Top 10 Midtown Dessert Places in Toronto

Dessert is part of a healthy diet - right? Well, I certainly include it in mine. Here are my favourite picks for when I find myself in the 6ix’s midtown core.

To clarify, my definition of “Midtown” is anywhere located between Eglinton and Bloor. If you’re looking for dessert places that are located Uptown or Downtown, press either of the buttons below!

All the places mentioned are gluten-free friendly. None are celiac-friendly, unless otherwise stated!

Top 10 Downtown Desserts Places (TO)

Top 10 Uptown Dessert Places (TO)

1. Dutch Dreams

Eclectic. Eccentric. Excellent.

Those are the words that come to mind when describing the orange-walled Dutch ice cream shop on St. Clair West. Enjoy rich and flavourful ice cream inside a store with an array of kooky knickknacks all around. Since settling into Canada in the 19th century,

There’s even a photo of Drake, unofficial 6ix mascot, eating the ice cream on the wall. Need I say more?

Interested in other places like Dutch Dreams? Click here!

Closest Subway Stop: St. Clair West

Location:
36 Vaughan Road

Noteworthy Feature:
The interior alone is worth seeing - it’s a bonus that the ice-cream is incredible!

2. Bar ape

Bar Ape Gelato is a tucked-away soft serve and gelato shop along St. Clair West.

Boasting a rotating “gelato soft-serve” menu of innovative flavours such as pear, pumpkin seed, rhubarb, brown sugar, or gooseberry (amongst many more), this place is an excellent choice for those who like to be more adventurous with their food!

Bar Ape switches up the flavour offerings every Wednesday, so you’re always sure to come back to a fresh, in-season surprise. If you prefer to err on the side of caution, their website does list each weeks soft-serve pairings in advance. They state that there is always a vegan option available!

This speciality shop also sells “gelato sundaes” (based on fior di latte soft-serve) with a variety of toppings, and “gelato bars” for those who aren’t interested in the soft-serve pairing of the week (though I do encourage you to be adventurous with your food).

Although the menu isn’t extensive, the small shop specializes in one thing, and definitely does it well. It’s completely cash-based, and there isn’t any seating, but if you’re craving unique soft-serve, you can’t go wrong with Bar Ape Gelato. My only complaint is that it doesn’t serve it’s soft-serve during the colder months (as a Canadian, I don’t mind a frozen treat in the dead of winter)!

Closest Subway Stop: St. Clair West — take 512 streetcar West to Arlington Avenue

Location:
283 Rushton Rd

Noteworthy Feature:
The soft-serve ingredients seem to be sourced in Ontario! 👏Support👏Local👏Workers👏

3. Project glyph

From the people who brought you Onki Donburi comes Project Glyph!

Located directly underneath the donburi restaurant, Project Glyph serves up coffees, teas, and Korean-Style macarons - talk about a well-rounded business!

There are numerous unique macaron flavours such as red. velvet, ritz cheese, and Oreo. The interior is minimalist, but you can watch the staff making the food which is interesting.

Fun place!

Location:
40 Hayden Street Lower Level

Noteworthy Feature:
If you’re craving heartier fare, walk upstairs and you’ll find Onki Donburi, operated by the same people as Project Glyph.

4. Bakerbots bakery

Bakerbots Bakery, owned by the sister of Bang Bang’s Ice Cream & Bakery’s owner, is also an exceptional spot in which to get ice-cream sandwiches.

Both bakeries offer fantastic customizable ice-cream sandwiches. There are a variety of cookies from which you can choose (with a vegan and gluten-free option!), and many unique ice-cream flavours. London Fog, Matcha, Totaro (ube, also known as purple yam), and Burnt Toffee are just some of the flavours on display.

Bang Bang and Bakerbots differ with some of their in-house baked goods. Bang Bang has the option of putting their ice-creams into bubble-waffle cones, while Bakerbots make their own assortment of in-house baked goods that are positively mouth-watering, and can be complemented by a plain ice-cream.

Bakerbots also has a variety of beverages to choose from. They make coffees, matcha lattes, and my favourite: they supply the famous French Mariage Frère tea!

My favourite beverage to order is a cup of Mariage Frère tea, an excellent French tea company. It’s not something that I have easily found elsewhere in Toronto.

The bakery’s proximity to Ossington subway station is also a bonus. Overall, Bakerbots is a great place to check out for those who want good quality ice-cream with either a pleasant drink, or a tasty baked good.

Nearest Subway Station: Ossington

Location:
205 Delaware Ave

Noteworthy Feature:
Bakerbots sells Mariage Frères tea, which is difficult to buy outside of France.

