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.

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!

I have been 2 more time since my last review and there seems to be a lot of improvement…read more The employee I mentioned in my previous post was not there the last 2 times I went. The result is friendly service and a clean environment.

This Dao Cafe is co-located with a Tealive. However, they also sell their own drinks (mostly coffee…read moreand tea beverages like lattes and cappuccinos). They sell lots of fancy pastries, with the prices to match, lol. I've tried the Lychee Rose cake $11.50. It was served in a round container the size of a small drinking glass. The lychee and Rose flavours were pronounced, but the rose dominated and I would have preferred the reverse. The top had a light sprinkling of tiny real rose petal pieces. The cake was sponge cake and was soft and moist. The cream was airy and fluffy. It was tasty, but a bit pricey for the portion size. I've also tried their Korean macarons ($3.90 each). Korean macarons are like French macarons except there's a lot of filling and it's a thick buttery cream. I'm not a fan of the filling. It's too rich for me. However, if you like these types of macarons these are well made. My overall assessment is that the desserts look pretty, the taste is good, but you're paying more for the aesthetics. Service is courteous and efficient. The cafe is also really pretty inside. Very Instagramble ;) It's in a plaza, so lots of free parking. (25)

I love the first Dao location that opened in Ottawa…read more Maybe I expected too much for this location which is a a 3*, A-OK, in my books. We went on a Saturday around 5p. The seating and tables weren't being attended to, so there were crumbs at and on every available seating/table combo. The garbage in the seating area was overflowing. Customer service at the cash was cheerful and reasonably efficient. The barrista failed us, as, with only our order, it took a while to receive it. My flat white, which should be smooth with a slightly sweet finish was bitter and acidic. Sigh. Lots of people seemed to be enjoying themselves. The pastries are as stunning and tasty as at the other location. This location is also quite beautiful with an airy feel. Nice space for a chat. The seating along the window is likely best suited to singles, or under thirty crowd, as, to have a conversation, you either have to put a leg up on the bench or crane your torso and neck. I found it a bit uncomfortable. And since that was just about the only seating left...I'm wondering if others may have had similar experiences. This location is much closer to home for us... maybe I'll keep my Doa fix for when I'm in the west end of the city.

Terrific spot for lunch today! Friendly service and excellent food. Nice views from the large…read morewindows (non-busy street out front, marsh/park out back). The smoked turkey and Gouda sandwich was excellent. It had cranberry mayo and spicy Dijon, which added extra flavor interest. I also had a slice of coconut cream pie, which was my first bite of it in years. I need to make this soon at home! How could I have forgotten how much I love this dessert?! Anyway, Alice's was fantastic. If you're nearby and don't go to Alice's, you're missing out!

What a CUTE place! Stopped in with the fam after walking by and smelling the aroma of some good…read morefood being cooked here. It was quiet empty when we spent our time here, so it made for a calm, relaxing experience. Shared a french fry with the baby and the hubs shared a chicken finger meal with my other (big) baby :) Super cute and relaxing interior. After hanging out inside here for a bit my kid said she wanted to move to Carp, so we can come to this cafe everyday! Seating outside or inside. Pay when you order and then they bring you your food! Friendly and welcoming service. I was intimidated before stopping in being with two kids, but this cafe is 100% kid friendly! After checking out the unisex bathroom, the kid and I discovered a rack of toys, games and blankets. So fun and adds extra charm to this restaurant. So coming back here!

If you're going to a patisserie, you're not counting calories or going gluten free. You're looking…read morefor light, flaky, delicious pastries, you're looking for lots of butter, and chocolate and sugar. You'l find all that and more at Mamie Clafoutis. They've done a great job of pivoting to COVID, with well-defined lanes for customers to enter and exist, well separated indoor seating and tables and umbrellas outside to dine on a croissant and sip on an espresso.

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!

- Yum-yummy breakfast sandwich but can be pricey - Saturday…read moremornings can be busy; you may have to wait a bit to get a seat if you are with more than 2 ppl - try their matcha latte

The crew at Drip House have expanded yet again. This time they've opened a new spot in the Glebe…read more Does anybody remember what was here before? I thought it was the Arrow & Loon Pub but don't recall if it went all the way to the corner of Bank St or not. Anyways, this new spot is pretty spacious and like the other 3 Drip Houses, has a nice vibe. All the Drip Houses seem to have their own and slightly different vibe. This location is the most spacious, feels a little like the Somerset location but spacious like the Parkdale spot. I ordered a coffee and the staff are super friendly. Got my coffee and the staff didn't have the cream out so helped me out a bit. There are a handful of tables inside, a line of window seats that look out to Bank St as well as a large table that looks to seat 8-12 people as well. In the summer there is a patio that is pretty nice. I didn't catch how many seats were out there. Like a couple of the other shops, cool camera gear, lots of plants and good music is always playing. There are 1 or 2 washrooms here. We were here for a few hours to catch up and people watch. There seems to be a lot of regulars already as the staff and some people knew each other by name already. They all seemed like they'd be back soon. I know I'll be back soon.

A local recommended to try this place for French pastries. The pistachio croissant is a must try…read more A layer of Pistachios flavored cream in between a rectangular croissant with drizzle chocolate icing on top. The almond croissant looks very interesting as well. They offered various pastries along with very delicious desserts as well with hot or cold drinks. They do offer 1-2 price day old pastries as tries or bread. Come early so you can choose the offers.!

The service is slightly slow due to low staffing at the front when getting coffee to go…read more The drink itself though, is good quality. They also have an assortment of biscuits and treats, as well as ready-made frozen food. The restaurant is kept nice and clean and I think it's a great place to get French baked goods + coffee!

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.