Summerhill has a new bakery, and it’s one Toronto bread lovers may already know. Dear Grain, the local favourite for sourdough loaves and pastries, has opened on Yonge Street, bringing its popular baked goods to the neighbourhood.
“There’s so many amazing food brands that have opened here in the past couple years, whether it’s Manita or Shay or Seahorse,” says Dear Grain co-owner Max Daviau. “It’s really cool to be a part of this movement where some really amazing culinary-forward concepts are coming to the neighbourhood that maybe haven’t been here before. So we’re really excited to be a part of that.”
The Summerhill outpost marks the latest chapter in Dear Grain’s steady rise across Southern Ontario. What began as a dedicated production bakery on Vine Street in Hamilton has steadily conquered Toronto with bustling cafes on the Ossington strip and in Roncesvalles — alongside a Cumberland shop slated for early 2027.
At Scrivener Square, the brand has built its most ambitious community space to date. Anchored by an earthy green interior and the bakery’s signature floor-to-ceiling bread wall, the shop boasts Dear Grain’s largest seating capacity yet, including a sunny 24-seat patio.
That neighbourhood focus extends beyond the bakery, too. Dear Grain plans to take part in local events, including the Cavalcade of Lights, and become a gathering place for the community year-round.
“We really lean into the community. We don’t want it to feel like a box-templated solution. So it starts with store design, but then it feeds the way we operate as well,” Daviau says. “At this store, we have a lot more seating than some of our other locations, and we have a big 24-seat patio. We’ve really tried to come up with an offering that suits the neighbourhood.”
Dear Grain’s focus is slow-fermented sourdough made with locally sourced organic and heirloom flours. Under lead bread baker Adri Greenspan, each loaf ferments for 12 to 36 hours, with options ranging from the Classic Country Loaf and seed-crusted boules to the Multigrain Porridge Pan Loaf, made with toasted buckwheat, wild rice and barley.
That focus on sourdough extends to the scratch-made pastry and hot food menus. Lunch options include a grilled cheese on porridge bread with fior di latte and smoked provolone, plus a buffalo chicken sandwich with hot honey, pickles and chives. The pastry case features brown-butter popcorn and matcha pistachio cookies, hazelnut-mocha scones and sourdough croissants with aged cheddar and za’atar.
Of course, the bakery’s primary purpose is to serve as a love letter to bread.
“We want people to embrace everything that goes before bread, with bread, on bread and after bread,” Daviau says. “All the amazing cheeses and meats and, obviously, our bread wall are prominently featured. We see a huge opportunity for Dear Grain to be the hub of the neighbourhood, a space where you can meet a friend for coffee or grab a pastry. It’s meant to be a multifunctional community hub and part of your day-to-day life.”
Dear Grain is located at 5 Scrivener Square.