Our first time trying a Chimney Cake! I learned that this is a traditional Hungarian sweet bread…read more They serve this as a sweet dessert but is also available with hotdogs. They advertise that everything is 100% Halal certified. There's also vegan options. We didn't dine in the vibe was indoors was comforting. The staff were really friendly. They took their time to explain everything. It takes about 5-10 mins for the chimney cake to be ready. It was delicious and definitely large enough to share. Lots of different options to customize your treat. I'll be back to try more things!

This was my first time visiting the Chimney Cake Shop on Bank Street, and I have to say it was a…read morepleasant surprise! I walked in not really knowing what to order or what to expect, but luckily I was the only customer at the time, so I had the chance to take it all in. * Service: The staff were friendly and helpful, which made the experience easy and welcoming. * Portion size: The cakes are huge! Honestly, I think a smaller size option would be great, but if you're hungry or sharing, the big portion works. * Texture & taste: Don't expect it to be like a BeaverTail--it's closer to the texture of a freshly cooled scone. The mix of crunchy outside, soft inside, and the added nuts made it really enjoyable. Overall, I'd definitely recommend trying it out if you're curious about chimney cakes. It's a fun treat, different from the usual Ottawa sweets, and worth experiencing at least once!

A Short Version: American cookie chain that is known for…read morebeing open late. Good variety of flavours but nothing too creative. The Long Version: I happened upon Insomnia Cookies during their Grand Opening on December 6, 2025 while walking around The Glebe. I got the Double Chocolate Mint Classic Cookie $3.45 to try and it was tasty, but nothing too special in my opinion. I like creative or unusual flavours and their entire lineup was regular flavoured cookies. The cookie was served warm and the staff were very friendly and welcoming. However, I can't say I really enjoyed it any more than cookies from the grocery store or Costco, lol. The space was bright and clean. Insomnia Cookies is American and at the time of the writing of this review they only have 4 locations in Canada: Toronto, Hamilton, Kingston and now Ottawa. I was happy to try this brand as I had never had it before, but I'm unsure if I will return for more cookies, since I'm interested in more unique flavours if I'm going to a specialty cookie shop. I do want to try their ice cream though ;) The store is in The Glebe. Street parking only. Review #230 (2025)

The cookies here are pricey so consider this place as a super treat for yourself and/or your loved…read moreones.

A bakery chain store. I tried it once in Vancouver and liked it a lot so I decided to try the one…read morecloset to me in Ottawa. Service was quick and friendly. The inside of the store is small so it's basically for takeout only. I recommend their cinnamon bun.

