North York’s Jewish food runs north on Bathurst from Lawrence to Steeles: classic delis, bagel bakeries, kosher bakeries and Israeli counters. These 16 spots are listed as open by Google, and the oldest dates to 1912.
Pancer’s Original Deli (3856 Bathurst St) and Wolfie’s (670 Sheppard Ave W) are the two classic delis, with Wolfie’s serving Montreal-style smoked meat. Gryfe’s (3421 Bathurst St) is the bagel institution, and Grodzinski (3437 Bathurst St) is the challah stop.
Kosher status varies by venue. We say COR only where a source does, and you can check any listing at cor.ca.
Four spots with the longest histories on the corridor, from United Bakers at Lawrence to Pancer’s north of Sheppard.
📍 3856 Bathurst St · Bathurst & Wilson Heights side
Pancer’s Original Deli at 3856 Bathurst St was founded in 1957 by Moe Pancer. After a 2010 sale and a closure, the family reopened it as Pancer’s Original Deli; we could not confirm the reopening date. The Nosher listed it among Toronto’s best Jewish food in 2019.
What to get: a smoked-meat or pastrami sandwich with thick fries, plus a knish, chicken noodle soup or chopped liver.
📍 670 Sheppard Ave W · Bathurst & Sheppard
Wolfie’s at 670 Sheppard Ave W opened in 1975 and serves Montreal-style smoked meat, with the brisket imported from Montreal, according to Streets of Toronto.
What to get: a single or double smoked-meat sandwich on rye.
Worth knowing: Not listed as kosher-certified in our sources — do not assume it is.
📍 506 Lawrence Ave W · Lawrence & Bathurst edge
United Bakers at 506 Lawrence Ave W has been a dairy restaurant since 1912 — the oldest name on this page and the one to choose when you want no meat on the table.
What to get: pea soup, cheese blintzes, smoked fish or shakshuka.
Worth knowing: Our sources do not state a kosher certification for United Bakers, so we make no claim either way.
📍 3038 Bathurst St · Bathurst south of Lawrence
The Chicken Nest at 3038 Bathurst St is described by the Canadian Jewish News as the oldest kosher restaurant in Toronto at roughly 25 years old (the article is undated). Blogto’s 2023 kosher list calls it kosher meat; the certifying body was not named.
What to get: brisket or smoked-meat sandwiches, ribs, pot pie, BBQ chicken.
Worth knowing: Listed as open until 10:45 p.m. Sunday to Friday in our research; confirm before you go.
Four bagel shops, from a 1915 bakery to a 2016 newcomer.
📍 3421 Bathurst St · Bathurst & Wilson
Gryfe’s at 3421 Bathurst St began in 1915 as S. Gryfe Bakery in Kensington Market, started making bagels in the 1950s and was sold in 2022 to David Fisher and David Granovsky (Daily Hive, August 20, 2025). Blogto reported in January 2026 that a content creator flew to Los Angeles with 144 Gryfe’s bagels.
What to get: sesame, everything or poppy bagels, or a pizza bagel.
Worth knowing: Our research notes it as cash only and gives conflicting closed days, so bring cash and call 416-783-1552 for hours. Kosher certification is not stated in our sources.
📍 3030 Bathurst St · Bathurst & Lawrence
Bubby’s at 3030 Bathurst St launched in May 2016 with New York-style bagels in 20-30 flavours. Blogto’s 2023 kosher list calls it certified kosher, and COR wrote about its opening.
What to get: a jalapeno, spinach or Montreal steak spice bagel, a bialy, or lox and herring.
Worth knowing: Some sources list the address as 3035 Bathurst; Google places it at 3030.
📍 634 Sheppard Ave W · Bathurst & Sheppard
Bagel Plus at 634 Sheppard Ave W has been baking since 1979 and also sells soups, salads and Jewish comfort food.
What to get: a fresh bagel, plus soup.
📍 336 Wilson Ave · Bathurst & Wilson
Bagel World at 336 Wilson Ave makes New York-style bagels; The Nosher flagged its giant twister in 2019.
What to get: a dozen bagels, or the giant twister.
Challah, babka and prepared food, plus two certified restaurants. Check the certification line on each card.
📍 3437 Bathurst St · Bathurst & Wilson
Grodzinski at 3437 Bathurst St opened its Bathurst shop in 1999 under Daniel Grodzinski and sells about 10,000 loaves of challah a month, per Post City and the CJN. The Nosher (2019) describes it as kosher.
What to get: challah, chocolate babka, sufganiyot, herring.
📍 2885 Bathurst St · Bathurst south of Lawrence
Hermes Bakery at 2885 Bathurst St is a kosher bakery and grocery that The Nosher (2019) called formally kosher, and it is nut-free.
What to get: challah, bagels, matzah-ball mix, blueberry buffaloes.
📍 3031 Bathurst St · Bathurst & Lawrence
Haymishe at 3031 Bathurst St is a kosher bakery per The Nosher (2019), with a gluten-free line.
What to get: hamantaschen, cheese danish, pizza slices, bagels.
