I love the atmosphere of this cute little cafe, when they first opened they had a corner for kids,…read morewhich amazing for moms.. then Covid came and all this disappeared! The place is super cute, parking on Westboro not the easiest thing , service I'll be honest not the nicest! I go there so often cause it's next door to my moms apt. I had many issues with their staff, they need to be trained to be kind and nice. Desserts are a hit and Miss but their baked bread and coffee are great!

I was very surprised and impressed with this boulangerie. Mamie Clafoutis is reminiscent of the…read morebetter boulangeries in Paris. Has seating indoors and outside in spring, summer and fall. The first thing you notice is the wide variety of choices in food and pastries. Their Americano is outstanding. I had the pleasure of sampling a few of their sandwiches and pastries and I was never disappointed. The boulangerie is very clean and has a Parisian atmosphere which I really enjoyed. I avoided going at lunch hour on any day; I just dropped in before or after these periods as it was almost impossible to get a table. The staff were very efficient and knew what they were doing. I cannot say enough about this boulangerie. A must visit. Their ground expresso coffee is one of the best that I have tasted and I left with 2 bags. Very well priced. If I could have taken more home I would have. Try the salmon tasting really devious as well as the almond croissant. The everyday breakfast croissant was tasty too. Located in a trendy shopping area. I spent most of my free time hanging out here. Got to practice my French which the staff were happy to help with. My thanks to all of them !!!

Discontinued & Cie is a great local coffee shop, pastry shop and café where locals and tourists…read moregather. When I was there with friends they were rather busy, so it took a while to get our order (order and pick up at the counter). It had been a long day and Fall weather had started, so I opted for a hot chocolate. We had already had dinner, so we just ordered pastries to accompany our hot chocolate or coffee. I enjoyed mine as did my friends. The ambience is very casual, a little bohemian, and comfortable. Most people spoke French, but the ladies at the counter were bilingual and gracious. This is the kind of place to hang out with good friends and have conversation. Totally a positive experience despite the delay in receiving our orders.

Pooh and I decided to come here for breakfast, this morning…read more To start I had an almond milk latté and Pooh had a cappuccino. Pooh enjoyed his cappuccino;however, my latté had lots of foam on top which I had asked not to have plus it wasn't very hot. For our meal both of us ordered a breakfast pizza (pizza déjeuner) The service for the coffee was quick but for the meal it took awhile. The pizzas were delicious! The crust was tender and the poached egg on top added to the deliciousness of the meal The atmosphere is very casual like a café Except for the wait the breakfast was great

I was at Pelican Seafood Market and Grill for lunch a couple of Sundays ago, and explored what Blue…read moreHeron Mall had to offer. I was parked by Ichiban Bakery. I have a weakness for bakeries and decided to check it out on a Sunday afternoon. It's a small bakery where it is more concerned about the baked goods that it produces than making the decor aesthetically pleasing! The woman working there was extremely nice. I went with a number of goodies, including the ham and cheese bun, pain au chocolat, a number of lemon treats (lemon tart, and lemon cheesecake and lemon bars), and a pear tart. Yes, I love anything lemony. I asked about the Japanese-style cheesecake. You can get a slice of it for nearly $7, or the whole thing for $20. I decided to pass on it, as everything seemed so small and overpriced to me. She carefully put everything in a box and I cheerfully left the bakery. Here's my take on the baked goods: - The ham and cheese bun was excellent. I had it for breakfast the following morning. It was savoury and delicious. - The pain au chocolat is my favourite pastry in the world. Sadly, the exterior wasn't flaky and light like a croissant. It was far more dense. The chocolate was yummy. - The lemon and lemon cheesecake bars were disappointing. The lemon flavour wasn't tart enough for my liking. The lemon flavour was subtle and barely there. The crust at the bottom was too thick and not enjoyable. The cheesecake part of the lemon cheesecake was creamy, which was the only plus I got out of it. - The pear and lemon tarts were okay. The crust was thinner than the bars, but not that interesting. I liked the pear one more, as the chunks of real fruit were yummy. The lemon one wasn't tart enough for me, either. The woman let me know that this bakery would be closed for Canada Day the following day, but the other location in the Glebe would be open. I was fortunate to pass by the latter the other day and it looked cute from the outside. I will stick to savoury items should I return to this location. Perhaps I'll try a regular croissant and see if I like it. I will steer away from the lemon items. (228)

