1. Earnest Ice Cream, 1829 Quebec St (Mount Pleasant)

Known for their chewy ice cream which comes in many intriguing flavors, Earnest Ice Cream has four locations in the metro area. Their Quebec Street location has a hipster vibe, with a brick-facade and a walk-up bar for ordering and payment. Earnest sells not only scoops but also sundaes, ice cream sandwiches and pints to take home. Their flavors are always rotating, but Tahitian Vanilla, Milk Chocolate and a few vegan options are perennials.

2. Cheesecake Etc, 2141 Granville St (Granville)

This funky local establishment serves cheesecake in a bustling, yet dimly-lit environment. Why do people stay so long at their tables or leaned against the wall of the dining room, you ask? Only because the other part of the Cheesecake Etc experience is live jazz music, performed almost daily by local bands. Here you can order hot or cold drinks, French bread or build-your-own cheesecake. They have three base flavours: original, chocolate, and matcha– plus fruit toppings, sauces and add-ons like nuts or graham crackers.

3. The Pie Hole, 2959 W Broadway (Kitsilano)

Easy to overlook from the street with its unsuspecting blue and white awning, The Pie Hole makes some of the best baked desserts in the city. We’re talking full-sized and personal fruit pies, pie by-the-slice, hand pies, crumbles, butter tarts, rice krispie treats and stuffed cookies. Their selection of cream pies ranges from decadent chocolate and banana to innovative Vietnamese Coffee flavour. The Pie Hole participates in the Vancouver Hot Chocolate festival during the winter time, and always shows out with their creative drink options. Lastly, they also have coffee, ice cream and milkshakes.

4. Thierry, 1059 Alberni Street (Downtown)

If you’re a chocoholic, this might be your Vancouver paradise. This classic patisserie combines classic French pastries, macarons and caneles, with cases and cases of chocolate delight. There’s cake, eclairs, bon bons and fudge, sippable chocolate, cream puffs, mouses– the list goes on. Thierry has three locations in the metro area: one Downtown, one in Mount Pleasant and one on the North Shore. Why not work your way through all of the possibilities?

5. Honey’s Donuts, 4373 Gallant Ave (Deep Cove)

This spot along Deep Cove’s main drag has a line out the door for a reason. They do serve all-day lunch and coffee, but most people are stopping in for the famous donuts. These come in four classic flavours: honey, chocolate, maple and cinnamon sugar. What makes the donuts so special is their tall, fritter-like appearance and  pillowy, almost pancake-y texture. Even if you’re normally not into the cakey donuts, give this place a try. It’s hard not to like.

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Dim Sum 

From traditional steamed dumplings, siu mai and buns, to spare ribs, sticky rice, Chinese broccoli and fried squid, there are plenty of main dishes to choose from. The range of vegetarian options is smaller, but there are still around seven savoury small-plates for the herbivores. Some of the most highly recommended dishes on the menu include the Shanghai pork rolls, vegetarian spring rolls, crispy bean curd roll, BBQ pork buns and scallop taro puffs. When ordering, you’ll mark the items you want (and how many of each) on a small sheet for your server to pick up. The food then comes out to your table as dishes are freshly prepared. 

Craft Beer and Wine

Little Bird offers a revolving selection of local beers throughout the year. There are four beers on tap at any given time, and they come from breweries as close as Mount Pleasant and North Van and as far as Port Moody. Their selection of wine is also locally sourced from vineyards in Naramata and Summerland, BC.

Tea and Dessert

For an after-dinner palette cleanse, consider a cup of small batch artisanal tea. Offering jasmine green, herbal chrysanthemum, and rich pu-erh, Little Bird provides different options for your desired level of caffeination. Likewise, the dessert choices range from lightly sweet to decadent. Sesame balls in classic and green tea flavours are milder compared to egg tarts and steamed custard buns. Trust us– you’ll want to make the room for a little something sweet.

Michelin Bib Gourmand 

Little Bird Dim Sum and Craft Beer has been in the Vancouver Michelin guide since 2023. It received the Bib Gourmand recognition for good quality and good value cooking, further enhancing their visibility and reputation. If you plan to visit with a group or on a weekend night, it’s probably best to reserve ahead. To find out about more happenings in this one-of-a-kind Vancouver dining destination, follow Little Bird on Instagram. 

Visited by celebrities such as Seth Rogen and Finn Wolfhard, this place where global fuses with local does greatness casually; it does it the Vancouver way.