📍 4119 Bathurst St, Unit 1 · Bathurst north of Sheppard
Richmond Kosher Bakery at 4119 Bathurst St is the northern bakery on the corridor, listed as kosher by The Nosher (2019).
What to get: challah, rugelach, bagels.
📍 3468 Bathurst St · Bathurst & Wilson
Kosher City Plus at 3468 Bathurst St is a kosher market that also sells Gryfe’s bagels, so it works as a one-stop run after the bagel line.
What to get: cookies and apple bundt cakes.
📍 3456 Bathurst St · Bathurst & Ranee
Pantry Foods at 3456 Bathurst St sells prepared kosher food, per Blogto; the certifying body is not stated in our sources.
What to get: quiche, shakshuka, salmon dumplings.
📍 3027 Bathurst St · Bathurst & Lawrence
Dr. Laffa at 3027 Bathurst St bakes laffa to order and is COR-certified per cor.ca. The brand is now part of Famous Laffa, so check the sign. Google shows only 11 reviews, so treat the 3.7 rating cautiously.
What to get: laffa with shawarma or falafel, hummus, schnitzel; Blogto calls the shawarma legendary.
📍 5982 Bathurst St · Bathurst & Steeles
Tov-Li at 5982 Bathurst St is COR Toronto certified, dairy only, and serves an Israeli breakfast. It is closed Friday and Saturday around Shabbat.
What to get: eggs with Israeli salad and hummus, falafel plates, pizza and pasta.
Just north of the boundary, Centre Street Deli at 1136 Centre St in Thornhill has served Montreal-style food since 1988. We mention it as an outside option and have not ranked it.
Which style are you getting? Our sources describe each shop this way; the table keeps to those descriptions.
| Where | Style | Order tip |
|---|---|---|
| Wolfie’s (670 Sheppard Ave W) | Montreal-style smoked meat | Brisket imported from Montreal; order single or double on rye. |
| Pancer’s (3856 Bathurst St) | Smoked meat and pastrami sandwiches | Pair it with thick fries, a knish or chopped liver. |
| Bubby’s (3030 Bathurst St) | New York-style bagels | 20–30 flavours; also bialys, lox and herring. |
| Bagel World (336 Wilson Ave) | New York-style bagels | The giant twister is the signature. |
| Gryfe’s (3421 Bathurst St) | Fluffy bagels, 1960s recipe | Sesame, everything, poppy; bring cash. |
| United Bakers (506 Lawrence Ave W) | Dairy deli | Blintzes, pea soup, smoked fish — no meat. |
Eat the sandwich at the deli and carry the bagels home.— North York Guide
Start at Gryfe’s (3421 Bathurst St) with cash, grab challah at Grodzinski (3437 Bathurst St) next door but one, then drive north to Wolfie’s (670 Sheppard Ave W).
Kosher restaurants and bakeries generally close from Friday afternoon through Saturday evening. Tov-Li, for example, is closed Friday and Saturday. Many stay closed on Jewish holidays, and bread and bagel shops may close or sell only kosher-for-Passover goods around Passover. Delis without kosher certification, such as Pancer’s and Wolfie’s, can keep different hours.
We have not verified specific holiday closure dates, so call ahead and check the Jewish calendar. Challah and bagel demand spikes before holidays, so pre-order. COR (the Kashruth Council of Canada, 3200 Dufferin St) is the Toronto standard for certification; check cor.ca for current status.
Pancer’s Original Deli (3856 Bathurst St, 4.5 on Google from 1,720 reviews) and Wolfie’s (670 Sheppard Ave W, 4.6 from 561 reviews). Wolfie’s serves Montreal-style smoked meat; Pancer’s has been serving since 1957.
Gryfe’s (3421 Bathurst St), Bubby’s (3030 Bathurst St), Bagel Plus (634 Sheppard Ave W) and Bagel World (336 Wilson Ave) are the four bagel shops on this page, and Hermes Bakery (2885 Bathurst St) also bakes bagels.
Our research lists Gryfe’s as cash only but gives conflicting closed days, so we do not publish a day. Call 416-783-1552 to confirm hours before you go.
COR is the Kashruth Council of Canada, based at 3200 Dufferin St, and the main Toronto kosher certifier. Check any venue’s status at cor.ca. On this page, Bubby’s, Dr. Laffa and Tov-Li are the venues where our sources cite COR.
Grodzinski (3437 Bathurst St), Hermes (2885 Bathurst St), Haymishe (3031 Bathurst St) and Richmond Kosher Bakery (4119 Bathurst St). Grodzinski sells about 10,000 loaves a month.
Dr. Laffa (3027 Bathurst St), COR-certified, bakes laffa to order. Tov-Li (5982 Bathurst St) is COR Toronto certified, dairy only, and closed Friday and Saturday.
Generally, yes — from Friday afternoon through Saturday evening, and often on holidays. We have not verified specific holiday dates, so call ahead.
United Bakers (506 Lawrence Ave W), a dairy restaurant since 1912, serves cheese blintzes and pea soup. Tov-Li (5982 Bathurst St) is the dairy option further north.
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Venue photos via Google Maps.