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Tre Mari Bakery
Categories: Event Planning & Services Caterers Restaurants Delis Restaurants Sandwiches Caterers, Delis, Sandwiches [Edit]
1311 St Clair Ave WToronto, ON M6E 1C2
Neighbourhood: Corso Italia
(416) 654-8960
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 7 am - 10 pm
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$
- Good for Groups:
- No
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- No
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
5 reviews for Tre Mari Bakery
5 reviews in English
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Review from John F.
North York, ON
Updated - 11/1/2010
Just an addendum: My partner just returned from a trip to Italy as said that the canollis he had in Naples paled in comparison to this place.
They should be called "La Regina di Canolli"Listed in: Shopping: Special and Ordinary
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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6/25/2010
Just what an old fashioned Italian bakery / deli should be. Canollis to die for - shells crisp and… Read more »
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Review from Jonathan S.
York, ON
10/6/2011
Whenever I meet someone from out of town, and they ask me to describe Toronto, I tell him or her that Toronto is a city of neighbourhoods.
I know that people often point to our "rich cultural diversity" or our "commitment to multiculturalism" but respectfully, I think that those labels miss the point. Diversity and multiculturalism are wonkish words; they describe the place, but not the people; and the true character of a city lies in its citizens.
This is why I love Tre Mari.
As old-school Italian bakeries go, it's as old school as it gets.
If you google the joint, you see that it's located on "Corso Italia"; in the heart of one of the city's ethnic enclaves. This is true, and if you were to drive on over you'd find yourself in the middle of kitchenware stores, clothing shops and bars, coffee shops and restaurants all blaring whatever soccer match is on TV. But then, if you drove you'd miss how the neighbourhood changes along St. Clair. Going West on foot you pass Jewish, Jamaican, Filipino, Portuguese and Hungarian shops, with the added Thai or fusion spot thrown in for good measure. It's Toronto in a few blocks. Besides which, you get to build up your appetite. At Tre Mari, you'll need it.
Ask me what's good, I'll just answer "yes". The space is old and worn, divided into a bakery with pastries out front and bread in the back on one side, and a hot table/cafe on the other. A small deli and refrigerated section take up some space as well, but most of their wares are available elsewhere at lower prices.
The ambiance speaks to a time before communities became tourist destinations. One one hand, service is warm and friendly. On the other, it takes a few visits before you feel completely welcome.
It's worth braving the initial indifference for some of the best bread in Toronto. Some local celebrity chefs may try to sell bread at grossly inflated prices, but it pales in comparison to Tre Mari's loaves.
A lack of signage makes ordering a crapshoot, but since it's all good and inexpensive, roll the dice. I skip lighter-weight french rolls and baguettes in favour of more substantial fair; a flour-dusted Calabrese rectangle contrasts brittle crust with chewy, airy crumb. Olive and herb breads slicked with oil are softer and springier. A multigrain loaf is substantial and hearty, as is a round, docked pide bread covered in sesame seeds. If you're the DIY pizza type, it invites you to cover it in good mozzarella, then tomato sauce and a dusting of parmesan for a homemade knock-off Sicilian Slice.
Pastries are uniformly excellent. Cannoli are worth leaving the firearms at home for. Napoleans soothe with proper custard. Donuts, while not Italian, are archetypes that put Timmy to shame. Drip coffee is pointless, but espresso-based beverages are worth a double-shot.
Even better, I have yet to pay more than four dollars for a bread that could feed me for a week.
The cafe is the most interesting part of the restaurant. Apart from very decent pizza and the usual buffet suspects, the room is testament to how neighbourhoods change; it is equally divided between the people who built Tre Mari and supported it from it's birth, to a flood of Ethiopian immigrants. The groups mostly keep to themselves; unless someone scores a goal, and the place erupts as one.
That's Toronto. -
Review from Cheryl B.
10/7/2009 3 photos
The aroma of fresh baked bread, the display cases full of cookies, cakes and pastries that are as appealing to the eye as you know they will be to the stomach and a smiling staff behind the counters let me know this was a place I would love at first glance.
Bakeries work long hard hours to produce quality products...and having a staff that adds customer service on top of that is my kind of business to shop. Staying on St. Clair with a very good friend for a couple of days she let me know that we HAD to get cookies. Purchase cookies wedid, a few times...and even just before I hopped into a cab to head back to the States!
I loved the sweet, chewy and crunchy crust of the almond cookies the best....and wish I had some right now! The wire shelves holding an assortment of fresh baked baguettes, rolls and other artisan offerings was amazing. Having been in this business myself a few years back, I appreciated the simplicity of their presence in the neighborhood, no frills, no neon....just good food served by good people.
I wish I had time to sample the pizza and other hot dishes I saw being readied for the lunch crowd....but that will be another culinary adventure when I return.....and I can't wait! -
Review from Patti B.
5/12/2010
Whether you find yourself strolling along St. Clair Ave. west or not, once you've stopped into Tre Mari Bakery once, its awesomeness will lure you back - time and again! I promise you will crave the fresh-baked goodness of the many varieties of breads, cookies, cakes, pastries and don't even get me started on the canoli!
I have been known to frequent it in search of their unforgettable meatballs found among the hot entrees at the back!
Trust me, if you love Italian food as much as I do, head there now - you will not regret it! -
Review from Sara T.
Toronto, ON
9/20/2009
If you happen to find yourself strolling along St Clair West between Lansdowne and Dufferin stop in at Tre Mari bakery.
In the morning, grab a paper and sample the deicious Italian pastries and the most delicious cappucino while you settle into the news.
At lunch time they have hot table service with pasta's and caccitore's but my fave has got to be the mouth watering veal sandwich.
Folks this is Corso Italia at it's finest. When I say that I mean they actually accepted Lira here up until the early '90's. There are no frills, just a few table and chairs coffee shop style, and the rest of the space is deli and bakery. Stop in to get the 30 canneloni you need last minute for that baby shower, or grab some procuitto and provolone for a quick sandwich.. go over and snag that freshly baked bun that you could smell from the moment you walked in and you've got heaven.