My friend and I had arranged to meet at Shoppers Drug Mart for a tour around the area and more. I…read morehad parked my car a block north and was walking over to SDM. A woman approached me outside COBS Bread and asked if I wanted a peach scone sample. Does the sun rise and set regularly? Of course I'm going to say yes to a free sample! She gave me a cubed sample in a plastic cup. I also got a coupon for a free loaf if I spent at least $15. I thanked her and continued to walk over to our planned meeting location. I realized once I was in front of the drugstore that I couldn't bring in any food. I texted my friend to let her know that I was outside eating. She was great meeting me outside. We then started our walking tour. We were heading eastbound. It meant that we'd be passing by COBS. I let my friend know that I had enjoyed a sample from this store. The same woman was there and she gave my friend a sample. The peach scone was awesome! It was naturally sweet, but so yummy in the scone. I enjoyed it immensely. It screamed summer. My friend and I had a nice day hanging out. It was wonderful discovering neighbourhoods that I had never set foot until this day. Hours later, we called it a day and parted ways. I went to shop at SDM. Afterwards, I had to pass by COBS yet again, to head over to my car. A male staffer was outside handing samples of the store's apricot delight loaf. Okay, you twisted my arm. I took one, thanked the man, and headed over my car. The apricot was a nice addition to the bread. You don't need to spread anything on it. It tasted yummy just the way that it was. It was so fresh. I saw my friend's photos of her baked goods that she had purchased, taking full advantage of her coupon. I decided to return to this store the day that I was driving home. I parked a block away, across from SDM. I then walked over. There was a different man handing out samples. It seemed greedy to get another sample when I was going in to buy stuff. I embraced greediness and got a sample of the bakery's cinnamon bun. Holy cinnamon! There was so much cinnamon. I was happy! The bun was soft inside, with a cinnamon crust that provided a nice contrast. The problem now was deciding what I wanted to buy. I stepped into the store and wanted everything! It was fairly busy on an early Sunday afternoon. Luckily, the lineup moved at a good pace. Besides bread, buns, and scones, you can also get danishes and mini pizzas. My haul consisted of the following items: - Raspberry and custard danishes (2) - Peach and custard danishes (2) - Chorizo and prosciutto mini pizza - Apricot delight loaf (free with coupon) The first three items were placed in paper bags. This setup worked well, as I'll explain in a bit. The woman asked if I wanted the apricot loaf sliced. I said yes. She then asked if I wanted thick or thin slices. Ooh, how fancy! I went with the former. I watched the machine do the slicing. It was cool. I paid with credit card. Done! I thanked the woman and walked over to my car with my purchases. I am normally a planner, but I didn't when it came to deciding whether to meeting up with my best friend in Peterborough. She was at her mom's place in Campbellford and invited me over there that morning. My friend called me in a video chat. It was bad that she went video because her wifi connection couldn't handle it. An audio chat would have been a ton better! Anyway, I asked her whether her mom had any allergies. She didn't. Yay! I decided to bring her danishes from COBS. My friend is vegan, so only the apricot delight loaf would be suitable for her. However, I had already given her a bunch of vegan donuts a week earlier, so I focused on her mom instead. I split the danishes between her mom and me. I hadn't seen her mom since I was in high school. Yikes! I gave her a bag of danishes. She appreciated the gesture. I had the raspberry danish when I got home that night. It was delicious. The raspberries had a bit of tartness. It was great with the smooth custard. The danish was yummy with a light dusting of powdered sugar. The peach and custard danish held up the following day. It still tasted fresh to me. The peach added natural sweetness to the danish. The custard was the same smooth, delicious custard that I loved the day before. This danish was a bit different in that it had a light drizzle of icing sugar instead of powdered sugar. It wasn't overly sweet. It worked nicely. For lunch, I had the chorizo and prosciutto mini pizza. I heated it up in my toaster over. It was excellent! It's a fancy meat lover's pizza. The bread was crunchy on the outside and chewy inside. The chorizo provided a bit of spiciness, while the prosciutto crisped up nicely and became a thinner, crisper version of bacon. It's funny that this COBS visit was my first at any location. I had a great set of experiences leading up to my purchases. I'd definitely return to mooch on free samples and buy more goodies. (303)

TL;DR/The Short Version: Canadian cookie company from…read moreToronto now has a location in Ottawa. Cookies are soft, sweet and rich. The Long Version: I learned about Craig's Cookies from a co-worker who was a fan of them when they had a pop-up stand inside Nordstrom. Nordstrom is gone, but Craig's Cookies found a permanent home in the space that used to be Quelque Chose Patisserie in the Byward Market. They just opened July 1, 2025. They are a business from Toronto, my hometown, but they opened long after I left Toronto, so my first time trying them was here in Ottawa. A different co-worker and I popped by Craig's Cookies after work to check out the cookies. I initially was only going to get one or two cookies, but one cookie is $3.25 plus tax, two cookies are $6.25 plus tax, and six cookies are $18 taxes included. So it only made economical sense to buy 6 cookies, lol, yeah I know great marketing ploy on their part. Haha. Anyway, getting 6 cookies allowed me to try more flavours! I got the following flavours: Strawberries and Cream, Peaches and Cream, Rainbow Brownie, Rice Krispies, Mr. Big and Toblerone. My favourite by far was the Strawberries and Cream. The taste reminded me of the long discontinued Strawberry Shortcake cereal of my childhood. Sweet artificial strawberry, lol. Admittedly, it's the nostalgia. The cookies themselves though are all soft, sweet and rich. My complaint about the Peaches and Cream one was that it didn't really taste like peaches. It was just stuffed with fuzzy peaches candy. Overall, tasty cookies. A bit pricey in my opinion though. Staff were pleasant. The space is small and it's takeout only. No seating. Love the pink and rainbow theme. Street parking and paid parkade parking only (no surprise since it's in the Byward Market). Review #138 (2025)

The fam and I were in the market and we stumbled upon Craig's Cookies and my kids are cookie…read morefanatics so I had to stop in. It's a small shop with no indoor seating. Upon walking in, we were greeted and checked out the display case full of cookies. A plain chocolate chip cookie and a sour patch chocolate chip cookie were ordered. The cookies are small, but thick, with tons of chocolate chips. The sour patch kids cookie was surprisingly good. The cookies are also very, very sweet, so while they are on the small side, they are sharable (in my opinion) if you just want a bite or two. For just over 7 bucks and some change for two cookies (3.25 each) it is a nice treat once in a while but definitely made me break a sweat when I heard the price at the cash and I did have some sticker shock. I have never been into a Craig's Cookies before, so I had no idea how things worked. Better signage with clear prices on the display case or right on top on the counter would be great). I cannot recall if they had prices on the wall or other signage, but my eyes were fixated on the display case with the cookies. An outdoor bench in front of the store or a couple of tables and chairs would be nice for customers who want to eat their cookies on the spot.

