Nice little bakery selling Middle Eastern pies and sweets. They opened end of 2022/beginning of…read more2023. I was running some errands in the area and dropped in for some meat pies. I got 2 regular meat pies ($3.25 each) and 2 meat with pomegranate sauce pies ($3.25 each) for my husband and I. As I was waiting, the nice man working there gave me a free cookie :) The cookie was a shortbread cookie partially dipped in chocolate. I have had many Middle Eastern meat pies, but this was my first time having a meat pie with pomegranate sauce. The pomegranate flavour was subtle and I mostly just tasted a twinge of sweetness to the pie. It was interesting, but I think I prefer regular meat pies instead. The regular meat pie was good and the seasonings are very different from the majority of other meat pies in the city. It had ground meat, tomatoes and parsley inside. The pastry of both pies were thin and crispy which I liked. I don't like it when it's too doughy. The pies were also a good size with a good amount of meat. They make for a very affordable snack. There are a few tables to eat in and a water fountain inside the bakery. Staff were pleasant. And I immediately like anyone who gives me free cookies, lol. The bakery is located in a strip mall. Same strip mall as Big Rig Brewery and Supreme Kabob House. Lots of free parking in the shared parking lot.

The best in Ottawa The taste is good and the place is…read morebeautiful. The service is excellent I highly recommend him an experience that was very good.

I appreciated my visit to Britannia Coffeeshop because they have a patio where you can sit near…read moreyour bike outside, right near the beginning of the parkway for Ottawa Bike Days. It is a go to place for cyclists. The indoor seating though, is rather uncomfortable for some reason. The service is good, and bonus points for latte art! It is busy for a reason. I went on a Sunday morning and it was packed. Lots of people visiting after spending some time outside which is great.

This is one of my favorite stops in Ottawa. Whether you need Ane ice cream, bakeshop or coffee fix,…read morethey got you covered. High quality ice cream with rotating flavours. Yum. And many spots to sit outside in nice weather. Baked goods are hard to resist. Small but mighty selection. Everything is good! Coffee is reliably well made, and the cozy seating area is great on a cold day. What I love about inside is the low key quirkiness, from old hair salon chairs to snow shoe art, I usually spot something I've never noticed before. They do also have a small light lunch type of menu, and anything I've ordered from that has been tasty. Staff are top notch - well versed on the product, always genuine, and efficient. It's a little gem hidden away in the neighborhood. In summer, parking can be a challenge, and the ice cream line looks daunting. But good things come to those who wait, and the line moves at an efficient pace.

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.

Fresh cakes. Among the best baklavas in Ottawa…read more The place is small - one side is cakes, individual or group sizes. One side are different types of baklavas and kunefeh. Service is good. They had more staff for Mother's Day and only one staff on a quiet Sunday. It's one of my new go to for cake and baklava.

The best cakes in the city and you can't beat the price or freshness. All of their pastries are…read moredelicious. I would recommend this place over every other bakery in the city.

TL;DR/The Short Version: Cute little place in Stittsville…read moreselling tasty soups and sandwiches. The Long Version: I had lunch at Wiches Cauldron recently and it was great. I got the Chicken Sandwich ($15.95). It was sliced real chicken breast meat, mozzarella cheese, mixed greens, cucumbers, picked onions and fig jam. It usually comes with mayo, but I asked them to omit it. All sandwiches come with a mini 4 oz soup. I chose the curried carrot and squash soup. The sandwich was delicious. The bread they use is a Kaiser and it's from Carp Bakery. It was soft and very fresh. I loved that the meat was real chicken and not deli meat. The fig jam was tasty and gave the sandwich a nice sweet taste. The soup was a bit watery, but was full of flavour. It had a strong curry flavour and the coconut milk in it made it a bit creamy. I enjoyed it. Funny story: I ordered the chicken sandwich. They ask your name for the order. The lady who ordered after me also got the chicken sandwich but she asked for no cheese. The cashier announced to the kitchen "no cheese on the chicken sandwich" and the kitchen asked "which order? Jennifer's?" And the cashier said "no, the next one, I haven't punched it in yet." Lol. I chimed in "I love cheese, I definitely want cheese on my sandwich!" The man in the kitchen said "alright, extra cheese for Jennifer!" And the lady after me said "yeah, you can have my cheese." Haha. So I got two slices of cheese in my sandwich. Score! Lol. Everyone working there was super nice and friendly. It's a small place, so the cash and the kitchen are right next to each other. I took my order to go, but there's seating to dine in. I noticed they have a small amount of branded merchandise, like baseball caps. There is free parking in their private parking lot at the back of the restaurant. Fun facts: The Wiches Cauldron started off as a food truck in the early/mid 2010s. Some time in the early 2020s they moved into their present location which was Red Gables Creperie before (it was also briefly Red Gables Ramen before they rebranded and started selling crepes instead of ramen). Review #33 (2025)