5. Summer’s Ice Cream

A Yorkville staple for more than 30 years, Summer’s Ice Cream whips up sumptuous ice creams in an assortment of delicious flavours. Their high-quality scoops shouldn’t be a surprise considering the family of the company’s founders had been making ice cream since the late 1930s in their native Czechoslovakia.

Feeling like treating yourself? Why not try one of their well-known “Cookie sandwiches”, or chocolate-dipped ice creams (photo below)? It’s well worth it.

Some of their flavours that I highly recommend are “White Chocolate” and “Simply Butterscotch”, although you really couldn’t go wrong with whatever you choose to try.

Location:
101 Yorkville Avenue

For more info on Summer’s Ice Cream, and other ice cream suggestions in Toronto, click here.

Photo courtesy of Summer’s Ice Cream’s official Twitter (@SummersIceCream)

Noteworthy Feature:
Summer’s also sells their ice-cream in tubs, if you want to take some of the deliciousness home.

6. craque de crème

Toronto has a crème brûlée café? Why, yes, it does!

Craque de Crème graces St. Clair West with its sweet charm and unique variations on the classic French dessert. While there is a classic version available, you can indulge your adventurous side by trying flavours such as lavender, matcha, dulce de leche, and ferrero roche.

All the crème brûlée have that perfect “crack” on top that is oh so fun to break with a spoon. The café also has coffee and Belgian waffles (with Belgian chocolate) for those who want to shake things up a bit.

They also supply positively adorable macarons fashioned after various pop culture characters - think Disney and Studio Ghibli favourites.

Craque de Crème is open late so there is no excuse not to check it out!

Nearest Subway Station: St Clair West

Locations:
1360 Bathurst Street

Photo courtesy of Craque de Creme official Facebook page.

Noteworthy Feature:
There is tons of fascinating artwork lining the walls. Feast for the eyes and the palates!

7. hollywood gelato

You don’t have to be a star to eat like one!

Hollywood Gelato has remained one of Toronto’s most well-known midtown gelato stores, and with good reason. A myriad of flavours made from high-quality flavours make this a great place from which to grab the frozen treat.

Hollywood Gelato is open late, so it’s a good option for a late-night bite with a date or a friend.

Nearest Subway: Eglinton —> Take

Location:
1640 Bayview Avenue

Photo courtesy of Hollywood Gelato official Facebook page.

Noteworthy Feature:
The weird duck thing riding a bicycle outside the entrance is always a point of contention.

8. punto gelato

There’s no point in resisting going to Punto Gelato.

The Toronto-based gelato shop has three locations across the 6ix, and the location near Davisville is by far my favourite in terms of general vibe and server friendliness.

Punto serves up tons of fun flavours, and they have many options for vegan and vegetarian palettes. I really like their sorbets, and the raspberry is my overall winner. There’s even a gluten-free cone if you crave it!

Overall, Punto is a nice place to check out, and you can enjoy their telltale upside-down cones on their cupped delights.

Location:
2076 Yonge Street

Noteworthy Feature:
There is a telltale upside down cone on top of their cupped gelatos.

9. Café Bora

Whether you prefer to eat your ube as Bingsu, tiramisu, or perhaps ice-cream, Café Bora creates delicious desserts using the ubiquitous purple yam. Although this is a “Top 10” list, these sheer cuteness of these ice-creams made it a must for me to add them to this list! They certainly would light up any Instagram feed.

Not a fan of ube? Not to worry - there’s plenty of other flavour options available! A citron sparkling water, or perhaps a matcha tiramisu might do just the trick.

Another plus? The Korean chain has no additives or preservatives in their desserts. Yummy, delicious, and healthy. Score!

Who knew “purple” tasted so yummy?

Location:
87 Yorkville Avenue #3

Noteworthy Feature:
The cafés interior is designed in a way that compliments the purple food.

10. Booyah

You’ll be screaming “booyah” when you try some of this ice-cream joints signature creations!

Located only a short distance from Dutch Dream (another ice-cream shop on this list) Booyah standouts thanks to it’s phenomenal vegan ice-cream (some of the best in the city), and it’s ice-cream tacos.

Booyah is nice as it does it’s best to cater to a large market of consumers who look for alternate things in their ice-cream; vegan, gluten-free, lower-fat… they’ve got you covered. Personally, I go for the gluten-free ice-cream sandwich. It never disappoints!

Both their vegan and dairy-based ice-cream flavours are well-made, and have interesting flavour combinations. Think honey lavender, German chocolate, taro coconut, and key lime pie. I genuinely find their vegan ice-cream satisfying and close in texture to it’s counterpart.

If you have any dietary restrictions, or prefer to go the healthier route with your ice-cream indulgences, Booyah is an excellent place to check out. You won’t be disappointed !

Nearest Subway Station: St. Clair West

Interested in other places like Booyah? Click here!

Location:
16 Vaughan Road A