Who makes the most authentic pain au chocolat in Toronto?
I was reading Joanne Kates' review today of Clafoutis. She loves the almond croissants but dislikes their pain au chocolat. Where can I find the most authentic ones in Toronto? I've had the ones at Michel's baguettes. While they are tasty and incredibly rich, they are not authentic. They are too filling, too hearty, too "North American"...
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Maimonides
Dec 9, 2007 05:42 AM
I just want to put in another plug for Patisserie la Cigogne. I think their pain au chocolat is the best. They also have the best baguettes in the city; completely superior to anything anywhere else. On weekends, it is a pleasant but small cafe for brunch or breakfast.
And their artisan desserts...well, you need to try them for yourself!›1 Reply -
LovelyAsia
Nov 29, 2007 10:10 AM
My friend and I went looking for the "Best Pain au Chocolat" (and Croissants) a few months ago and we stopped by 6 different shops and ranked our favourites.
For us Atelier Thuet in Liberty Village was the hands down winner - for both pain au chocolat and croissants. My friend who lived in Paris years ago, said the pain au chocolat at Thuet was "perfect".
http://www.atelierthuet.ca/In a tie for second was Pain Perdu on St. Clair West and Le Comptoir de Celestin on Mount Pleasant. (On a side note, Celestin also has an incredible lemon tart, more puffy and eggy than the typical lemon curd in a crust you normally see and is the best I have ever tasted
)Third place went to Patachou - which has two locations, one on Yonge Street and one on St. Clair West. I agree with another poster who said they have branched out too much - they were once THE PLACE in Toronto for French pastry - now, they are more about the yuppies.
Fourth place to Rahier - which has the prettiest pastry selection of all the places we visited, and the prettiest packaging.
Last place, without question, for both of us was Clafouti. The staff were nice and friendly, so we really wanted to like their stuff, but both the chocolat and the croissant were disappointing - if you like a really bready texture, and milky chocolate, you would like Clafouti. The one area Clafouti won was on size - both the pain au Chocolat and the croissant were huge.
I think everyone has their own preferences, and you have to go out and try the different places until you find your favourite! For some people, the attitude of staff can make a difference - in which case, it often depends on the staff that day - and if they have that true Parisian french snobby attitude, which I believe is something some of them pride themselves in!
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re: LovelyAsia
My wife and I have been to all of the ones listed in this thread, and luckily our preferences seem to match; we like Celestin best because we like flaky/crispy; we're not fans of the Clafouti big doughy/chewy type. Not french at all but you all should try Wagamama, which is on King West past Bathurst. It is actually Japanese, but you have to get there fairly early because they do run out. If you have it there, they will usually warm it up for you and it is really great.
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wow, thanks everyone for the suggestions. i'm definitely going to try some of these suggestions. after having been to montreal and having their croissants everywhere in toronto is a disappointment. the best ones i've found so far (though i haven't had a chance to go to the french bakeries suggested by other users) is at ezra's pound, who has croissants made by wanda's pie in the sky. they're good.
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Not sure if it's the best, but it has to be a top contender: the pain au chocolat at Jules (on Mt. Pleasant). I have been taking a little croissant/pain tour of the city and have to say that Jules rates very highly on both. However, Clafouti wins on the butter croissant - I think theirs is the best I've had so far. In an another thread, I declared Pain Perdu as the best croissant, but now I'm retracting it - too flaky. Clafouti is the perfect blend of crispy on the outside and moist on the inside. YUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM! And I would agree that their pain au chocolat is nothing special -- definitely try Jules.
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re: sweetspotlee
Interesting to note that in this historical discussion, some of the places have changed. Jules on Mount Pleasant used to be Tournayre on Queen, and before that was in partnership with Rahier about the time of the previous posts.
On another note, Patisserie La Cicogne makes excellend p au c. As does Jules.
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re: sweetspotlee
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re: CChan126
Several years ago I was excited to be moving back to Toronto precisely *because* of Patachou, but honestly I've found they've branched out too far (in their menu) and neglected what they are supposed to do best: croissants.
If you've had authentic, buttery pain before than this is not the place to go. If you want a huge bowl of cafe au lait and a panini or mixed salad, in a chic be-seen Rosedale environment, then sure...maybe it's ok. But if you're getting up at 8am on a Saturday just to bring home the bread to read with your morning paper, I would seriously consider going elsewhere.
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there is a fantastic authentic french bakery on the north side of St. Clair West, just a bit west of Christie (within walking distance), which the owners and a lot of the clientele speak french. i do not know if they make pain au chocolat but i wouldn't doubt it. definitely very authentic french bakery.
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re: cocolou
That place is still around and thriving, in fact 'booming'...it is called
PAIN PERDUE and it is at 736 St. Clair Ave. West (west of Bathurst but don't remember the closest intersectection) phone 416:7246.
I can't personally vouch for it but everytime I have tried to go in, the place is packed.
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