Dessert places in Toronto are just as diverse as the restaurant scene, with French patisseries, Japanese cream buns and honey-drizzled loukoumades being just a few of your options. It just depends on what corner you’re on. 

Here are my picks for desserts places in Toronto by neighbourhood.

Annex

Fried cakes come in cone shapes at Eva's Original Chimneys. These treats get a coating of cream cheese and a variety of toppings like chocolate soft serve. 

Avenue and Lawrence

Everything at Short and Sweet is nut-free, meaning you can indulge worry-free if you’ve got allergies. The cupcakes are hot-sellers but the oozy cookie sammies are hard to beat. 

Baby Point

Patisserie 27 is quaint spot on Jane with an extensive menu that runs the gamut from mille feuille to choux pastries. They also have flan on weekends.

Baldwin Village

Pillowy soft buns filled with custard and different flavours of cream are preciously wrapped at Hattendo. Matcha and azuki bean are just some of the flavours. They also carry melon buns.

Bayview and Leaside

Bomou is not to be missed if you’re anywhere near Bayview Avenue. Find a glass counter filled with pretty treats like buttery croissants, mousse cubes, and a stunning pistachio shahzadeh.

Castle & Coal is an artisinal bakery on West Queen West for tarts and cakes. Photo by Fareen Karim.

Beaches

One of the city’s most popular spots for gluten-free, sugar-free treats is Tori's Bakeshop. Cinnamon buns are addictive, as are their perfectly sprinkled vanilla donuts.

Bloorcourt

You’d be remiss not to try the ice cream cookie sandwiches from Bakerbots, which are stuffed with unreal flavours like their signature Totaro or London Fog. 

Bloordale

The foremost bakery for churros, Pancho’s, sits right by Dufferin station. Aside from these sugary, doughy sticks (with ice cream or on a cheesecake), this little bakery also has Mexican treats like rosca de reyes.

Brockton Village

It’s all about the pastel de nata at Brazil Bakery, which makes these classic Portuguese custard tarts by the trayload. 

Cabbagetown

Peruse the eclectic selection of French and Sri Lankan baked goods at Absolute Bakery. You’ll find apple turnovers, almond twists, meringues and date squares made fresh daily.

Castlefield

Fuelled by espresso and sugar, Amico Bakery is making their famous tiramisu using Pavesini biscuits dipped in fresh espresso. You can also get bombe and tiramisu in a small cup. 

Ampersand Bakehouse on Danforth East is making tacked donuts from scratch. Photo by Fareen Karim.

Chinatown

Lait Night isn’t currently operating on its usual 24/7 schedule, but you’ll still be able to get your hands on their house-made treats like delicious ichigo daifuku or Japanese jelly.

Church Wellesley Village

Cookies don't get more epic than Craig’s Cookies. These soft, puffy cookies are mashed and baked with all your favourite food store items, from Oreos to Kellogg pop tarts.

Corktown

Pretty madeleines, banana cream pie eclairs and legendary soft-serve are available at Roselle Desserts on King St. East.

Corso Italia

Tre Mari is the decades-old institution specializing in freshly baked treats like cookies and crispy light cannoli topped with icing sugar.

Danforth

For a family-run vibe, Dough Bakeshop is doing croissants, pain au chocolat, super rich brownies and a famous honey maple butter tart. 

Danforth East

The owner of Ampersand Bakehouse, Stephanie Kaptein, bakes all the sweets here, including beautiful cupcakes and stacked donuts with meringue buttercream in the middle. 

Cafe Serano serves boxes of loukamades drizzled with honey and topped with scoops of ice cream. Photo by Hector Vasquez.

Dundas West

Sweet Hart Kitchen is a healthy bakery known for its no-bake donuts. These dense cakes are a combo of velvety chocolate dip, cacao powder and maple syrup.

East Chinatown

No one will fault you for picking up several pints of ice cream from Wong’s Ice Cream. Flavours rotate but classics include Hong Kong Milk Tea and White Rabbit. 

East York

The bakery mon K patisserie gives a Japanese twist to French treats with a menu of green tea-flavoured eclairs and passion fruit macarons.

Eglinton West

Paris Brests and sugar-glazed raspberry croissants are just some of the options at Gouter. This location also carries its own ice cream in pints.

