Maman

Love love love the ambience here I really feel like I’m in a France café with the Easter– like décor of clay rabbits, the florals, and the rustic wooden tables. I went here during their happy hour which is from 5 to 7pm. They have such a unique cocktail menu, like Parcae, and my favorite from there was the Herbes de Provence ($ 14) — calvados, lillet infused with herbs, lemon juice, sugar and egg whites. For the pastries I recommend trying the eclairs ($ 4.50) — citrus light pineapple filling, and the canele — lemon filling. They have a new menu option that i really enjoyed with crostini tapas customized with toppings of my choice. I liked the anchovies with sundried tomato spread the most!

This is probably one of the prettiest cafés that I’ve been to in Toronto. Their coffee cups have more than one design. The prints on the cups, the wallpaper and the tiles are gorgeous. The food is beautifully prepared. Prices are reasonable given the quality of the food and drinks. Lots of photo ops! Maman is definitely a must go for café lovers.

I’ve been here several times! The hot chocolate is super delicious (and super hot, be careful). The matcha latte is smooth and made with almond milk.
I expected more from the pain au chocolat, and I think I’ve had better chocolate croissants at other places, like Duo. Even Starbucks’ chocolate croissant served warm seemed better.
Specialty drinks come in one size only.

Went to Maman today to grab some pastries before noon, this place is a hidden gem in the third floor of First Canadian Place. The décor is beautiful, warm and inviting. Like other Unilocalers have commented, it really does remind you of a charming café in Paris. I order the macaroons and pistachio loaf. The pistachio loaf was moist and rich; it was covered with chocolate and overall very decadent. I didn’t find it too sweet because it was a subtle flavour of pistachio. They also had a lavender loaf and marble loaf. Their macaroons were also airy inside with a nice outside crust. The thyme and lemon flavour really worked well together. I will still need to go back to try their coffee and lunch options. Everything looked amazing and was reasonably priced.

I really, really tried to like this place. I really did. I fell in love with the interior, the charming setup, and attention to detail. It’s, literally, a restaurant out of a Parisian-​themed Pinterest account.
But sadly, after a couple of visits, I just can’t bring myself to love the actual food (the few things I’ve tried, anyway). I’ve visited twice, both in the mornings, around 8:00 AM, and there wasn’t too much of a lineup. On those two occasions, I ordered: a) the lavender hot chocolate and b) the lavender blueberry loaf (Visit 1), and c) a regular brewed coffee, and d) a croissant (Visit 2).
After looking forward to trying out the lavender loaf and hot chocolate in particular, they were a bit of a letdown. The loaf is very dense, and lacks in flavour. I could barely taste the lavender (no hint at all!), let alone the blueberry. It was, unfortunately, just a basic loaf. The hot chocolate tasted like any other hot chocolate drink — no hint of lavender in there either. The croissant was fine but a tad bit oily, and the coffee was decent, but nothing to rave over.
Since I love the interior and space so much, and since I work right by First Canadian Place, I’m wiling to give them another try one day (maybe a cookie this time). But for now, 3 stars (2 for the food, 3 for the interior).
For a coffee and croissant, I paid $ 5.59 with taxes (Visit 1). For a lavender blueberry loaf and lavender hot chocolate, I paid $ 8.76 with taxes (Visit 2).

My wonderful experience here will probably be attributed to the fantastic service and the décor — the restaurant is very cute, chic and somewhat rustic, I probably spent most of the time admiring that little lavender branch on my menu! Service was great– my gf and I stayed for a bit longer after we were done eating, but there wasn’t even once when we felt rushed and our glasses were always kept full!
Anyway, here’s the lowdown of what I had:
1) Drink: Mocha. Very strong espresso flavor and not too sweet which was really great to wake me up on a Saturday morning!
2) Main: Matcha pancakes — I am a huge matcha fan so I had a lot of expectation for this. Unfortunately I can only say this is very meh for me — the pancakes were pretty dry and there could really be more fruit garnish
3) Snack: Being the biggest pistachio fan, I really wanted to try the pistachio loaf — but haven’t been hearing good things so I tried the Lavender instead. Boy oh boy this was an amazing choice, the Lavender loaf was heavenly cold or warm! Would absolutely reco this!
I would definitely come back to try all the other amazing-​sounding brunch items :)

Very cute décor, well lit with lots of space to do work at the communal tables. I had a brewed coffee and pineapple cake — both were good but not super extraordinary.
I went closer in the evening so it wasn’t busy at all. I wonder if it would have been too noisy to work in during peak hour since it is in the First Canadian Place.

BF was dying to visit this place for months. First time, they were closed. Second time, we managed to procure lunch. We each got sammies, caffeinated drinks, and dessert. All came to about the price of a sit-​down lunch place. Honestly, the sandwiches were kinda gross. BF didn’t even finish his. I had mine only because I was really hungry. Dessert and coffees weren’t bad though. I also loved the décor — especially in the bathroom. I would probably return for a romantic coffee date. But given the price and taste of food — never again for lunch.

