If you’ve spent any time around Toronto’s food social media ecosystem in the past couple of years, you’ve probably encountered Penelope Focacceria, the Woodbridge-based bakery and sandwich shop that has developed a following wildly disproportionate to its original square footage. The focaccia — properly made, properly cured, properly topped — became the kind of thing people drove across the GTA for, and that kind of devotion inevitably points in one direction: expansion.
Penelope has now confirmed it is opening a substantial new location in Toronto proper, bringing the focaccia that launched a thousand social media posts to a city that has been waiting for easier access to it. The new space is being described as significantly larger than the original Woodbridge location — a venue that can absorb the weekend lineups that the Penelope brand has always generated, rather than simply managing them.
The focaccia at Penelope earns its reputation. The bread itself is the foundation: thick, yielding, slightly crisp on the outside and entirely generous in its texture. Toppings are applied with restraint and intelligence — this is not a kitchen that believes more is always more, but one that understands that a great focaccia sandwich is built on balance. The bakery program extends beyond the signature sandwich to pastries and other baked goods that reward a slow morning visit.
For Torontonians who’ve been making the GTA pilgrimage, the new city location represents an obvious quality-of-life improvement. For those who’ve only heard about Penelope without making the trip, it’s an opportunity that finally removes the commute as a barrier to entry.
Watch for the Penelope Focacceria Toronto opening and make your first visit a priority — the focaccia that drove people to Woodbridge is coming to you.