Ichiban Bakery is a small bakery in Blue Heron Mall. They sell bread (both loaves and buns),…read morecroissants, and dessert squares. No fancy cakes and no trendy macarons. It is unapologetically simple and reminds me of true mom and pop bakeries in small towns. Baked goods are still on the trays they were baked on. You get a cafeteria tray and use the provided tongs to gather what you want, then bring it to the cash register for them to ring it up. There are three tables that seat two people each along the edge of the bakery in case you want to eat your goodies right there. I've only ever had the croissants here. They are huge and only $1.85 each. They are flaky on the outside and a bit doughier and denser on the inside. The squares look good, I might get some in the future, although I am rarely in this neighbourhood. Staff are very nice. Although the name suggests a Japanese bakery, they don't have any Japanese specialties, at least none that were evident to me. I just saw North American items, like butter tarts, lemon squares, etc. Nothing exotic. Don't go expecting mochi, or Japanese cheesecake or anything like that. (Edit 2017-02-20: Apparently, as per their Facebook page, they started selling Japanese Cream Cheese Buns at their Glebe location 825 Bank St. Maybe they will have it at the Blue Heron Mall location too). Lots of free parking. It's in the same plaza as Farm Boy, Colannade Pizza, and Pelican Seafood Market and Grill.

Lovely staff, simple good crepes we tried their cinnamon and sugar and their cheese one . My mom is…read morepicky about crepes but she loved how thin they are. I really liked their packaging too! We got tempted and bought the Madeline and Sablè they were delicious.

TL;DR/The Short Version: Little takeout joint that sells…read moresweet and savoury crepes, choux pastries and other French sweets. Crepes were tasty. The Longer Version: Le Petit Paris just opened up September 2024. It's very hidden and I would have never just stumbled upon it, especially considering I'm rarely out in Kanata these days. Luckily I'm a weirdo and one of the things I like to do is poke around on Google Maps zooming in randomly on areas in and around Ottawa looking for new businesses to check out. That's how I found Le Petit Paris. It's tucked in behind a bunch of businesses and is not visible from the street. Fortunately the directions on Google Maps lead me there correctly. They are currently takeout only. The space is very small and there is absolutely no place to sit down and eat there. I got the Parisienne Crepe ($10.90) which contained ham, cheese and mushrooms. The crepe was made fresh. However, they use frozen mushrooms, which they microwaved (in the plastic bag it was packaged in, their space is open so I saw this). I get it, they're new and are still working out how much supply they need, but I feel fresh mushrooms would be better. Also, I'm not a fan of microwaving plastics for health reasons. I also think this crepe would taste better with some fresh spinach. Nonetheless, the crepe was tasty. The crepe itself was soft and had the right amount of chew. The ham was nice and smokey and the cheese provided a nice cheese pull ;) The crepe maker, Nene, was lovely. We had a nice conversation, en français, since she told me she was more comfortable in French. The man at the cash register (I think his name was Guy, because that's what was printed on the back of his shirt, lol) was equally nice and told me about their business and products. He was fluently bilingual, so I spoke in English with him ;) Their choux pastries looked good, but it was the end of the day, so they had limited selection left. I'll need to return earlier in the day to try these. There's free parking available in the lot that's shared with neighbouring businesses. I have a soft spot for small locally-owned independent businesses. I hope they do well and can relocate to a more visible/less tucked away location and maybe even have some seating for dining in, in the future. With more business, hopefully they can use fresh ingredients instead of frozen. Review #37 (2025)

