Bonjour Brioche

The Side Door on Degrassi Street

3.5 of 5

Bonjour Brioche has been feeding the east end since 1997. Long enough that a generation of Leslieville kids grew up thinking an almond croissant was a normal Saturday thing. It is still locally owned, still on Queen Street East at the corner of Degrassi, and still runs on two doors: a window on Queen for takeout and a side door on Degrassi for those who intend to sit.

The bakery case is why you come, and the kitchen admits it runs out. That honesty I like. The brioche comes in lemon raspberry or blueberry custard, the croissants in almond or cinnamon raisin, and the clafouti tart is the kind of thing a French grandmother bakes to make a point. For a real brunch, the French toast is built on bread they understand, and the Bonjour Benny gives you the classic without fuss. Vegans get a Moroccan tofu scramble that is not an afterthought.

There are rules. No reservations. Your whole party has to be there before anyone sits. People grumble about this, and they are wrong. A small room that has lasted close to thirty years on a busy street has earned the right to run its door its own way. Get there early, take a flourless chocolate cake home in a box, and say merci on the way out.

Order this: Lemon raspberry brioche, Almond croissant, Bonjour Benny, Clafouti tart, Flourless chocolate cake
The damage: $$
Go: Early, before the signature pastries sell out; no reservations and the whole party must be present
Find it: 812 Queen St E, Toronto, ON M4M 1H7