Home “sweet” home - My favourite Vancouver desserts

I’m so happy I was able to go home for a visit this year. It’s been years since my last visit.

It was definitely a pleasant surprise to see how some of my favourite bakeries not only survived the pandemic, but have branched out with multiple locations now.

Initially I planned on listing just my top 5 favourite desserts in Vancouver. However, after a LONG deliberation, I decided that since I still can’t narrow it down to just 5 places, I should just list all the places that really wowed me! Below are my 8 favourite dessert experiences while I was in Vancouver. I mean… there’s no such thing as too many dessert options (especially when the craving hits). I broke them down to 2 categories:

1. The oldie but a goodie - I’m a repeat customer at all these bakeries when I still lived here. These are my favourite places and I visit them every time I’m back. They never let me down!

2. My new loves - I visited these places for the first time and it was love at first bite.

Category 1 - oldie but goodie

1. Thierry 📍1059 Alberni St, Vancouver, BC V6E 1A1

I can go on and on about all the amazing pastries here and their hot chocolate, but the thing that keeps bringing me back is the Passion Fruit Cake. It’s an airy mousse cake with the perfect balance of sweet and tart.

The new item on their repertoire gives me even MORE reason to come back. The chocolate succè (hazelnut meringue, dense chocolate mousse, tempered dark, milk and white chocolate). It’s got the chocolate, the crunch, and the creamy mousse all in one bite.

2. Beta 5 📍409 Industrial Ave, Vancouver, BC V6A 2P8

Even with new bakeries serving up some legit cream puffs, Beta 5 continues to be my favourite and my go to happy place. Not only are their cream puffs so aesthetically pleasing with creative finishing touches, they taste like perfection. The choux pastry is light and airy with the perfect crunchy shell. These cream puffs are filled with amazing combination of flavoured creams, custards and mousse.

3. Nero waffles

📍1002 Seymour St, Vancouver, BC V6B 3M6

📍1703 Robson St, Vancouver, BC V6G 1C8

These bad boys are right up there with the liège waffles (aka Belgium waffles) from Cafe Medina. I personally prefer Nero over Cafe Medina because they have a variety of flavours from sweet to savory and some of them even have delicious filling inside. These waffles are made with a brioche like dough, mixed with pearl sugar that gets caramelized when cooked. I love how they have a nice crunch on the outside and it’s soft and chewy on the inside.

4. Mister Artisan Ice Cream 📍1141 Mainland St, Vancouver, BC V6B 5P2

I was lucky enough to try this place when they first opened in Yaletown. It makes me so happy to see that they’re still doing well after all these years, and the quality of their ice cream is still top notch! I have a really weird fear of getting my hands dirty when I eat, that’s why I never get my ice cream in a cone. These ice cream bars are easy to eat without ending up with sticky fingers.

The ice cream here are made with liquid nitrogen. It’s fun to watch and the result is a rich, creamy ice cream. They offer rotational flavours based on the ingredients in season.

I highly recommend trying out the s’mores bar and the Nanaimo bar. I got the half bars so I could try different flavours, but they are also available in full size bars and they are significantly bigger.

Category 2 - My new loves

1. Nemesis Coffee 📍SO many locations!

This isn’t just your typical coffee shop. They have an amazing breakfast menu, and the most important thing (for me) is their pastries from Dope Bakehouse. This in house bakery offers the best cruffin I’ve ever had. I came here multiple times during my trip because I just couldn’t get enough of their pastries.

Crossiant + muffin = cruffin love child.

The cruffin is light, flaky and buttery. It’s also filled with just the right amount of filling inside for the perfect bite ratio. As a matcha addict, the matcha raspberry cruffin was my favourite. I highly recommend this to any matcha/cruffin lovers!

2. H Tasting Lounge 📍1601 Bayshore Dr., Vancouver, BC V6G 2V4

The desserts here blew my mind. It’s located in the Westin hotel along the Seawall so it’s perfect for a nice stroll after a meal.