Etobicoke

The Royal York staple SanRemo Bakery has been a hub for more than 40 years, thanks to freshly baked goods like decadent donuts, including panini versions stuffed with ice cream. 

Financial District

The emporium of Italian eats Sud Forno has a long list of sweets on display, including zeppole and gelato on sticks in flavours like pistachio dipped in white chocolate.

Craque de Creme on St. Clair West specializes in both crème brûlée and Belgian waffles. Photo by Jesse Milns.

Harbord Village

There’s no better spot to get home-style pies and sweet treats like butter tarts and Nutella-filled cookies than Sweetie Pie. The cakes in a jar are another handy dessert-to-go. 

Junction

Rawlioness is the ultra-healthy stop for baked goods that still taste delicious. Stuff yourself with cheesecakes, mango pineapple mousse cakes, and other handcrafted desserts. 

Kensington Market

The pastry outpost of DaanGo on Baldwin Street is for grab-and-go orders of the brand’s famous cartoon macarons. There are usually creative pastries – like durian-shaped mousse – on rotation.

King West

It’s hard to resist a visit to Forno Cultura, where you’ll find zeppole, luscious appolini, and rows of biscotti on display.

Leslieville

Petite Thuet at Carlaw and Dundas is Chef Marc Thuet's showcase for his favourite Alsatian baked goods and desserts. His butter croissants are among the city's best, his abricotines are sumptuous, and his chocolate almond croissants may be the best thing anywhere ever.

Little Italy

Bonne Nouvelle is a beautifully designed Korean patisserie baking up refined desserts like tromp l’oeil desserts and Seoul canelé, filled with flavours like black sesame and dalgona.

Little Toyko

The array of treats at Butter Baker will make you swoon. Strawberry danishes and airy chiffon and buttercream cakes are just a few. 

Mount Pleasant

As an Italian bakery, you can assume the cannoli at Sweet Cultura are phenomenal. Aside from that, it’s all about the fresh fruit tarts and cookies. 

North York

Chewy Korean rice cakes are the main offering at Nam Dae Moon. You’d never guess that these delectable cakes with red bean, black sesame and osmanthus are low in sugar. 

Craig's Cookies now has four locations across the city, including on Church Street. Photo by Hector Vasquez.

Ossington

No summer is complete with a lineup outside of Bang Bang. Formerly opened in partnership with Bakerbots, this popular spot is doing incredible ice cream flavours, sometimes wrapped in bubble waffle cones.

Parkdale

Get your Portuguese treat fix at Bom Dia, where pastel de nata and tosta mista abound alongside Bola de Berlim and perfect donuts. 

Pape Village

Boxes of Greek loukamades at Cafe Serano come with your choice of gelato. You’ll need a cup of cappuccino to add to that sugar high. 

Queen West 

Mizzica Gelateria is a popular hub sitting on McCaul serving authentic Italian gelato in incredible flavours like pistachio with avocado and roasted almonds with Sicilian orange marmalade. 

Regent Park

Le Beau offers viennoiserie like chocolate-dipped croissants, danishes, and unique kouign-amanns with sugar on top. 

Riverside

Brunch spot Bonjour Brioche deliver on buttery brioche treats with raspberry or blueberry custards, pear almond tarts and clafouti. 

DaanGo Pastry Lab offers a rotating menu of beautiful treats. Photo by Hector Vasquez.

Roncesvalles

Indulge in salted chocolate chip cookies, sweet brioches and apple olive oil cakes at Fantail. Or just get an assortment of three decadent cakes in the Cake Box.

Rosedale

The Yonge Street outpost of Nadège has all the same pastries available at their popular West Queen West location, including macarons and donuts. Chocolate is made here, while baking is done downtown. 

Scarborough

Oishii Sweets on Kennedy might have some of the most adorable treats ever, from Minion macarons with durian buttercream to cookies shaped like llamas. 

St. Clair West

Craque de Creme is one of the only spots in the city centering its entire existence around addictively crackable crème brûlées. They also serve an amazing Belgian waffle.

West Queen West

You’ll find a selection of well-balanced, freshly made treats at Castle & Coal. Sticky toffee pudding is a favourite, as are kouign-amanns and unreal lemon tarts.

Yonge and Eglinton

The Brazilian bakery Padaria is where to indulge in brigadeiro cakes in different sizes, dulce de leche tarts and Brazilian flan.