There's an Italian restaurant and wine bar hidden inside a Toronto cookie shop

A hidden Italian restaurant and wine bar that's tucked away inside a Toronto cookie shop is proving that it can do more than just sweet — it can do dolce, too.

It wasn't long after business partners Brock Shepherd and Anthony Phoumivong launched Milk & Cookies, their Kensington Market cookie shop that serves up unexpected sweet (and sometimes savoury) treats, that Tony's Focaccia, their focaccia-forward sandwich shop, launched in the same space.

At the time, Tony's had tunnel vision for focaccia, serving Italian sandwiches on their fluffy, house-made bread or, if you were feeling particularly adventurous, eschew the cured meats entirely and bite, instead, into scoops of tiger tail ice cream.

But Brock Shepherd tells blogTO that the vision for Tony's was never limited to just focaccia and sandwiches. He and Phoumivong knew it was destined for more. Enter phase 2: Tony's Food and Wine.

Still situated inside the cookie shop, Tony's now also serves up a $10 pasta lunch service (filling the void left behind by Famiglia Baldassarre, perhaps?), prepared foods, and features a bottle shop stocked with what Shepherd calls "interesting" wines — largely natural and low-intervention selections.

"The expansion happened naturally, driven by what our customers were looking for and what we wanted to create. We started introducing baked pasta in September, including our $10 Pasta Lunch, and have been gradually adding fresh pasta, prepared foods to take home, and now wine," Shepherd says.

"We love the idea of Tony's being somewhere you can pop in for a quick, affordable lunch, grab something delicious for dinner at home, pick up a bottle of wine, or stay for a glass with some good food."

While Tony's is certainly Italian-inspired, Shepherd is quick to note that it's not strictly Italian. In much the same way that he and Phoumivong take artistic liberties with their cookies, similar surprises can be expected with the offerings at Tony's.

So far, Shepherd says, the community's reception to Tony's expanded offerings has been "really encouraging."

People in Toronto really love, it seems, the ability to tuck into a hefty plate of pasta for just $10. Go figure!

"We're building Tony’s a little at a time, listening to our customers, trying new things, and seeing what sticks," Shepherd says.

"Ultimately, we want Tony's to feel like a neighbourhood food shop that people can make part of their everyday routine — whether that's lunch, dinner, or a good bottle of wine."

Tony's Food and Wine is located at 283 Augusta Ave.