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Stopgap Coffee

Located inside a historic home near Victoria Park and the Alberta Legislature Building, Stopgap’s mission is simply “hoping to better your day”. Their menu includes espresso drinks, drip coffee, pour-overs and tea lattes such as matcha, london fog, and hong kong milk tea. They also sell donuts and pastries, coffee making supplies and goods made by local artists and craftspeople. Stopgap’s exceptional service and the quality of their espresso are commended by online reviewers, earning the shop a perfect five stars on Google. Check out their adorable decor over a cozy cup of joe the next time you’re in the neighbourhood!

Labo Coffee Yeg

Labo Coffee

Across the river along 82nd Ave NW is the hip and innovative Labo coffee, which seeks to be experimental and teach people about craft coffee in a playful space. Their menu includes classic coffee and tea drinks as well as seasonal drinks, breakfast-inspired signature drinks and experimental drinks combining coffee with unexpected flavours. While their focus is on a developing and rotating drink menu, Labo also sells a few sandwiches and snacks. Reviewers give it an average of 4.9 stars for the specialty drinks, friendly staff, and comfortable environment. Many remark is a great place to get work done, go for a coffee date or even just stay and relax.

Libertacoffeelab Yeg

Liberta Coffee Lab

A community space in the Hazeldean neighbourhood, Liberta Coffee Lab offers an array of drinks, tasty Asian-inspired sandwiches, pastries and toasts, and a bright open space for co-working, coffee classes and live music. Some menu highlights include the peanut butter flavoured Liberta Latte, three specialty flavoured lemonades and Korean Street Egg Toast. If the interior wasn’t spacious enough, Liberta also has a front and back patio perfect for relaxing during the warmer months of the year.

Strom Coffee

Strom Coffee

On 104th St NW, across from Strathcona High School is Strom Coffee: a small shop inspired by Swedish culture and flavours. Their ultimate goal is to create an environment of fika– the Swedish ritual of slowing down to take a break and socialize. On the menu at Strom are typical espresso-based drinks, elderflower lemonade, kanalkaffe (cinnamon sweet cream with cold foam) and salted caramel lattes. They also make decadent Swedish cookies and buns that you can order on their own or with a cup of coffee as a 6 dollar deal. Reviewers love hearing Swedish being spoken inside, as well as the fact that Strom uses coffee beans from the Vancouver coffee company 49th Parallel.

Naked Cafe

Naked Cafe

Last on the list and located in the Downtown area is Naked (also known as Naked Cybercafe and Espresso Bar). Part coffee shop, part internet cafe, part board games lounge and live music venue, Naked is a great “third space”. Here the coffee bar serves more as a social gathering point. Expect to find classic espresso drinks along with “snacks and desserts from the Italian Bakery and paninis”. Whether you want to play checkers with someone new or participate in public jam sessions, you have the opportunity. One of the oldest underground music venues in the city, Naked also offers open mics and dance nights for the community. If you’re looking for a coffee shop that’s truly people-centric, you’ve got to check this place out.

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1. The Grick, from Farrow

“Fried Egg, Bacon, Rosemary Aioli, Smoked Cheddah, Tomato Jam, Arugula”

For under $10, Farrow serves up this delectable breakfast-inspired sandwich, along with 3 other seasonally-rotating sandwich flavours. With four locations around Edmonton, Farrow also does coffee, donuts, and catering.

The Sandwich Project

2. Montreal Smoked Meat, from The Sandwich Project

“Montreal Smoked Meat piled high on multigrain bread, Romaine lettuce, red onion, thick pickles, Swiss and Mozzarella cheeses topped with our House Dijon mustard and Montreal Spice Sauce”

​Pick up the small size for $8.50 or large for $10.50, and get ready to experience smokiness, punchy acidity, and spice all in one tasty bite. The Sandwich Project is located in the south of Edmonton, near Pleasantview.

The Sandwich Project

3. Bánh Mì Gà, from Van Loc

“Shredded chicken and Vietnamese veggies +  sauce on French baguette”

Discover the bright and fresh flavour of what many people call the best Banh Mi shop in Edmonton. Start simple by ordering the Banh Mi Ga (chicken) for $7.99, before trying out some of their other meat flavours and Vietnamese iced coffee. 

Van Loc

4. Crushed Chickpea, from Fifendekel

“Plant Based with a ‘mustardy’ kick”

Though they might be best known for their pies, Fifendekel makes a number of really great classic deli sandwiches. They also serve this plant-based saucy sandwich with crushed chickpeas that has a similar texture to tuna salad for $9.35. Give it a try if you’re vegetarian, or just not into deli meat!

