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.

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

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.

A cozy little cafe!…read more I really like the causal vibes of this place, it's really great for a lazy weekend brunch. The menu is simple and short but still has basically all the popular brunch items. I got the breakfast sandwich in both the croissant and bagel. Overall very enjoyable! The croissant was very good and buttery but it was kind of messy to eat. I would probably stick with the bagel next time! For drinks I tried one of the staff recommendations and a drip coffee. I'm not a coffee connoisseur but I thought the Lilly was very good, sweet but not too heavy or sugary, but it was a little bit expensive for the price as the cup was fairly small. Price was okay overall factoring in the sandwich as well. Overall, I really enjoyed my breakfast here and would love to come back next time I'm in town!

Great food, great coffee and great environment! Such a nice place to spend some time with friends…read moreand family!

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!

Tried several of their full size cake, black forest, cheesecake, etc. All are extraordinary n…read morefresh. They also have a good selection of baklava, all taste great. Highly recommended.

My favourite spot ever!! They have great cakes and the staff is extremely kind and helpful :)read more

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)

Been here a few times to try the different items on the menu. They have a small outdoor patio and…read moredifferent style seating inside. You seat yourself and go up & order, they have a no laptop policy. They make incredible drinks, I've tried both cold/ hot and smoothies & all have been very delicious. The food was also really good, I had the soup recently and it was rich in flavour. Overall, I do enjoy visiting the cafe, I have always been welcomed with smiles by the staff.

My go to place! Beverages, food, atmosphere, and service, all are superb. They now know my name…read moreand order before I open the menu. Very pleasant and helpful staff.