This Parisian style bakery/​café place is super cute. It reminds me of a little café you can find in the southern region of France. This is the second location of the Maman chain. The first café is in the SoHo neighbourhood in Manhattan. The café has a rustic feel to it and it also feels very cozy. Like other Unilocalers say, this café is actually difficult to find. It’s in the upstairs food court in First Canadian Place near the IQ restaurant. Be sure to come earlier during lunch to avoid the lunch rush. The line up gets hectic around here since it is located in the financial district.
Went during lunch and my party only ordered the «two salads for $ 11» option. Okay hands down, their salads are pretty good especially the one that has cranberries (I believe the salad was called Julie). Though the salads are pricey, I think it is worth trying it at least once in your life time. Also, their menus change frequently so be sure to check their website to see what they are serving on that specific day. I also ordered their ice tea ($ 3). Their ice tea is what drove down this rating to a 4. The ice tea was not good… highly do not recommend. I haven’t tried their other baked goods or coffee/​lattes but I’m sure they would be decent and better than the ice tea. Their packaging is also super cute and trendy.

Very nice décor.
Went there in the afternoon in order to avoid the lines. Matcha latte was rich with a bit of sweetness from almond milk. Liked it
White chocolate lavender blueberry loaf was tasty! Not very sweet, just right, even if it contained white chocolate.
But I’m not a fan of the pistachio loaf. It had a very strong taste of almond extract! And it was too sweet for me.
In terms of service, the staff seemed indifferent to me.
There was apparently some private tasting event going on when I was there, so I suppose the staff cared more about what they would put on their blogs or whatever. Anyways, I am not impressed by the service as a random customer.

This review applies to the take out dessert I have tried so far. First off its a welcome relief for the people who have access to the PATH network. There is a dearth of decent dessert spots so this one is a welcome relief. The setup is nice and if their desserts a precursor I will be here for brunch.
On the couple of take outs I tried the Pistachio pound cake which was just right. Nice moist and healthy dose of pistachio (was luved by all the guests) Orange was OK. The benchmark for moi croissant was decent as well.
Unfortunately the cappuccino was forgetful.
A good addition to the PATH I will revisit for brunch and update.

I’m such a sucker for packaging. This place is adorbs. Check out that fake bistro-​patio look! Look at the white porcelain bunny vase with fresh flowers sticking out its ears! Check out the blue floral dishes and sticker on the package! Check out the seemingly worn-​in, warm communal dining table! Check out my indiscriminate usage of exclamation marks!!!
Now, beyond the pretty package: This is pretty much strictly a casual lunch place. The menu isn’t very extensive and you’re limited to essential bakery goods. As long as you’re down for bistro fare like a sandwich, quiche, or salad, you’re OK. Expect hot foods and you’ll want to search elsewhere.
I opted for the croque Maman, which is essentially a croque monsieur — a sandwich of ham, housemade bechamel, then smothered in melted cheese. Served warm, it’s one of the only warm-​ish foods you can get other than the quiche.
I felt my sandwich and the quiche were both OK, but a French colleague of mine felt that the bread in her sandwich was stale and that the quiche had too much of the other ingredients in it to really enjoy the egg flavour.
If you plan to give Maman a try, aim for a time outside of the 12:00 — 1:00pm crazy rush. The lineup is lonnnnnggggg.

*This review only reflects the brunch service.
*For their brunch, I really appreciated how Maman don’t have the typical egg benedict that you would see on every brunch’s menu in Toronto.
*You can make a reservation for their weekend brunch through email.
*The staff are true Parisian, no Québécois french (for those who cares…)
*The service was amazing and tentative.
*Quite and relaxing ambiance.
–Matcha Latte — $ 5:
The drink quality here are always consistent! Instead of normal milk, Maman servers the matcha latte with almond milk. I liked how the latte wasn’t too sweet and you can taste the strong (almost grassy) taste of matcha, which is how I like it :).
–Smoke Salmon served on blinies bread with yogurt sauce, lemon, dill & espelette pepper — $ 15:
Friend loved it and licked the plate clean.
–Croque «maman» with parisian ham, comté cheese and béchamel sauce (optional with a sunny side-​up egg +$ 2) — $ 15:
The croque madame, or «maman» came out piping hot and it was a huge portion! Without the egg, the sandwich would still have been really filling and it was worth the $ 13 price tag. The side salad had a bit too much dressings, but it was refreshing after having a heavy sandwich.
Oh boy, I normally dislike the béchamel sauce as some tends to taste a bit too flour-​y or bland, but this was incredibly flavorful and the sauce was not too thin nor thick. The cheese just slightly melted, creamy and buttery. Break the egg yolk and it will runs through your sandwich and mixes with the cheese and béchamel sauce, and it turns into this eating experience that is just beyond words.
–Matcha green tea pancakes with blueberries, ricotta & shredded coconut — $ 14:
The matcha flavor didn’t come through and it was almost undetectable. I couldn’t taste the ricotta nor shredded coconut either. The texture of the pancake was too doughy, dense and almost rubbery. I thought the portion was quite small for $ 14, but it was a good sized portion without making you feeling stuffed. The one positive thing I can think of was that the pancake was not too sweet, even with the syrup and whipped cream.