River City Revival House

5. The Creedence Cubano Revival, from River City Revival House

“Smoked Pulled Pork and Black Forest Ham served on ‘Vienna Bakery’ sourdough bread with swiss cheese, pickles, mustard BBQ sauce, and roasted garlic aioli”

This pub and events venue is located in Downtown Edmonton. Their food menu involves six savourable sandwiches, but people seem to love the pulled pork most. For $14, you sure get your money’s worth in terms of portion size.

The post These Unbeatable Sandwiches Are Waiting for You in Edmonton appeared first on Northly.

You can get this tangy loaded fried pickle on a stick from the Twisted Pickles booth near the Stampede Trail entrance. It makes for a great appetizer, packing flavour while remaining fairly light. The giant dill pickle is nice and juicy; a refreshing bite even when fried. Its spiraled gaps are filled with a zesty tzatziki sauce, as well as sour cream & onion potato chip crumbles. The price is $14: not cheap, but perhaps to be expected from a featured item.

 Calgary Stampede

PB&Jammin Chicken

For some protein, why not eat two iconic North American dishes as one? This cone contains grape jelly-glazed fried chicken that actually tastes like jam rather than a sweet glaze. Over the top is a savoury satay peanut sauce (though not enough of it, in our opinion)! The two sauces work together to nail the flavour of a classic PBJ sandwich. The whole thing is served in a waffle cone, adding another potential layer of food combination genius to the ordeal (think chicken and waffles). Best of all, after finishing the chicken you can eat the remaining cone and not have to worry about throwing trash away!

Calgary Stampede

Portuguese Tart Pineapple Soft Serve

This is truly a special dessert to round off your Midway experience. Served in a rounded out pineapple rind, a layer of real pineapple slush is topped with Egg Tart-flavoured frozen yogurt, with flaky pastry mix-ins. You’ll get no shortage of curious looks carrying this around the Midway, but it’s very much worth it. The tart pineapple and sweet custardy yogurt come together to create a decadent yet definitely finish-able treat.

The post We Tried Foods from the Stampede Midway. Here’s The Perfect Three Course Meal appeared first on Northly.

Best Restaurant Dessert 🏆

Piano Piano (88 Harbord St)

Piano Piano is a high-end Italian spot in a beautiful building near U of T and the Royal Ontario Museum. Their lauded carrot cake for two is visually spectacular. The rectangular slice is surrounded by ginger-flavoured creme anglaise, and topped with an upside-down vanilla ice cream cone. Toffee-like rum raisins and salted caramel give way to a light and fresh carrot flavour in each bite of this rich and decadent cake.

Machino Donuts

Best Donut 🏆

Machino Donuts (1556 Bloor St W)

Handmade from scratch with plant-based ingredients, Machino makes over 24 donut flavours daily. Try out their filled banana pudding donut with Lotus cookie crumbles, or a bruleed donut with ube cream. They also make a classic apple fritter with maple dip; you can get as lavish or simple as you want here. Although their flavours pack a punch, the donuts themselves aren’t overly sweet. The best part is, everything is priced between 3 and 5 dollars!

Ice Creamonology

Best Ice cream 🏆

Ice Creamonology (250 Queens Quay W)

Picking Toronto’s best ice cream spot feels like choosing the world’s cutest dog breed. It’s apples and oranges, and it will always be controversial. Ice Creamonology rises above many of the rest for how simple, yet quality their ice cream is. Using Canadian dairy, seasonal fruits and imported nuts, they carry about 12 flavours at a time (including a seasonal variety). Turkish Coffee (made from real aromatic beans) and Pistachio (with house-made pistachio paste from imported nuts), are their most popular flavours. They also make fresh sorbets with three ingredients only. 

Lost in Tokyo Café & Bar

Best Dessert Cafe 🏆

Lost in Tokyo (636 Queen St W)

A 90s-inspired retro cafe and sake bar known for their dessert parfaits, Lost in Tokyo will transport you across the world to a quiet spot in Japan. Vintage and antique items line the walls of this one-of-a-kind destination in Downtown Toronto. With limited space and extreme popularity, your parfait date for two will likely have to be reserved days or weeks ahead of time. If the exclusive, speakeasy-like environment wasn’t intriguing enough, the desserts are also pretty marvelous to behold.