Each item is beautifully crafted and tastes just as good as it looks. The cotton candy and cream puffs are so creative and so much fun to eat.

They also offer an amazing brunch menu, but make sure you make your reservation ahead of time because they book up fast!

3. Angus T Bakery and Cafe 📍1036 Mainland St, Vancouver, BC V6B 2T4

This newly opened bakery is already famous for their buttery croissants. They offer both savory and sweet croissants with a variety of unique flavours and fillings.

Their cinnamon buns are also top notch and worth trying at least one (or in my case it was more like 10). The sweet yeasty dough is perfectly rolled so you can actually peel it like a fruit roll up! I love how generous they are with the cinnamon. The cinnamon buns also have a variety of flavours to choose from.

4. Their there 📍2042 W 4th Ave, Vancouver, BC V6J 1M9

These mochi doughnuts got me doing my happy food dance. A mochi doughnut is a doughnut and mochi hybrid. It’s got the best of both worlds.

The size of these doughnuts may seem intimidating, but they are actually very light and airy. I polished off both of these in one sitting! It’s crazy how texturally satisfying these mochi doughnuts are. It’s got a nice fried crispy outer doughnut shell with a soft and chewy mochi centre.

There’s also a large variety of fun flavours to pick from. I tried the cereal milk mochi doughnut and the raspberry cheesecake mochi doughnut. Both were so amazing I had to order extra to take home!

I was blown away by these mochi doughnuts but they also offer savory items for breakfast and lunch. The matcha latte here is definitely worth ordering too! There’s just so much to love about this place.

Le Beau

Pastry Chef Olga Spivak changed the croissant game in the GTA when she opened up Le Beau in 2020.

Fun fact: Beau means beautiful in French. The name “Le Beau” was born during Chef’s Olga’s time in Paris while she was soaking in all the beauty that Paris has to offer.

With a clean, bright and minimalist interior design, it’s the perfect little spot to relax and enjoy a nice treat. There’s no shame in a little self love. What better way to do that than with some amazing food made from quality ingredients.

Even just the plain butter croissant here is enough to make you come back for more. This year alone they came up with over 200 croissant flavours! In addition to the impressive repertoire of croissants and laminated dough, Le Beau also offers a variety of chocolates, cakes, tarts and beverages.

I like to try a new item each time I visit Le Beau. So far, everything’s been spot on!

The Calamansi is essentially a lemon tart. The filling is tart and refreshing. The shell is a pate sable that is crispy and cookie-like. It’s topped with a fresh and creamy vanilla truffle.

Anytime I hear “limited quantities” I feel the need to stock up. If only I can stock up on these amazing ice kouign sandwiches. Kouign is pronounced as “queen”.

Kouign Amann is similar to a croissant but sweeter! It’s baked in a special mold and the caramelized sugar coating gives it a nice crunchy texture.

For the ice kouign sandwich, the kouign amann is still warm, and the gelato is made in house. This is only available on weekends and the gelato flavours may vary. The one in the picture is with strawberry gelato.

Le Beau may be famous for their croissants and the Kouign Amann, but every time I visit Le Beau, I have to get a mini citrus travel cake. To me, it feels like a combination of a madeleine and pound cake. I love how you can really taste the refreshing citrus flavour. The texture of the poppy seeds also add a nice contrast to the moist and buttery cake.

With such a large selection of amazing pastries, multiple visits are definitely required to try them all!

Roselle

Definitely one of my favourite bakeries in Toronto since it opened in 2015. Whenever I have friends visiting from out of town, this is always one of the spots I take them to as a must try.

Roselle offers a variety of cakes, eclairs, cookies, chocolates, pavlova and so much more! They work with fresh and quality ingredients, this includes working with fruits from our Ontario farms. They often have rotational treats depending on the seasonal fruits. Strawberry season is my favourite!

It was love at first bite with their earl grey “shorties”. The smooth and silky ganache with pieces of candied orange is sandwiched between earl grey shortbread cookies. Who knew the secret to making shortbread cookies even better is to turn it into a shortbread sandwich!

