Tous Les Jours Bakery Opens In Former Capital Tacos Location On S.R. 56! 

Congratulations to the owners of the new Tous les Jours bakery franchise at 27209 S.R. 56 — in the former location of Capital Tacos

Like the Tous les Jours inside the Lotte Plaza Market in New Tampa, the Wesley Chapel location offers a large selection of freshly baked croissants, pastries, donuts, breads and more — in both sweet and savory varieties — as well as cakes, coffee drinks, teas, smoothies, lemonades and much more. 

Photographer Charmaine George and I have visited the new Tous les Jours twice and the first thing we both noticed is how much nicer and more spacious the new location is than the one in the Lotte Plaza Market food court. There are several tables, as well as couches, for enjoying your purchases inside the shop, which in no way still resembles the old Capital Tacos. 

As for the baked goods, among the sweet options we’ve sampled are an almond croissant, a large Mont Blanc pastry (which is like a huge, crispy outside-flaky inside cinnamon roll), a strawberry croissant filled not only with super-fresh strawberries, but also whipped cream, and a mini caramel apple pie. The savory items we’ve tried and enjoyed include a ham-&-cheese croissant, a spinach and feta pastry (which is both sweet and savory), a croque monsieur sandwich (a grilled French-style ham and cheese sandwich) and a sausage onion pastry, which is like a hot dog surrounded by a pastry with onions, cheese and ketchup. There also are several different kinds of milk breads, full bread loaves stuffed with whipped cream and so many more. We haven’t tried any of the cakes yet, but give us time! 

As for beverages, I’ve enjoyed both the vanilla latte and caramel macchiato and Charmaine and I agreed that the fresh, thick, hand-spun mango smoothie (below) was delicious. There also is a huge selection of hot and iced teas available and more! 

Tous les Jours is a French-inspired — its name literally means “Every Day” in French) — Korean-owned chain of bakeries with 1,700 locations around the world, including more than 100 (and growing) in the U.S. 

The Wesley Chapel Tous les Jours is open every day from 9 a.m.-6 p.m., and although the menu doesn’t include some of the freshly made sandwich items other Tous les Jours stores carry, the hope here is that they’ll add some of those items in the future. 

For more info, call (813) 388-5612 or visit tljus.com. — GN 

CAO Bakery Is Open! Paris Baguette Is Coming Soon!

Even though it’s located inside the Kangaroo Express gas station at 17519 BBD Blvd. (in New Tampa’s North Palms Village), don’t be afraid to try the new CAO (which stands for “Cuban American Original”) Bakery & Café — it’s muy bueno! 

The Cuban-style bakery, with 16 Miami-area locations and one in West Tampa, features freshly made breakfast and lunch sandwiches (like the bacon, fresh scrambled egg & cheese on roll above), plus empanadas, Latin pastries and Cuban coffee drinks. It’s open Mon.-Sat., 6 a.m.-8 p.m., and 7 a.m.-8 p.m. on Sunday, and does have inside seating. To order online, visit CAOBakeryCafe.com

Speaking of bakeries, although we don’t know when, the 20th location of Paris Baguette Bakery (photo below) will open in the former Orangetheory Fitness spot in Highwoods Preserve (at 17515 Preserve Walk Ln.), next to Cold Stone Creamery. 

Like Tous Les Jours in the Lotte Plaza Market, Paris Baguette is Korean-owned (with 4,000 locations worldwide, including 200 in the U.S. & Canada) and features a variety of French-style pastries, plus cakes, quiches, salads and breakfast and lunch sandwiches, and a variety of hot & cold beverages. For more information, visit ParisBaguette.com.-GN