Best soups, sammies, and treats in town! Their weekend specials are terrific too. Been a big fan…read moresince the food truck days.

I've been to the Safi Fine Foods on Somerset St in Sandy Hill and had no idea that they had a…read moresecond location in Little Italy. Apparently it's been open for over a year (so opened in 2022). I only stumbled upon it by chance because I was looking to check out Aisle 24 Market (this new concept cashier-less/staff-less grocery store that's open 24/7, anyway that's another review for another time). Safi Fine Foods is in the Envie building and is somewhat hidden from the street by the Envie 2 building. Anyway, if you go to the atrium between the Envie building and the Envie 2 building, you'll see it. It's a really cute little cafe. The decor is very nice and would be a great place for a coffee date. They sell baked goods, sandwiches, gelato, coffee and tea. They also sell some gourmet food items and some regular grocery store items. I got a piece of mango mousse cake ($3.99) to share with my husband. We got it to go and ate it on one of the picnic tables in between the Envie buildings. It was moist and tasted like mangos. It was a good size, especially for the price. Service was courteous. What a convenient place for the residents of the Envie buildings. Worth a visit even if you don't live there. It's just off the main drag in Little Italy.

Small bakery with sandwiches, viennoiseries, cakes, cookies and pies…read more Perfect for an after hike snack or a dessert for dinner. They have more limited selection of bread on a week day and more on the week end. Good quality. Some items are a bit pricey but still worth it for the quality. The whole wheat sourdough was amazing.

Amazing bakery, we stop by every time we go to Gatineau Park. We often try whatever sandwich of the…read moreday they have, their fried pizza and I always like the veggie wrap (vegan). I have had their cookies and breads as well and I have liked everything. You have to go early because they sell out of everything!

This breakfast sandwich is delicious! The staff is nice and there's places to sit. I'll need to try…read moremore of their stuff.

So Amandine Patisserie recently opened up (November 19, 2022) where Le Suq used to be (and…read morepreviously Bella Via Cafe). They sell French pastries. My husband and I stopped by to grab some pastries and overall they were good, but some items I found a bit pricey. I got a croissant ($2.50) and my husband got a chocolate eclair ($5). The croissant was good. It was crispy on the outside and flaky. It was large and I feel reasonably priced. The eclair was also good, but very small in my opinion and I feel it was expensive for what it was. It wasn't too sweet, which I appreciated. The pastry was a bit denser than I'm used to, but it was still good. They had some day-old pastries for 30% off, maybe I should have tried one of those, lol. I did want to try fresh items for a proper review though ;) The man serving us was very welcoming and courteous. He advised us that new products would be coming and they were making Galette des Rois for Christmas (our visit was a few weeks before Christmas). He also let us know that since they are closed on Tuesdays, on Mondays after 4pm all their pastries are 30% off. They had a flan cake there that looked amazing. I might need to pick up a slice ($5 for a good sized piece). On a subsequent visit I tried the Brioche topped with pearl sugar ($4), it was too dense for my liking and on the dry side, in my opinion. I also got a slice of their Raspberry Yule log ($6.50) which was fantastic, but the slice was a little thin. The raspberry mousse was airy, light and full of raspberry flavour and was my favourite part of the cake. They were out of the flan cake, unfortunately. There's some seating inside and they also sell coffee and tea. Street parking only.