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    Dessert First

    3.9 (12 reviews)
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    Sliced lemon cake, with cake slices. The cake has two layers and plenty of buttercream, but the raspberry mousse filling itself is paltry.
    Robin F.

    My husband ordered a custom cake for his birthday a couple of weeks ago, and he picked it up this afternoon. The bakery is nearby, and the pickup process was simple, courteous, and relatively smooth. The cake was breathtakingly beautiful--see these pictures! But what stung was its value. The cake itself was delicious and moist, but the buttercream frosting was very dense. Further, the raspberry mousse did not have a strong raspberry flavour, and the layer was unexpectedly thin. The up-charge for the filling was disproportionately steep. Overall, the cake didn't quite meet expectations. We'll look elsewhere for a more conventional cake next year.

    Bread after defrosting and slicing
    Amanda B.

    Worth the hype! I stopped by on a late Sunday afternoon, an hour before closing, with the intention of just grabbing one of their popular breakfast sandwiches to-go. I ended up staying to eat my sandwich.. and left with a paper bag with a croissant, a Skor brownie, a frozen loaf of bread, and a bag of Happy Goat coffee haha. They have a coffee and tea menu, including a Madagascar vanilla latte, dirty chai latte, hot or iced espresso with condensed milk, and ginseng tea. Their dessert counter includes buns, cookies, bars and brownies, cakes, cupcakes, and other desserts. The shelves weren't full, but it was the end of the day. They also do custom cakes. They have a limited hot food menu and they're all sandwiches - three breakfast sandwiches, grilled cheese, and a cheeseburger. You can get a bacon and cheese, sausage and cheese, or breakfast sammie, all come with fried eggs. You can add bacon, tomato, and/or avocado for an additional cost. The sauce options include spicy ketchup, regular ketchup, and mayo. I got the sausage and cheese breakfast sammie with spicy ketchup and mayo, plus avocado and tomato. Delicious. I debated between the sausage and bacon but what won me over was that they order the sausage meat from a local butcher and make the patties themselves. The sausage patty was juicy and seasoned. The egg was fried, had that great yolky centre and fried edges like I like. The cheese was white cheddar, which I didn't expect but also one of my favourite cheese. There wasn't too much mayo, and the spicy ketchup was not too spicy and gave it just a little extra bite - I think they make it in-house as well, but not 100% sure. The English muffin was lightly toasted. Avocado was perfect. What else? I'd order this over and over. There was a sign on the counter that said 15% off all baked goods, excluding sandwiches and beverages, and another sign on the counter to order/pay that there was frozen bread available for 30%? off. I don't remember, I just said yes lol. They got me! The bread was a tightly wrapped unsliced loaf that was great for meals that week. I also got a croissant that I toasted for a breakfast sandwich I made at home the next day. The Skor brownie, though, I split with my husband when I got home and it was very decadent. I bought a bag of Happy Goat Coffee Company coffee beans. They were "The 'G'" multi-region house blend (there was only one kind there). I'm not a coffee drinker, but it was my husband's first time drinking it and he liked it. They also sell Tease teas and Dessert First house granola and shortbread cookies on the same shelf. There was house-made egg nog, City Seltzer, and a few other drinks in the fridge, and just a couple things left of their sweets like Nanaimo bars and funfetti cake jars. They also had frozen goodies like cakes and puddings, natural dog treats, and tons house-made ice cream and sorbet. I would've gotten a pint or two if I was going home right away. The space is very small with limited bar seating, and customers going in and out, but I'm sure it feels roomier when we don't have winter gear on. Will definitely be back soon!

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    3 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    1 year ago

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    4 years ago

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    1 year ago

    Slow service, rude staff, noisy and pricy for the quality. The food was only okay, the toast is dry and stone cold. Will never return.

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    4 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Oh my gosh. A hidden gem. Cookies awesome and that nana thing was devine. If we lived here, we would be addicted.

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    3 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Cake had too much frosting and less of the cake. We expected a cake that was more of the British kind. We were a bit disappointed.

