menu, we hope to teach people more about the details of our culture," she says.

Shelves are stocked with individually-wrapped rice cakes and cookies that are made fresh every morning. Customers are encouraged to fill a traditional woven basket with their favourite items.

Rice flour is ground to a fine powder in-house and Lee insists the rice cakes be eaten within 24 hours or frozen to maintain the upmost quality. 

Larger packs of rice cakes are available in pre-cut bite size portions, like the Coconut Injeolmi ($6.75) made of sweet pumpkin, walnut, and coconut powder, and Black Sesame Injeolmi ($6.75) that has the same base but a coating of dark sesame powder. 

Lee was also inspired to make cookies ($3.95) using exclusively rice flour. They come in four varieties: Injeolmi, Chocolate Chip, Black Sesame, and Oat Cranberry. 

Pressed flat to be come out of the oven super thin and meant to remind you of crispy rice, the bite is crunchier than a normal cookie.

Around the shop, you can find pieces of art by Lee's sister who is a traditional Korean painter. There's also merch, like notebooks ($7.99), with prints of the artwork available for purchase. 

True to the name, there's a signature white Moon Cake ($3.85) that's filled with sweet brown sugar. The texture of the cakes is chewy and soft thanks to a steaming process. This one is definitely a must-try.

The flavours of the square cakes rotate seasonally according to what's in season in Korea, ingredients are tossed with rice flour then pressed into decorative moulds. 

Strawberry ($4.25) has a subtle sweetness, with a purée lending it a soft wash of colour.

Coffee ($4.25) uses ground coffee and liquid to create a roasted flavour. My personal favourite is the Fig & Pumpkin Mugwort. The texture is super chewy and stretchy and the mugwort has an almost grassy, herbal profile that's well balanced by the sweet fig and squash.

A surprising discovery were the Dacquoise ($4.25), offered in six flavours such as Tiramisu, Green Tea, and Chestnut. You should definitely try the special Prickly Pear Cactus version as it's slightly tangy and not super sweet. 

Lee wanted to steer away from the common macaron and chose to create a Dacquoise that uses almond powder. It lends a thick, almost bread-like texture to the layers and overall is more filling of a treat.

Chapssal-Tteok ($4.75) will be familiar to those who have tried Japanese mochi. A layer of extra-chewy glutinous rice paste is wrapped around housemade red bean paste for a sweet and savoury experience. 

On the cafe side, there are plenty of decaf and coffee-based drinks that come hot or iced. 

The Black Sesame Latte ($6.95) comes topped with crushed sesame seeds for a rich sip. 

The coffee beans are from the Korean-owned De Mello, a popular roaster in the city. You can find a unique Seoul Latte ($6.25) that uses condensed milk coffee here.

Injeolmi Latte ($6.95) is all about a nutty soybean powder that's comforting and naturally sweet. 

There are handmade syrups in jars ($19.50), like this Omija (magnolia berry) + Lemon, for purchase so you can create our own fruit teas — or other drinks — at home.

You can also find an assortment of shaved ice called bingsoo on offer here.

The classic Red Bean ($15.95) comes topped with large cubes of chewy housemade rice cakes, red bean paste, and soybean powder that's been seasoned with salt.A mountain of super finely-shaved milk ice sits in a bowl and gets topped with a drizzle of condensed milk to amp up the sweetness. 

Injeolmi Bingsoo ($15.95) is another crowd favourite and has an earthier profile thanks to the sliced almonds and generous dusting of soybean powder.

The seasonal special during our visit was the Corn Bingsoo ($15.95) that used roasted corn and cornflakes as the main toppings. This one is great for people with a sweet tooth.

They even have customizable boxes you can fill with cakes of your choice to take home or gift to friends. 

During the warmer months, you can always pop around the back and enjoy your treats on the patio under romantic string lights. 

Luna Bakery is located at 5376 Yonge St.