Delicious! Go try one. The one in front of the Byward market is an express stall. No cash, credit…read morecard only.

Hmm, maybe getting a beaver tail loaded with maple syrup and chocolate on a hot day (33C/92F)…read morewasn't the smartest thing. I did not realize it would be served hot - really hot - and without tables or chairs in the immediate vicinity, I had to walk a bit to find a place to sit and eat it, without singing my fingers in the process or drizzling the sauces on my clothing. But was it worth it? Emphatic YES. The nearby pigeons seemed to agree as well. I think beaver tails need to be a basic food group, they're just so versatile, readily willing to be filled, topped, sweetened, etc.. And you have so many decadent options to try for that. Though if you are concerned about sugar, plan carefully, especially if you decide on some type of sweeteed beverage to accompany your food order.

I almost forgot how much I love their ice cream. I know it's not the local, small batch, craft ice…read morecream, but it's nostalgic. Jamocha almond fudge was my favourite growing up, but pistachio almond is really my go-to. I love theirs the most because it has so many almonds. My husband got a large cookies 'n' cream milkshake and really enjoyed it, too. Definitely a lot sweeter than I normally like, but a nice treat every now and then!

Went to Baskin and Robbins in the Kanata Centrum for the first time with my kids. Looked up the…read moreflavors and the flavor of the month online before we visited as we did not know what to expect. Was not greeted by the cashier when I arrived or when I went up to the cash. When i asked about the flavor of the month the cashier didn't explain anything and it wasn't until after I paid that I saw a couple bins with topping which I'm assuming could be added to the ice cream and it is unfortunate because I'm sure my kids would of loved the option. The price was quite high for two small bowls of ice cream too. I had planned on eating inside the store but the tables were not wiped down and still had sticky ice cream on most of them.

Best Pumpkin Pie! We compared pumpkin pies from three different bakeries and this one won hands…read moredown. Delicious flavour and a great crust. We have enjoyed everything we have purchased from Delice Royal but this was the first time trying their pumpkin pie. We're ordering two for Thanka giving LOL

My friends rave about this place so we decided to purchase a cake there. We went with the parisian…read morecake but we were disappointed. This is a chocolate cake but there wasn't much chocolate flavour to it. Also, the icing was gummy. This cake that serves six, costed $30; a hefty price to pay for something lacklustre. I ordered it in advance but when I arrived to pick it up, I had to wait for them to bring it from the back. This makes me wonder if they may have forgotten about my order. Furthermore, I didn't find the staff to be particularly friendly or helpful. I won't be going back there.

Really nice workers. And nive service. And really cookies. All together a really nice vibe.read more

The Short Version: American cookie chain that expanded to…read moreCanada in recent years. Large sweet and rich cookies. A bit pricey in my opinion. The Long Version: Crumbl was founded in 2017 in Utah (USA) and expanded to Canada in 2023 and Ottawa got its first location in June of 2024 in College Square. The location I'm reviewing though opened in The Orleans Gardens Shopping Centre (it's actually a plaza) in October of 2025. When Ottawa's first Crumbl location opened, the lines were epic for months. I'm not one to stand in line for food, and especially not for food from a big chain, so I waited until the hype died down and then admittedly lost interest for a while, lol. Then in February 2026 I was spending time with my little nieces and decided to get us a cookie from Crumbl to share (I had already treated them to a donut each at Tim Hortons earlier that day, so I didn't want to overload them with too much sugar, lol, but I'm sure they would have gladly eaten an entire cookie each). I got us the Twix Caramel Shortbread Cookie ($6.29). Although it's larger than your average cookie I still find the price rather high. However the cookie did taste good. The shortbread cookie was very rich and buttery. The caramel was sweet and gooey. The chocolate on top was good and I liked the broken pieces of Twix bars. Overall though it was a bit too sweet for me. I had 1/8th of the cookie. My older neice ate 3/8 and my younger neice ate 1/4 of the cookie. My brother and mother split the remaining 1/4 so the kids wouldn't be too wired, haha. So everyone got at least a little taste. The kids loved it. The adults found it too sweet. The shop is takeout only. They have 2 ordering kiosks where you order and pay and enter your name. Then your name appears on their screen that tells you where you are in the queue. When your order is ready they call out your name. Staff were pleasant, but I had limited interaction with them. Lots of free parking in the plaza parking lot. Review #32 (2026)