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.

Bought my mom's birthday cake from here recently after getting some recommendations and I'm glad I…read morelistened to what everyone was saying. I got the small tiramisu cake $32 and was not disappointed it was fresh, creamy and it just melted in your mouth. This is my first time ever going here and I think it's going to be our new spot to get birthday cakes. Everything here is made fresh and you can definitely taste the quality and the items they make The staff was also great they gave us a few options of how we wanted to write happy birthday on the cake itself and they wrapped it beautifully in a nice box to take it away

I was craving something sweet and nothing beats a box of Halawet Al Jeben from sweet castle!…read more These sweet cheese rolls are made out of semolina & cheese dough filled with ashta (special cream) topped with pistachios and then you dip it in sugar syrup! So so so good and satisfying. They sell them in 3 sizes: 250 grams for $8.75 Half a kg for 17.50 1 kg for $35 Parking space available, you can also order through delivery apps such as Uber Eats.

Byward Market is full of awesome places to try. Unfortunately, this was a bit of a disappointment…read morecompared to the rest. The sausage was cold and unheated. The chocolate chip cookie was sad. The chocolate croissant was okay. Granted, the customer service was decent, but friendliness doesn't make meh food taste better... We ended up getting something else right after. There are definitely other options in the market to explore.

Aux Delices is a great little dessert shop in the Market. They make all sort of desserts and baked…read moregoods, including breads, cookies, tarts, flans, cakes, pies, french pastries, baklava, and chocolates. Their truffles are very rich and chocolatey, and their tarts and cakes are made with fresh fruit, like dark cherries and vibrant and sweet strawberries. Their cookies and cakes are hand-decorated with many different designs, but you can also order one to be made especially for you or your special occasion. Their prices aren't as expensive as you would think, and it's very easy to get drawn into buying something from their tasty window displays. Their red and white icing, maple leaf-shaped cookies are a particular favorite during Canada Day.

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 !!!

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)

I really enjoy the matcha here. It tastes good and they also have a rewards card, which is a nice…read morebonus. My only small critique is that there are sometimes a few powder chunks at the bottom. Other than that, it's a lovely spot. I especially like that they always have great gift options available, like jams, cakes, and curated baskets. J'aime beaucoup le matcha ici. I'm est bon et ils ont aussi une carte de fidélité, ce qui est un beau petit plus. Ma seule petite critique, c'est qu'il reste parfois quelques grumeaux de poudre au fond. Sinon, c'est un très bel endroit. J'aime particulièrement qu'ils aient toujours de belles options cadeaux comme des confitures, des gâteaux et des paniers gourmands.

Wonderful pastries! The butter croissant was excellent, as was the chocolate almond croissant…read more Just delightful. The cakes look awesome, but I did not try them. The only disappointment was the baguette. Good size but it was crusty and crunchy. Service was excellent. I parked in their lot which made things very convenient. I'll be back.

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!

4 stars out of 5 for:…read more (a short review of the Bank St. location) - we did a quick, pick-up of tea, cream puff, brownie & cheesecake - friendly staff - nicely decorated interior - good selection of desserts - they were out of their cherry herbal tea (will have to try that next time) or consider more herbal tea selection - on the pricey side

I did some internet research and landed on this pastry shop that was new to me. I ordered online…read morewith pictures from their site. The cake was amazing! I wish they were around when I got married! The cake was delicious (solid texture / pound cake like cake and amazing buttercream). The store is small but nicely decorated and inviting. They sell sandwiches, desserts, pastries and coffee. I'll be back for lunch or coffee!