I never leave Roselle without at least a few madeleines. These buttery cakes are the perfect little treats. There are a few flavours to pick from:

• Lemon glazed

• Earl grey peach glazed

• Strawberry lemonade (seasonal)

The earl grey soft serve is definitely a must try for all earl grey lovers out there. This creamy and fragrant soft serve is so light and refreshing.

The “next level” soft serve includes: white chocolate crispy pearls, injected with house made lemon cream and a mini earl grey shortie.

Location: 362 King St. E, Toronto, ON, M5A 1K9

Hattendo

I have always been a fan of Japanese desserts. Needless to say, I’m always on the lookout for authentic Japanese bakeries that really transport me back to the days of me eating my way through Japan. Hattendo did just that.

They recently opened up a new location in Markham so there’s now another location to satisfy my cravings! Especially with the savory sandwiches available now, this really is a one-stop shop for a quick lunch or a light dinner.

Locations (some locations are temporarily closed so make sure to check with the store before heading over):

• 13 Baldwin Street, Toronto

• 50 Bloor Street West, Unit 9, Toronto

• 100 City Centre Drive, Mississauga (Square One)

• 3401 Dufferin Street, Toronto (Yorkdale Mall)

• 7357 Woodbine Avenue, Markham (NEW location!)

Hattendo’s menu does not disappoint. There’s lots to pick from, depending on your cravings! From cream buns to melon buns, savory sandos to fruit sandos and of course, the perfect little jars of pudding. Definitely something for everyone!

The menu includes some of my favourite things and captures everything I love about Japanese desserts. Light, not too sweet and the perfect portions. I had a chance to try pretty much every item on the menu and these are the 3 items that stood out for me.

Puddings

Hattendo may be known for their cream buns, but these puddings stole the show! I cannot get enough of these little pudding jars.

The pudding is so creamy and smooth. There are a few pudding flavours to choose from. I definitely recommend trying them all, but the classic caramel pudding is my favourite. It’s made with natural ingredients, no preservative or artificial flavours. Because the pudding itself is not too sweet, that extra caramel sauce balance it out perfectly.

Pudding flavours:

• Caramel pudding

• Almond tofu

• Matcha annin tofu (a combination of almond tofu and matcha. They’re a real matcha made in heaven!)

Also, can we just take a moment to appreciate these super cute and sustainable packaging? These reusable jars are such a fun little bonus!

Cream Buns

These light and airy buns hold a generous amount of cream in the middle. There’s nothing more disappointing than biting into a filled bun, only to find a little dollop of filling. Hattendo has the perfect cream to bun ratio for their cream buns. You can taste the cream in each bite. These little buns are bursting with flavour!

These individually packaged buns are perfect to take on the go and for sharing.

Classic cream bun flavours:

• Custard

• Whipping cream

• Matcha

• Chocolate

• Red bean

In addition to the classic flavours, there are always interesting seasonal flavours too. I personally love citrus flavoured things so the seasonal Yuzu cream bun is my favourite. It’s not tart but the citrus is so refreshing. There are real chunks of yuzu in the buns too!

Sando

Now, let’s talk sandwiches (aka Sando). Hattendo offers a unique selection of sandwiches.

Sando flavours:

• Tamago burger

• Egg salad sando

• Fruit sando (strawberry, grape or mango)

To me, an egg salad sandwich is classic because this was something that my parents used to make for me when I was little. There was something nostalgic about eating this sando. Making the perfect egg salad sandwich is practically an art. This made the top 3 list because the egg is soft boiled so the yolk is not too dry. The mayo to egg ratio is just right so I’m not just eating mushy goo. Lastly, the sando was made with sweet milk bread. I absolutely love milk bread and can just eat plain slices of milk bread on its own. This Japanese milk bread has a slight sweetness to it and it’s so soft and airy. All of these things together equals a perfect egg salad sando!