Popular Ontario sandwich shop opening huge new location in Toronto
A bakery and sandwich shop that's made a major splash in the GTA is gearing up to open a major new location in Toronto.
Woodbridge, thanks to its large Italian population, is something of a local capital for Italian baked goods, paninis and pizza, and, crucially, its residents have strong opinions on which spots do them best.
One place that seemingly everyone can agree on, however — at least if its 13,000 Instagram followers can be any indication — is Penelope Focacceria.
The daytime counterpart to Penelope Social, a restaurant that serves a surprisingly broad assortment of dishes with its expansive sourdough pizza menu, Penelope Focacceria is a sourdough-forward bakery that operates out of the restaurant in the mornings.
Named after founder Vince Stalteri's eight-year-old sourdough starter, Penelope, from whom all of the bakery's sourdough offerings are born, the bakery has been churning out, among a bevy of other carby delights, majorly popular focaccia sandwiches since the concept opened in 2024.
Evidently, Stalteri built something special in Penelope (both the restaurant and the jar of fermenting yeast), as, in under two years, Penelope Focacceria has become a household name in Woodbridge.
Soon, folks in Toronto will have the chance to find out what all the buzz — and bubble — is about, too.
Though the opening date is still up in the air, the team has confirmed that a standalone Penelope Bakehouse is coming to Scarborough "very soon," giving a whole new neighbourhood the chance to sink their teeth into, well, a little piece of Penelope.
The bakehouse will offer the same suite of sourdough, pizza, pastries, coffee and sandwiches that have earned the concept a cult following north of the city. It's been said by some that Penelope is home to some of the best focaccia sandwiches in Canada, and before too long, you'll get to be the judge of that for yourself.
Penelope Bakehouse will be located at 71 Howden Rd.