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    The Cake Shop - Biscotti

    The Cake Shop

    2.9(31 reviews)
    2.6 km
    $$

    I've had a few items from The Cake Shop, ranging from their cakes, muffins, shortbread cookies and…read moregingerbread cookies. Let's just say, you can't eat items here and be on a diet, lol. The cakes and muffins are moist and tasty, but on the oily/greasy side and very sweet. The cookies are also tasty, but very rich and full of butter, and also very sweet. I know that "real baking" is full of sugar and fat, and this is how most people like it, but I personally prefer reduced-fat and reduced-sugar baking, lol. That being said, I can still appreciate full-fat and full-sugar baked goods, haha. They are a nut-free bakery, so if you are allergic to nuts, you need not worry about eating items here. And their (nut-free) carrot cake is really good! If I recall correctly, they put pineapple in it, yum! I didn't even miss the walnuts. The bakery is pretty and they have lots of ready to go cakes so you can pick one up last minute if you have to. Obviously you can also pre-order if you want something specific, but they do have a good selection of readymade cakes. Staff are friendly. Street parking only.

    We used to get 4-5 sugar-free cakes a year for parents' birthdays, anniversaries, Father's Day, and…read moreeven Mother's day since dad is diabetic and loved cakes and often has several slices if he can. I have not shopped there again after an incident a few years ago where I called ahead to reserve a sugar free cake and found when i got home that the cake had moldy berries on it and touch the cake too so it likely was in the display case for 1-2 days. Mom insisted that she did not want any of us eating a cake with mold on it, so an expensive cake was discarded. When I called, they said they had at the time an outside baker that came in once a week to bake the sugar-free cakes, and they freeze it. If a cake is past its best, they should have defrosted another cake since they were selling a supposedly premium product. Customer service by I think the owner's mother or a co-owner was terrible. She offered us a bag of cookies that l seen in the store before and looked kind of stale and remember we have a diabetic in the family! With that experience, we have been getting our cakes elsewhere, either sugar free or regular cakes but smaller ones, so dad would eat a maximum of 2 slices lol

    Photos
    The Cake Shop - Meringues!

    Meringues!

    The Cake Shop
    The Cake Shop

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    Pasticceria Gelateria Italiana - Sfogliatella (Lobster tail pastry). $7.49.

    Pasticceria Gelateria Italiana

    3.5(39 reviews)
    1.1 km
    $$

    TLDR: Delicious pastries at this Italian Bakery and Gelateria. Much more expensive than at other…read moreshops though (was $7.49 for a Sfogliatella). I was in the mood for a Sfogliatella (lobster tail pastry), so my husband and I went to Little Italy to get one. Pasticceria Gelateria Italiana has been around since 1979, but I had never been there before. They had a large selection of desserts and gelato. We took our pastry to-go, but they have some seating both indoors and on their raised front patio and street-level side patio. The Sfogliatella was $7.49 which is the most I've ever paid for this pastry. Fortunately, it was delicious. Very crispy and flakey on the outside and softer on the inside with a generous amount of cream. I prefer the ricotta cheese filling slightly more, but I like the cream filling too. It was light and airy and not too sweet. Service was efficient and pleasant. The shop has a one way flow, you enter one door and you follow the arrows and exit a different door. The area to wait for service is narrow, so this process prevents congestion and crowding. I like it. Great for the occasional treat, but a bit too spendy for me. (77)

    We visited this cute little gelateria after binging on some heavy tortas at tortaboyz couple of…read moreblocks away . This street has a number of good joints however this was a pleasent surprise to me . They have a wide range of home made chocolate bars , puff pastries , pastries , croissants , cannolis , crème Brûlée and filled donuts . Without wasting much time the good and the anti good . I wouldn't use a term bad as this place is a blessing for Ottawa The good 1. Variety : it's not overwhelming , just enough amount of truffles and breads to satiate your sugar and buttery starch craving .if you are into chocolate you are in for a treat 2. Ice creams : surprisingly three of my friends got icecream a and they were soooo good . So it's consistent 3. Service : quick efficient and nice 4. Patio : cute little patio they also have tables on the side Anti good 1. Coffee - well they are not a coffee shop so it adds up .'illl spend money on coffee on an extra cannoli 2. Eclairs : we have a lot better in Ottawa in Preston and bank Standout dish : pistachio crème brûlée - gave me an orgasm

    Photos
    Pasticceria Gelateria Italiana - Inside the shop

    Inside the shop

    Pasticceria Gelateria Italiana - Pastries

    Pastries

    Pasticceria Gelateria Italiana - Sfogliatella (Lobster tail pastry). $7.49.