Petites Gamines is a really cute bakery on popular Laval St in Gatineau. My husband and I walked…read morethere (from Westboro) as part of our "Adventures in Gatineau" (lol, we rarely venture into Gatineau even though we live right across the bridge in Ottawa, so it's a joke between us that it's an adventure when we go to Gatineau). Anyway, we got a couple of baked goods and overall they were very good. We got an Oreo Brownie ($3.95) and a small Churros donut ($2.95). The brownie was really dense and rich and very chocolatey. It was a bit dry for my tastes, but still enjoyable and it had a potent chocolate flavour. I love strong flavours, so I was a fan. The Churros donut was tiny, but tasty. It had a dollop of dulce de leche in the hole and the texture was cronut-like. It was just really small, and y'all know I'm all about the size, haha. Service was friendly and welcoming. I had a nice chat with the staff member and she told me the owner of the bakery will be opening a Mexican restaurant down the street called Rosalita's. It's scheduled to open summer of 2023. I'll be keeping my eye out for it ;) She also told me all baked goods are made in house. They also sell coffee and teas and Tuesdays through Thursdays they also sell burritos. They have seating inside and a few tables and chairs outside out front as well. Super cute place! I did see any parking lot, so I assume street parking only.

Service was not strong. I tried using my French (I have not lived here long, but totally learning),…read moreand I feel that it was not well received. But the delights in this place were amazing. I think we ate most of the delicacies before taking photos, but I will have to check. We enjoyed donuts that were amazing and some other sweets. This was a cute shop, loved all the things to look at while we were there. It's small, but it's a cute bakery just as other reviewers have said. Take a look, it's worth the visit!

They've changed locations ~1+ years ago to the Kanata location, and ever since they've opened,…read morethey've been my family and I's go-to sweet treat, coffee, lunch AND dinner place. The owner is always so welcoming and the entire staff who works there are so nice! Pastries are SO yummy i'd honestly give it 4.5/5 overall. I personally love their natas and their cannolis are out of this world. It feels like there's still so much pastries and desserts I need to try at Lusa (like their tiramisu cups looks SO GOOD?!). Btw their whole chicken combo is literally incredible. You must try their piri piri sauce, nothing can beat it. 10/10

My friend took me to Lusa Bakery while I was in Ottawa on our walking tour. I love a good bakery…read more This bakery is Portuguese. It meant that, by default, I had to try a nata or Portuguese egg tart. I have a huge weakness for natas. I dream of them often. What is impressive is that my friend has had practically every baked good in this bakery's display case, except for maybe two items. Perhaps by the time I post this review, she would have sampled everything. It also means that this bakery needs to create new items for her and other diehard fans. Although I was more thirsty and wasn't dying to having something to eat, looking at the pear tarts, croissants, cheesecakes, and more made me throw all those physical feelings away. I wanted everything! Of course, I'm not made of money. I had my eyes on the prize: the nata. I ordered one to enjoy at this eatery. I got it on a nice plate. I paid for it with a credit card. I had a huge AriZona iced tea with me, so I didn't need a drink at this stage. The woman behind the counter was helpful and friendly. This bakery also is a convenience-grocery store. My friend picked up a number of chocolate bars and shared one of them with me. You can get everything from Sumol carbonated beverages in plastic bottles, to imported jams. We sat down at a table with chairs to enjoy our treats. It was a bit hot in this place. So, if you are looking for more effective air conditioning (I think it was a fan that cooled the place down here), you may want to try another venue. I loved my nata. It was custardy and yummy. The exterior was flaky and enjoyable. There was a hint of sweetness. It was indeed the perfect nata. This place also has sandwiches. There's a separate area where you can order takeout. I may need to return to get a sandwich and possibly a dozen natas when I'm back. There's a washroom at the back. It was bright and clean when I used it. I am lucky to have a friend who took me to this bakery without my doing a trial-and-error search for the best nata. It's here! I will be back when I'm in the city again. (299)

