Sanremo is a beloved institution and on many Toronto best list. I held off coming here for some bizarre reason and I kinda regret it!!
The place is a full fledged Italian deli and bakery ... you will not be lacking anything if you're looking to eat. When you walk in, you're welcomed to at least 5 super large prosciutto legs held in their case while aging. Up the stairs on the right is a HUGE case of all types of deli meats you can ever want. In addition to that, you'll find some olives, olive oils, and all other sort of Italian key kitchen staples. If you go on the left, you'll seen an explosion of every food an Italian grandmother would offer you once you step inside the kitchen.
The first area is a well stocked case of premade italian sandwiches. These are not your small dainty little finger sandwiches. Oh no... you need to hands to grab on for dear life to wrangle these. Expect complete fall out cause it is stuffed with the various types of meats, vegetables, and cheese. I honestly think these are at least 4 inches tall. In the back area, you have a hot plate where all things in red sauce and pasta can be found. You would find your baked pastas like lasagna all ready for your to choose whichever you wanted for dinner or lunch.
As you go further back, then you find the motherload of doughnuts and Italian sugar. I had no idea this existed and in some ways, my body is grateful for it cause otherwise I'd be eating this for a while. Service is super friendly and patient... they need to be cause there is over 60 items to choose from. That is not an exaggeration either. Funny thing in my conversation, she knew exactly the doughnuts that ran out first and recommended me to get those! Though it has been commented that it is confusing in here to pay, each station you can pay or do it altogether at another one. I paid separately at the doughnut spot and then at the coffee counter.
Maple Bacon doughnut - This doughnut is quite fluffy, tender, and pillowy. Definitely better than the other artisanal ones I've had in Toronto. The dough wasn't too rich in flavour but I did like it more because it had a mild sweet flavour. Maple icing was a very rich deep maple ... none of this light maple or 'maple like' syrup stuff on most diner tables these days. It borders on brown sugar tones in taste. The bacon is the nice contrast with its light saltiness providing the foil to the sweet and additional richness to your veins that it probably didn't need but wanted anyhow. 4/5
Sicilian Cannoil - Flavour was just the right tempered sweetness to let the natural flavour of the rich ricotta to take more of a prominence. Sadly it was filled ahead of time so the crust was definitely soggy by 11 am. 3.5/5
Apple Fritter - This doughnut has been on Toronto's top list and I get the hype. This is ridiculously good. Imagine the most tender brioche but now intertwined with rivers of cinnamon and chunks of tender sweet apples. On top of all that ... a crackle of sugar glaze to bite through and push it over the edge with enough sweetness to flavour the supple dough. If this isn't your favourite, I'm ok with that... more for me. This does sell out at 10 am on weekdays and 9 am on weekends according to the lady behind the counter. Completely justified. 5/5
Berry filled doughnut - Love how the jam in this is not overly sweet and also has real berries with their seeds in it. The jam is quite... Timmys filling texture. It's a bit more gummy as if it was pureed then added cornstarch but the flavour is bright and tart like a real strawberry would be. As for the dough... this one probably took on a bit too much of the jamminess and became a bit more heavier and denser. Still a nice doughnut but I suggest this one be eaten as soon as you can. 4/5
Cinnamon Bun - This is one massive bun... though it is missing the white cap of a heavy frosting. I'm not sure what I was expecting but this was just soft dough with a hint of cinnamon. I did it eat in the early afternoon but I found this quite dry compared to the other ones. 3.5/5
Cappuccino - Unashamed to be old school Italian ... like truly old school strong and robust that it would threaten you to not have any seconds of the lasagna if you didn't drink the cappuccino while it's hot. I personally can appreciate this but this is the Original cappuccino. If you're one of those people that only love 3rd wave coffee, this isn't your spot but then shame on you not admiring a good cup of the roots. 4/5
This is one of my favourite doughtnuts I've found AND it's not some fancy expensive spot. Its affordable, fresh, and no frills. It's a great flavour and I would love to eat this again. Definitely apple fritter and an OG cappuccino is the only way to go here. read more