I’ll be completely honest; I love bread, all kinds of breads. Because of my family’s love for it, my dad even bought a bread machine and learned to bake himself.  With this love for bread in mind, I did some research and googled the top rated bakeries near the UofT campus. Three different kinds of bakeries popped up; Mashion Bakery, Blackbird Baking Co., and Little Pebbles. All three of these bakeries have different styles of baked goods and today we’re going to find out if those three top rated bakeries are worth the try! 

First on the list, Mashion Bakery, located on 346 Spadina Avenue (Chinatown). It’s a Chinese homestyle bakery that sells all sorts of Chinese baked goods. The interior and exterior at first may look old and a bit run-down, but don’t let that scare you! It’s definitely not a sit-down place, but a grab-and-go place. All of the baked goods are baked fresh daily and you’ll see a cart with layers of freshly baked bread. There were so many to choose from and I bought quite a few things, but the one that I decided to do a review on was the Pineapple Bun. It wasn’t fresh out of the oven, but that’s okay; microwaving the bread for 10-15 seconds again makes it all soft and warm again, just like it was fresh! The Pineapple Bun had a perfectly sweet and flaky crust. The bun itself was soft and fluffy, the bottom was a bit crunchy and it was such a filling lunch. The best part? It was only $0.80, and if you buy six or more, it’s tax free! I bought a total of 7 baked goods and it came down to $10.10. This place is perfect for buying a lot of baked goods to stock up for the week. 

Next, we have Little Pebbles, located on 160 Baldwin Street #8 (Kensington Market). It’s a Japanese style cafe/bakery with all sorts of specialty coffee, drinks, cakes, and baked goods. It’s a small little cafe, limited spots to sit but they have happy hour there, and it’s a very aesthetic place; walking in gave off the coziest vibes! If you look closely behind the cashier, you can see a cart with multiple stories of baked goods as well. Little Pebbles has limited supplies of each item everyday, and they have seasonal drinks as well. I tried the butter croissant, which was so good for $3.00 (not including tax). Buttery, slightly sweet, fluffy, soft and has a slightly charred flavour. This croissant is perfect as a dessert croissant! They have croffles (croissant waffles) and croissants with whipped cream and fresh fruits in them. I was able to eat the croissant immediately after purchase and it was so flaky. I absolutely loved how buttery the croissant was and it was so simple. I would definitely go back again with a friend to sit down, try out one of their specialty drinks and even buy a slice of their cake. 

Lastly, Blackbird Baking Co. This modern, simple bakery is located on 172 Baldwin Street (in Kensington Market as well) and it’s not a sit down place as well. The vibes are immaculate and you immediately get surrounded by the smell of baked bread. On the left side of the shop, there is a shelf filled with things like bags, chocolate and so forth of their brand products. You can see behind the cashier there is a shelf of an assortment of bread and they even have a glass display of it as well. I bought a croissant there as well for $3.75 and it was absolutely delicious: I think scrumptious is the best word to describe it honestly. The croissant is more towards the savoury side. It was extra flakey and buttery, and had a chew to it. It’s definitely more of a dinner/lunch croissant and it’s on the bigger side. An honourable mention from Blackbird Baking Co. would be the pain au raisin. It was so good and tasted like a mix of a croissant and bread. It was glazed lightly with sugar and had raisins on the inside: a must try if you like raisins!