My first encounter with Michel's Bakery cafe at St Laurent Center though I have seen one every…read moreother day at Rideau Center ground 1, near OC Transpo counter. This outlet has a larger in-dining space compared to the one at Rideau, where they only have a few tables against the wall, along the center's walkway. The service at the counter has been polite and gracious. Although the staff may have little knowledge on the daily special salads ingredients, she apologized for her inability to give information. The cafe is generally cleaned and spacious. Empty seats and lesser crowds were seen at the outlet in mid-afternoon around 3pm on a Saturday. I could easily find my seat and make way to the cashier to order my food. There is a wider range of light snacks like scones, sandwiches, salads, soups,limited pasta (only 1). Breakfast range from platters like Bagel, muffin, croissant/Danish or continental, granola yogurt parfait and even fruit tray. Lunch/ Dinner includes wraps: Cajun chicken Caesar, smoked turkey, Black Forest ham, roast beef etc. sandwiches range from Mediterranean chicken, roast beef with caramelized onions, turkey with grilled mushrooms. Salads lover will get a selection from egg, chicken, albacore tuna or even garden veggies alone. They offer desserts like baked cookies for chocolate chips, lemon poppy or banana loaf slices. They even offer squares platter and croissant platter. I went for a quick tea break. I had with me a small cappuccino which is quite potent in caffeine and smooth in the texture, not acidic even after a while. The cranberry orange cookie $1.25 was a good snack. Mildly sweet and buttery, the disc measures 2/3 of my palm size and was very soft and chewy, I enjoyed the cookie much as it was studded with quite a handful of dried cranberry fruits and candied orange peels and rimmed up with desiccated coconut. Lovely treats on a lazy weekend afternoon!

$6.00 breakfast meal including taxes. Tastes better than A&W's upstairs and they will now have my…read moremorning orders. Thank you for the great service and food.

My favourite breakfast/coffee cafe and bakery in the bank street area. This local cash and debit…read moreonly spot is run by the nicest Cantonese/Vietnamese couple, who make the freshest food to order. I've tried their breakfast wraps, banh mi, and BLT sandwiches so far, and they are better than anything in the area because of the homemade sandwich bread. Perfectly toasty, and the hot items in the sandwich are fried to order. They are a tad slow with making the food, but to be expected. They are also the cheapest in the area, with a sandwich running about $4.75 before tax and tips. Their hot foods, such as the pho, sausage rolls, spring rolls, and meat pies are all worth trying hot! The veggie and meat steam bun is good too, and their iced Vietnamese coffee as well. They have stir fries for under $10 as well, really looking forward to trying those.

The Golden Baguette is a cute little independently owned bakery. They have a variety of products…read moreranging from sweets, like cookies, donuts, pies, and chocolate croissants, to savoury items like sausage rolls, and meat pies. They also have sandwiches and Asian stir-fried dishes. They have coffee and other drinks as well. Oh and of course they sell breads and baguettes. Many of their items have a "homemade" aesthetic to them, and I don't mean that in a pejorative way at all. I actually find it endearing and I like it. I like aesthetic imperfection, it feels more genuine and real ;) My husband and I picked up a bunch of items to share, and I also grabbed a couple of items for my parents. We got an order of the "Beef Bulgogi with rice vermicelli" ($9.75), a vegetarian spring roll ($1.67), a sausage roll ($3.09), and a chili meat pie ($3.09). For my parents we picked up a Beef Bulgogi fried bun ($3.90) and a red bean pastry ($2.86). We ate our goodies in the car, a favourite activity of mine since I was a child, but only recently made popular by the Covid-19 Pandemic. The "Beef Bulgogi with rice vermicelli" was more like stir-fried beef on vermicelli. It didn't have the flavour nor the texture of Korean Beef Bulgogi. The dish was more like the traditional Vietnamese dish of rice vermicelli, with shredded lettuce, cucumbers and carrots. Instead of grilled meats, it was a saucy beef stir-fry. It was tasty and I enjoyed it, it just wasn't Beef Bulgogi, lol. The vegetarian spring roll was hot and crispy, but a bit oily. I tasted a lot of starch in it, from some sort of root vegetable (?) perhaps taro, or potatoes (?) It was my least favourite of the items we tried. The chili meat pie was a nice handheld pie. The pastry was good and held together nicely, wasn't too crumbly. The filling was ground meat with a slightly spicy kick to it. I actually did not have any of the sausage roll as my husband devoured it all, lol, (actually I told him he could have it all because I'm generally not a fan of hotdogs or sausages). He enjoyed it. It's not the puff pastry sausage rolls, but rather a brioche like bun with a sausage in it. Service was courteous and efficient. I'm looking forward to returning to try some of their other things, like their other stir-fried dishes. They also have banh mi! Street parking only, which is free on weekends (although the bakery is closed on Sundays).