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.

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 !!!

I enjoy a stop in this bakery. It has a wide selection of bakery items, granola, local coffee,…read morefrozen entrees and desserts. I often find myself grabbing more than one item when I stop in here or grab dessert after eating at Cats Fish and Chips which is located next door. Today I came in for a small snack of a coconut and pecan square and a cafe latte. Not the biggest fan of their latte as they have a generic espresso machine but it makes for a decent pair with one of their bakery items. I picked up some treats for my family including pecan butter tarts, lemon tarts and a Nutella roll. There are way too many options to decide on. They also have day old items at 50%. There is ample parking but the location is great for locals or if you are in the neighborhood of manor park or are at the aviation museum

I am so happy I found this bakery. Located by the Aviation Parkway, it is a bit tough to get into…read morethe parking lot during the busy traffic times, which is almost always on this street, but it is well worth it. They offer a great selection of gluten free products marked GF so you do not have to play any guessing games, as well as non gluten free breads and pastries. The hubby and I picked up a GF chocolate chip cookie which was good, but not the best cookie I ever had. We also picked up a chocolate coconut square bar and it was FANTASTIC, melt in your mouth, buttery, goodness. Lastly, we picked up some fresh garlic garlic bread, which was white bread, with olive and garlic baked on top. It was heaven, and I will admit, I ate half of it already. The atmosphere was inviting. There is seating both inside and outside. I am just obsessed. I forgot to mention we also picked up frozen pizza dough which I am so excited to try tomorrow! Will be back!

Today I went with my friend for lunch to check out this cute little spot and it did not disappoint…read more It's a small space, with welcoming decor and variety of treats. We had the turkey sandwich for lunch with lavender lemonade.. the sandwich was great but I'd rather they don't grill it with the lettuce in it (got cooked lettuce) and add the lettuce later. Lavender lemonade was very refreshing ( maybe add a little more lavender) and then we ended with pomegranate cheese cake which was light and tasty. We enjoyed our time it was quiet.. and would definitely come back again

TL;DR/The Short Version: Cute Persian bakery/cafe in…read moreWellington West. Pastries were tasty and not too sweet, just a bit small in size, lol. The Long Version: My husband and I popped into Lavender Pastry on a cold snowy day in March to warm up and have a little treat. It opened around Christmas of 2024 in the space that used to be Numetrica, an accounting firm. We've walked passed it many times since then. I'm glad we finally decided to give it a try. My husband got a decaf coffee ($3.99) and a Chocolate Swiss roll slice ($5.19). I got something called a Persian Creamy Puff Pastry ($2.29). My pastry was 2 tiny puff pastry discs with cream piped in the centre. It had a single pomegranate aril placed on the cream with a sprinkling of pistachio dust around the aril. It was very pretty. The puff pastry was soft and not as flaky as I anticipated but it was still good. The cream was light and airy and the entire pastry wasn't too sweet, which I appreciated. It was about the size of a French macaron. I had a taste of my husband's Chocolate Swiss roll slice and it also wasn't too sweet. The cake was soft and fluffy and the cream was light and airy. It was tasty, but I found it on the small side, especially for the price. Good for portion control, I guess, lol. My husband enjoyed his coffee. The bakery/cafe is very cute and cozy inside. It's small with not too much seating though. Staff were pleasant. Street parking only. Review #64 (2025)

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!

Good service, beautiful ambience, very aesthetic, but pastries didn't taste fresh and good, tea was…read moregood, finger sandwiches weren't good either. Overall disappointing experience for the amount of money we paid. Expected much more!

Super Cute boutique. But the customer service was meh. I felt like we were not well received, but…read moremaybe they were busy? But they had a decent selection of flavors, that were brightly colored (could be good, or could be bad, depending on what they use). We got a box of 8 and tasted a few flavors. Some were really "bright" flavors. I found the raspberry chocolate was so good and vibrant in color and flavor. But the M&M flavor, meh, skip it and get the salted caramel. But If I was in the area and I wanted a macron, I would come here again. If we had more time we would have sat in for tea, but we didn't. I would like to try that again with tea and get the whole experience. Parking is street parking. Placed seemed clean. It's small but lovely and cute.

The cheese croissants are the best. The service is always with a smile and you always feel welcome…read more The counters are full of goodies and inviting.

So far, so good and I feel that the score can only go up…read more Small spot, feels homey. I like the location but the parking lot is bonkers busy! Small and shared with a McDonald's and many other businesses. CLOSED MONDAYS. Staff were nice. Not a ton of selection.. I do wish that they had a bread slicer for their loaves. So far, I've tried a chocolate croissant and a plain one. Best served warm, I recommend. I also had a cranberry orange scone and a blueberry scone. I am a sucker for those things. The last time I went, I got the last two. The pastries in the case all looked sinful but delicious. Cakes too. I'm excited to have an occasion to buy a French baguette. Go early in the day to get the good stuff!

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.