Amico Bakery
Amico Bakery offers pretty much any Italian food and dessert you could think of with pizza, panini, artisan bread, bombe donuts, and six different flavours of tiramisu.
The spot, which feels like a bakery you'd find in Italy, has over 120 sweet and savoury items on display behind the wrap-around counter making it nearly impossible to leave without a few treats in hand.
Owner Francesco Lefano was born in Toronto and raised in Gaeta, a coastal town between Rome and Naples. After moving here with his family in 2013, he was intent on sharing the recipes he grew up on with his new city and birthplace.
That includes the famous tiramisu. The layered dessert comes in six different flavours including classic, gianduia (chocolate hazelnut), nocciola (hazelnut), pistachio, Frutti di Bosco (mixed berries), and amaretto.
Pavesini biscuits are hand-dipped in fresh dripped espresso from ICAF Italian coffee beans.
The cakes (small: $29.95, large: $39.95), which include layers of light, silky smooth tiramisu cream, are lined with the coffee-drenched biscuits and are then tied with a fancy ribbon for a nice finishing touch.
You can also choose to get the tiramisu in a cup ($4.50) or a small shot glass ($2.50) for the perfect individual size option.
With chunks of real pistachio and a nice balance of nutty and sweet flavours, the pistachio tiramisu is easily a favourite.
Though it'd be a shame to leave without at least trying the classic, especially as here it comes sprinkled in cocoa and chunks of milk chocolate.
Among the large selection of pastries is Bombe ($2.95), the Italian take on a donut. I feel like I should warn you that all other donuts may be ruined after trying the cream-filled, powder-covered dough.
They come in six different flavours including nutella, custard, raspberry jam, apricot jam, pistachio, Baileys — and tiramisu that comes with a little tube of espresso that you can squeeze to dispense inside the donut before being consumed.
Made with bread that's prepared in-house every day with flour imported from Italy, there are a number of different metre-long pizzas available by the slice or whole pie.
The tomato-less Emiliana (whole pizza: $29.95 and $19.95 on Tuesdays, slice: $3.95 and $2.50 on Tuesdays) comes with prosciutto, arugula, fior di latte mozzarella, parmigiano, and a balsamic glaze.
You can purchase the pizzas ($29.95), as well as a whole array of other prepared frozen items including lasagna and cannelloni, to take home.
Also prepared on the fresh bread is the selection of panini of which there are nearly 10 different options. The Spicy Italian ($7.95) comes with a combo of sopressata and salami, provolone cheese, tomato and arugula.
As if we're not spoiled with enough options already, there's also hot plate meal items that are prepared fresh every lunch.
Choose between a two-item combo with meat or lasagna and a veggie ($12.95), or a single veggie ($6.95), single lasagna ($9.95) or single veal or chicken parmigiana ($9.95).
The large and bright storefront of Amico Bakery on the corner of Dufferin Street and Glen Park Avenue demands attention, and the offerings inside demand a healthy appetite.
Fareen Karim