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    Sfogliatella (Lobster tail pastry). $7.49.

    Portuguese Bakery - Portuguese Natas

    Portuguese Bakery

    3.4(9 reviews)
    2.5 km
    $

    I stopped by this bakery to grab some pastries. Overall, I found the items I bought were ok, but I…read morewas not blown away by anything. I got 2 Portuguese egg tarts (Pasteis de Nata) $2.50 each, 2 cannoli $3.50 each and a cream filled horn pastry $3.50. I didn't like that none of the items had prices listed anywhere, so I had to ask how much everything was. The egg tarts were not fresh, as the pastry was all soft and chewy. The filling was sweet, rich and smooth though. I love Portuguese egg tarts for their flakey pastry with that crispiness to them when they are fresh, and I did not get that here. The cannoli fortunately were not soft nor soggy, but rather crunchy, despite being prefilled. The shell was a bit too dense and oily tasting for liking though. However, the filling was tasty. The cream horn was filled with a smooth custard, which I enjoyed, but I didn't really like the dry crumbly pastry. Overall, I enjoyed the fillings of the items I bought, but not the pastry. Service was neutral. I don't think they take credit cards because when I went to pay by credit, the man asked me if I had debit instead. The bakery is co-located with Syrian Kitchen. I saw some falafels and rice on display, as well as various dips and spreads in the fridge. No parking lot. Street parking only.

    There are fancy bakeries, sub par bakeries, adorable bakeries, and homey bakeries that remind you…read moreof your grandmothers kitchen. This bakery falls into the latter category. Entering the little bakery off of quiet nelson street, I am transported across the country into my grandmothers kitchen on an early Sunday morning. The smell of fresh bread wafts over me as the bell announces to the owner that another customer has wandered in. She's a cheerful woman with a bright smile, and is happy to tell you about the many different types of baked goods offered. I bought a raisin bread loaf for $4 and had it sliced in store. Now I can't stop eating it! I will have to go back soon to try some of their tempting croissants and pick up some buns to make sandwiches. I'd recommend this little bakery to anyone who likes local, hand-crafted bread at rather reasonable prices.

    Photos
    Portuguese Bakery
    Portuguese Bakery - Queijadas de Amêndoa! (Almond Tarts)

    Queijadas de Amêndoa! (Almond Tarts)

    Portuguese Bakery - Storefront

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    Storefront

    Carmelito Cafe - Lemon raspberry!

    Carmelito Cafe

    3.6(13 reviews)
    14.6 km

    We came here because it was coffee and walking distance from where we were staying. Pleasantly…read moresurprised by the decor and tea room. Really cool space, definitely would be great for an afternoon tea. They have an outdoor patio, not that it was being used despite the beautiful day. Pastries and food selection is great. The staff is friendly... but slow and easily distracted. The cashier was taking a phone order while several of us were waiting, pretty unacceptable when another staff member should be able to take a call. We ordered a coffee and a mimosa. Well, they had to go back and check to see if they had juice... they did not. I asked for just the bubbly instead, she had to go back and check again. How do they not know or keep things on their menu in stock? Oh well, they had the bubbly so it was okay. For food we ordered a pastry and a croissant sandwich. The biscotti and pastry were delicious. For some reason, they decided to panini press the croissant sandwich. What the heck, who would do that? Why didn't they ask? Tasty sandwich, but completely ruined due to crushing the croissant. We were expecting it to come straight out of the case and at most maybe microwaved to warm it, not just destroyed in a panini press. Cool vibes, nice atmosphere, food is good, tea menu looks amazing. But, the staff don't seem to have a clue to what they are doing.

    My fav cafe in the city. Delicious treats and great coffee selection. I recommend to all my friends…read moreand family

    Photos
    Carmelito Cafe - Opera cake

    Opera cake

    Carmelito Cafe - Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

    Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

    Carmelito Cafe - Seating area

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    Seating area

    Dessert First - desserts - Updated September 2026

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