Padaria
Padaria is a Brazilian style bakery that makes sweet and savoury items from scratch throughout the day.
Brigadeiro cakes (otherwise known as Charlotte cakes) in several sizes are their specialty.
They also have a pantry section stocked with dry and frozen imported Brazilian goods as well as products from local Brazilian artisans.
The space has been converted into a full bakery where there wasn't one before with an airy white design and mural work. There's a sight line into the kitchen where all scratch baking takes place.
Charlotte cakes in sizes from mini ($4.50) to full ($30) are basically shallow wells of fluffy cake with filling in the middle. Combinations include chocolate with gooey chocolate brigadeiro filling (made with condensed milk), carrot with chocolate or cornmeal with guava jam. They also sell regular brigadeiro truffles on their own.
Tarts ($5.60) come in flavours like brigadeiro, banana and dulce de leche, and key lime mousse (limes are actually very commonly used in Brazil).
Bombas ($5) are essentially eclairs, and taste much the same as the French versions.
Pudim ($8), a Brazilian flan, steals the show, a custard made with condensed milk (in place of sugar so it's creamier than others) layered with creme caramel.
Brazilian-style donuts are essentially deep-fried bread rolls cut in half and filled with pastry cream.
Paozinho is restocked fresh throughout the day, a type of crusty bread roll that's crunchy on the outside and steamy and fluffy on the inside. It's apparently ubiquitous in Brazil, quite often eaten with a banana jam they also stock here.
When it comes to savoury goods, also don't miss out on hearty coxinha ($4.50), deep fried potato dough with a chicken filling and bread flour coating. Other stars include Calabresa bread ($4) with sausage and cheese, and gluten-free pao de queijo made with Canadian cheddar that rival the finest French gougeres.
They serve exclusively Brazilian coffee from de Mello Palheta here, from drip that starts at $2.20 to cappuccinos, lattes, Americanos, and even brigadeiro macchiatos ($4.75).
Beans are also available for purchase in bags ($12).
For something a little different, try an iced tea with a very Brazilian squeeze of lime.
Pantry products include pickles, spreads, antipasto and sauces from local Brazilian artisan Hello Betina.
A local Brazilian maker called Dreaming with Isa even stocks face masks. This section also has hard-to-find products like cassava flour and frozen acai.
Hector Vasquez