Danish Pastry Shop

Bakery: Hansen's Danish Pastry Shop
Address: 1017 Pape Ave., Toronto, ON
Website: http://danishpastry.ca/index.html
Style: Danish, Scandinavian, European
Price: $-$$


[EDIT: A few months ago, this bakery discreetly changed hands. I came here and immediately smelled something fishy (and it wasn't the herring...) with new workers taking out cookies from Hot Oven Bakery boxes and a slightly updated interior. From afar, the baked goods looked the same, but when getting ready to eat the goodies I've been taking for years and years, it wasn't the same. The dough was too bready, not flaky, and just off. I'm devastated! The Hot Oven labels all over the place makes this feel like some sort of franchise takeover with just the window featuring deceitfully similar goods as before --I wouldn't go across half the city for Hot Oven Bakery! What happened!?! ;_;]

I absolutely loooooooove the Danish Pastry Shop. In addition to being the only Scandinavian bakery in Toronto (unless someone would be really kind and inform me of any others; I'd love you forever. ;P), these guys know how to make amazing baked goodies, using their signature "Vienna bread" treats (which are called danishes for everyone here) and really, I think this place can do wrong. It's a total pain to travel here, especially from the other end of the GTA, but in the end, it's always worth it: fresh strudels, the best almond tarts I've tasted and just yeah... *-* Let's go into details!

I found out about this place from a show my brothers were watching about Scandinavian goodies in Toronto and although we're never in the area, we decided to make the trek to Greek Town a few years ago and it's been a not very regular, but must-stop. Behind the giant awning, you've got heaven even before you walk in: tons of danishes and cookies and tarts all laid out in front of the window. The first time I went, I nearly fainted on the sidewalk. ;DDDD But of course, I needed to control myself if I wanted to actually taste something.

This time around we took our tried-and-true favourites and a cinnamon bun (around $1), which I'd never seen there before on my very few earlier visits. This was what I'd call a typical Scandinavian cinnamon bun (which will beat the icky, sweet ones here any day!) : soft, yeast dough with not-too-sweet cinnamon and raisins folded in the layers and topped off with a little dollop of icing. Sadly, it was so hot when we bought it, so by the time we brought it home after bus, subway and car ride, it had begun to slowly but surely melt. :/ Still, this was (like everything else) super delicious, although I wouldn't have minded if it were a little bigger. ^.^

Next up were the almond tarts ($1.25/each, or thereabouts), which were for my brothers as well. I guess they weren't so wowed by them, but I love these delectable little tarts filled with almond mass made of powdered almonds stuffed in a super buttery and flaky shell (which they make themselves; you can buy the shells empty as well) and coated with a layer of icing and then topped off with a candied cherry. The sell these things as well at the Swedish Christmas Market (Harbourfront Centre, late November) for double the price and they tasted pretty stale last time; I wasn't impressed. These, however, are perfect; your fork just breaks past the icing and into the soft almond filling and just mmmmmmm.....

Finally, we also bought a full apple strudel ($7.95/whole; $3.95/half -- there's also cherry and almond varieties) which is the size of cookie tray (it doesn't fit in a box whole, so the workers cut it into thirds and that's a small portion on the plate, just because it couldn't hold more XD) and is the best thing ever. *___* Flaky dough with apples in the middle and a bit of custard piped on either side (unless it's marzipan; I can't figure it out, but I'm almost sure it's custard) with almonds and rock sugar on top. You bite into this and it's just superb; the sides always remain nice and flaky and the moistness of the apple 'filling' and then... Trust me, make the investment and get yourself a whole one, even if you've never tried it before. ;)


By the end of my silly reviews, I run out of adjectives for some of these places, but the Danish Pastry Shop is perfect. Even if I do find another Scandinavian bakery (the impossibility of this happening is huge), I think I won't be able to stop coming here, inconvenient location, long drive and all.^-^

[And by the way, the super corny Denmark flags are -- naturally -- courtesy of yours truly (made with toothpicks, red cardboard from junk mail we were recycling, and a white-out roller)]

Rating: ****