What’s on the menu at La Boulangerie Dundas, a French bakery and bistro from chef J.P. Challet

Name: La Boulangerie Dundas Contact: 1134 Dundas St. W., 416-532-4747, laboulangeriedundas.com, @laboulangeriedundas
Neighbourhood: Trinity-Bellwoods
Owner: Arnaud Presti (Le Matin) Chef: J. P. Challet (Le Matin, Ici Bistro, Auberge du Pommier) Accessibility: Step at the entrance, washroom on main floor

It all started with baguettes and foie gras. When Arnaud Presti first opened La Boulangerie Dundas, it was a polished little pantry selling Petite Thuet sourdough, fancy dijon, cheese, sausage and French bonbons to go. Presti launched the shop in the wake of the pandemic, after Covid wiped out his event business and left him with a stockpile of gourmet goods and nowhere to serve them. The pantry model worked—at first. But, as inflation kicked in and the cost of foie gras skyrocketed, demand dipped.

Meanwhile, something else was taking off: coffee. “I never expected coffee to sell so well for us,” says Presti. So he pivoted, adding tables, leaning in to sandwiches (Susur Lee called their breakfast sando one of the city’s hidden gems) and letting the space evolve. And somehow, on a strip already oversaturated with cafés, La Boulangerie started to thrive.

Related: Tatin Bakehouse, a French bakery in Oakville with a Michelin connection

Now, with a brand-new liquor licence, La Boulangerie is entering its third act: Presti has brought on long-time friend and collaborator J. P. Challet, a master baker, chocolatier, sommelier and former Ici Bistro chef-owner with deep roots in Toronto’s fine-dining scene. The two have worked together on and off since the early aughts, most memorably for Toronto foodies at Le Matin by J. P. Challet, a popular French breakfast spot in Leslieville.

This time, they’re going bigger: café by day, bistro by night, private events on Saturdays. And finally, Presti is making a true boulangerie out of the place. No longer a bakery in name only, they’re churning out baguettes, cookies, cakes, pies and pastries—with croissants (the same ones that had a cult following at Le Matin) coming soon.

The Food

Staying true to the French ideal of a neighbourhood spot, Presti and Challet are keeping the atmosphere casual and the pricing accessible—but nothing coming from the kitchen is being phoned in. Sauces take days to build. Stocks are slow-simmered. Even the Murray’s Farm eggs and the wine used for the demi-glace are top-shelf. “I believe in slow cooking,” says Challet.

The Drinks

Challet isn’t just running the kitchen—he’s also hand-picking the wine. “The list is structured similarly to the one we had at Ici Bistro, with a 50-50 mix of French and Canadian bottles,” he says. The selection includes a stand-up organic pinot noir from Southbrook, a classic Bordeaux from Château Bourdieu and a rosé from Malivoire. All wines are available by the glass starting at $12 or by the bottle starting at $40.

“I’ve recently developed a real interest in cocktails,” says Challet. “I love the challenge of pairing them with food—it’s an art all its own.” At La Boulangerie Dundas, they’re starting with a tight list of signature cocktails, each designed to complement the food menu. While the selection is small for now, Challet and his team are planning to expand the offerings over the next few months.

The Space

This place is a squeeze—an unfussy room that somehow fits 25 seats. The walls are lined with pieces by Ben Woolfitt, who happens to be a regular. Up front, Challet’s cakes and cookies are their own kind of art, proudly displayed in a glass vitrine. And at the back, clippings about boxing matches cover the walls. (Presti is both a fan of the sport and a serious boxer himself.) There are also a pair of gloves and a dog-eared copy of Ali on the shelf for good measure. It’s a small space that punches way above its weight.