Emmer : Great Bakery and Café on Harbord Street

There are bakeries you visit. And then there are bakeries that line up around the block on a regular Wednesday because people know exactly what’s worth waiting for. Emmer on Harbord Street has been the second kind almost from the day it opened. Pistachio croissants people drive across the city for. Sourdough that built the foundation. House-cured hams, in-house ground meat, ferment-everything sauces, English muffins made every morning. It’s a small team running a serious operation, and it’s one of Toronto’s most beloved bakeries five years in.

A Quebecer’s Toronto Project, 20 Years in the Making

Emmer’s owner Philip Haddad grew up in Quebec, where he lived for the first 23 years of his life. He came to Toronto for his dental residency, stayed for his specialty, and built a clinic with his brother. He’s been in Toronto for 24 years now, working as a prosthodontist by day and pursuing a different obsession the rest of the time.

That obsession is bread and pastry. Philip’s been baking for around 20 years, deepening his craft alongside his dental practice. With friends in the restaurant industry and family ties to the food world, he was able to do apprenticeships in Paris, San Francisco, and elsewhere, often a week or two at a time when his schedule allowed. Friends came to Toronto to coach him. Skills accumulated.

Then a space he describes as iconic became available. He bought it. The plan was a tiny pâtisserie reflecting what he loved most about the bakery world. Three or four employees. Something quiet.

It was supposed to be small. It became something else entirely.

Opening Through the Pandemic

The original plan was a full renovation and a proper interior. Then COVID hit. Philip and his team pivoted, opened with what they had, and ran with the idea of being a small café first. The thinking was simple: if it doesn’t work, we’ll close and reopen later. Five years later, that “later” never came, because Emmer never stopped working.

Opening day, 200 people lined up. They sold out for the first 40 in line. The team did a full reset that night, came back the next day producing more, and have been catching up to demand ever since.

What to Order

The croissants are what put Emmer on the map and what keep it there. Philip says he didn’t expect them to do what they’ve done. The team worked hard on the formulation, and the result is the kind of croissant that pulls regulars into a weekly habit.

The pistachio croissant is the one. Difficult to make, labour-intensive, and limited in quantity, it’s the headline pastry at Emmer and the dish people specifically come for. They’re available on a first-come, first-served basis. You can’t pre-order them online. If you want one, you show up.

The bread is the classic that anchors everything. Sourdough is at the centre of the program, and the loaves are reliably some of the better bread you’ll buy in Toronto.

The lunch program is where the kitchen’s commitment to in-house production really shows. Emmer cures its own ham. The team grinds all of its own meats for the hamburgers and sausage rolls. The sauces are all made and fermented in-house. They built their own English muffin recipe and bake them every morning for the breakfast sandwiches. Everything is as fresh as the team can make it, and you can taste it.

Lunch plates round out the offer with savoury toasts, patty melts, veggie-forward dishes, and house-made pasta.

Cocktails, Beer, and a Loaf-Based Brew

Emmer is licensed and runs cocktails and beer alongside the bakery and lunch menu. The most interesting drink on the list is Proof, a beer brewed for Emmer by an independent brewery in northern Ontario using Emmer’s own sourdough bread as part of the base. Emmer brought it back recently and plans to keep it as an annual project.

A Heated Patio That Runs All Year

Because the original full-restaurant build never happened, Emmer has no interior seating. What it does have is a patio with around 70 seats that’s fully covered and heated. People sit there year-round, comfortable in any season. It’s effectively the dining room, just outside.

For pre-orders, you can reserve breads and most croissants online. There’s also Uber Eats, same-day pickup options, and a small catering department that takes orders with a few days of notice. The team keeps catering quiet because they’re a small operation, but it’s there if you ask.

What Philip Is Most Proud Of

When asked what he’s most proud of, Philip’s answer is straightforward. He’s proud that the product has stayed the same as day one. They don’t cut corners. They only buy the best ingredients. The staff is paid well, the environment is built around their wellbeing, and the team takes real pride in the work. Philip will tell you he doesn’t have to show up at 5 a.m. anymore to check every loaf. The team is proud enough of the product to do that themselves.

He’ll also point out something rare in Toronto’s restaurant world: Emmer has never paid influencers, never traded product for posts. The product speaks for itself, and it has, for five years.

There’s a reason the line never goes away.

Written by Fabie Lubin
Photography by Scott Usheroff (Craving Curator)

Updated on May 22, 2026

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