Lovely french café for lunch.
It’s located on the 2^nd floor of a building (shopping mall/​office). It’s a great little spot for a lunch or coffee break.
I love their Quiche & Salad combo lunch. Any quiche is delicious, and they have many kind of salad. The portion is huge so I can’t finish everything.
I honestly wasn’t impressed by their pastries, but I’d definitely return for lunch if I have a chance to come back to Toronto. I had 2 lunch and 1 breakfast during my 3 days trip.
Staff are very nice and helpful even when they’re super busy. But this opinion can be biased because I’m from NY.

I’ve been here 3 times since it opened. At first I was extremely mesmerized by the décor — Maman is beautifully decorated with long wooden tables, flowers and vintage furniture. I fell in love with it.
However since visiting a few more times, I have become quite disappointed with the food/​drink quality. The coffee is not the best, a little too watery for me. I’ve tried the proscuitto sandwich at lunch which was the most disappointing of all — the bread tasted cheap, and there were barely any ingredients inside. In the sea of mediocre food court options, this sandwich managed to be fly under my expectations.
In terms of baked goods, the lavender cake is average — it’s unique and flavourful, but it tasted too heavy/​oily so I was not able to finish it. The best pastry on the menu is definitely the nutty chocolate chip cookie. The cookie is warmed up, soft on the inside with tasty chocolate chips!
Hopefully their other lunch menus are better because Maman is too cute to have disappointing menu options.

Having been warned of the lineup at lunch, my party arrived before 11:45. There was just a short line, about 3 people deep, and plenty of seats inside and on the patio. Service can be more organized. We gave our orders to a girl who got most of the things and handed them to the person manning the cash. He had to get the things the girl left out and also make our coffee. There’s no tray so ask for your food to go if you’re ordering many items so they’ll pack it in a bag for you.
On to the good stuff — I love how they styled the interior! The patio is gorgeous as well with fresh hydrangeas on every table. Their cups are too cute!
We ordered an assortment of their sweets and a croque madam. Everything was good although the canelé was a little chewy. The bread for the sandwich was delicious and my Americano was lovely! The strawberry tart was super fresh! I can’t say their croissants are the best as I have had comparable ones elsewhere.
Will have to go back to try their soups and pasta. They now have a cocktail bar too!

Adorable Parisian bakery! The décor is beautiful. Maman is vintage, quaint, and picture perfect.
My colleague and I shared the plain croissant ($ 2.75) and pistachio cake ($ 3.50). Not the best croissant I have ever eaten — flaky but very oily. The oil soaked through the bag. The pistachio cake was slightly too sweet for our tastes. The batter mix seemed uneven. The cake lacked balance.
I really wanted to love Maman. It seems to lack substances based on our order. Perhaps I will come back to try other menu items if I am in the area.

I will say that this place is pretty. And with the amount of confused faces ordering from a new place, staff answer queries quickly, so the line moves well.
For a food court lunch, a little on the pricey side, but flavours in the quiche were light and lovely, albeit fridge-​cold. Arugula salad with pine nuts and grilled zucchini was a perfect side to a patio lunch. The Thyme Lemonade was… good.

I’d give this place 5 stars on their décor alone. It has the cutest French country feel and I love every plate, flower, picture frame, chair, etc in there. Even the way they wrap their baguettes is perfection.
Then I ate their food — wow. The pistachio bun was so good and went great with the cortado. The jambon baguette sandwich was so similar to ones I had in Paris. But the star of the meal was the lavender hot chocolate. I am not a hot chocolate fan but this drink made me a believer. A taste like no other drink I’ve had before. It is definitely a must-​try.
Bonus: outdoor terrace facing the financial district

I have been anxiously awaiting this opening and they did not disappoint! I don’t think the décor could get any better, it is beautiful, and inviting. French music playing and French staff really make you feel like you’re no longer in the financial district. Perfect timing as the outdoor terrace is also now open.
Today it was pay what you wish as 100% of proceeds went to a local charity. The breads and pastries are made in house, hence the delectable smell when you walk in.
I got a skim milk latte and croissant. I didn’t know croissants could be so perfect. It was buttery but crispy and light! The latte is also perfect, it is balanced and rich, not weak.
I do believe I have found my new favourite coffee and bakery spot. Cannot wait to try their rotational lunch menu. Je suis amoureuse!