Review of an Allergy-Friendly Bakery: La Vida Cocoa Craft Bakery and Cafe (CLOSED)

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Going Loco for La Vida Cocoa (CLOSED)

By Pauline Osena

My family manages food allergies to wheat, dairy, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts and fish, which makes our dining out options pretty slim. So when I heard about a bakery in Thornhill that was free from gluten and top allergens, I packed up the entire family and took a short drive north of downtown Toronto to La Vida Cocoa.

La Vida Cocoa is a cozy bakery located at a plaza on Steeles Avenue, east of Bathurst Street and west of Yonge Street. They serve an assortment of items that contain no gluten, dairy, eggs, corn, soy or nuts. As an added bonus, everything is free from refined sugars, which makes their menu suitable for diabetics and young children.

Upon entering, we were greeted by the friendly owner of the bakery. He was more than happy to talk about the different products they made in house. While the adults were chatting, my children quickly gravitated towards an interactive activity wall that kept them occupied until the treats got to the table.

My kids salivated over the beautiful cupcakes, pies, chocolates, cookies and cakes in the display case, and it was touching to be able to tell them that they could pick anything they wanted. We tried a little bit of everything, including a healthy twix bar and delicious espresso. If you’re hungry for a meal, they also serve savoury foods, like this vegan gluten-free wrap.

As an added bonus, the bakery has a large selection of items for take-out such as kale chips, dairy-free ice cream, frozen pierogis and vegan burgers.

It was definitely worth the drive to Thornhill. My kids had a great time and we enjoyed the baked goods so much that we decided to take home a hearty gluten-free sourdough loaf of bread and some cookies—so that we could continue living La Vida Cocoa for the rest of the week.

Did you know that La Vida Cocoa is participating in the AllergyBites discount card program? Cardholders get 10% off all in-store orders. Lucky I got myself a card because I’ll definitely be going back!