Bakerbots Baking

Best Dessert Bakery 🏆

Bakerbots Baking (1242 Bloor St W)

Stocked with goodies in the window, Bakerbots is a small cafe and bakery offering fresh cookies, cinnamon buns, tarts, cakes and ice cream sandwiches, as well as coffee and tea. It’s a spot beloved by regulars, and operated by a young couple and their staff. People say no item here is a mediocre bite. Between the mastery of baking techniques, variety of treats and general inviting vibes, Bakerbots pulls out all the stops.

The post Do Dessert Better with This List of Top Toronto Confectionaries appeared first on Northly.

The Dining Experience

O.Noir’s concept is a dining room in total darkness, designed to provide guests a unique way to enjoy food and beverages. Depriving them of the major sense of sight cuts out visual distractions, drawing more attention to the act of eating and sense of taste. Diners choose two or three courses from the menu including a main and a dessert, with the option to add a surprise appetizer. Serving staff lead diners from the lit lounge where they place orders, into the pitch black dining room where they take their seats. The time spent in the dark lasts around an hour and a half and is meant to give guests a taste of how their servers experience dining. 

ONoir Toronto

The Mission

How does the restaurant connect diners to their servers exactly? O.Noir employs a serving team made completely up of blind and visually impaired individuals. These people are best suited to do the job as they navigate every day life without sight. Of course, the staff are also provided training in table waiting and food service. O.Noir’s mission is to provide career development to this underemployed group, as well as encourage the exchange of experience between their staff and dinner guests. Many reviewers mention their servers by name, noting the interaction they had as a highlight of their visit.

ONoir Toronto

Plan Your Visit

The restaurant is open from 6:30 until 9:00 or 10:00 PM throughout the week, and only a small number of walk-ins can be accommodated. It’s well worth it to reserve ahead of time, particularly if you have a larger group. Should you have questions related to accessibility or other concerns, there is an FAQ on their website for peace of mind. O.Noir is meant to be an experience for anyone interested!

The post Lean Into the Dark for an Enlightening Experience at O.Noir in Toronto appeared first on Northly.

Congress Coffee Company

• Congress Coffee Company

Tucked away in an industrial area on 36 Ave NE is this quirky coffee spot and event space. With a focus on rich roasts and uplifting local artists, Congress Coffee Company “programs community-driven initiatives including music, visual art, drag, poetry, burlesque and more” for their live-sound stage. The ambiance inside reflects 80s and 90s nostalgia, and artworks for sale line the walls.

Congress’ menu includes classic espresso drinks, plus “pay what you feel” drip coffee, and specialty drinks. These include seasonal frappes, tea lattes and iced beverages. They also offer housemade food including breakfast burritos, pastries, paninis and a soup of the day. Everything is made with a great deal or care, contributing to a sense that guests are more than welcome to hang out. Check out Congress Coffee’s website to preview the menu, or check them out on Instagram to find out about upcoming events.

• Xin Chao Coffee

Across the road from Sunridge Mall in Northeast Calgary is this Vietnamese-owned spot with unique food and drink items. Xin Chao means “hello” in Vietnamese! This is no place to order a regular latte, though they are available. Instead, why not try out Egg Coffee, Salted Coffee, Coconut Coffee, or Roasted Milk Tea? If you’re sensitive to caffeine, give one of their beautiful fresh fruit teas a go. Feeling hungry? Xin Chao serves spring rolls, salad rolls and a variety of desserts. The spacious cafe has two floors of seating, with a loft suited to working and a lower floor to socializing. Check out Xin Chao’s Instagram for a better sense of their vibe!

Frida’s Coffee Home

• Frida’s Coffee Home

On 9th Ave SW near the Beltline, this coffee shop brings authentic Mexican flavours and desserts to Calgary. Using Arabica beans sourced from three regions of Mexico, Frida’s Coffee Home sells house-made coffee blends along with hot and iced coffee drinks. Their menu features Cafe de Olla Lattes (similar to cappuccinos), Mazapán Lattes (caramel/ almond flavour), Horchata and Jamaica: a hibiscus flavoured juice. The food selection includes classic Canadian breakfast items, tamales, flan, tres leches cake and concha pastries like those found in Mexican bakeries.

Frida’s Coffee Home is owned by Frida Murillo and Zaheen Hamadani, who have created a cozy yet colourful environment for guests. Check out their website to read more about the story Frida’s Coffee Home and how they source coffee beans. Check out the Instagram to stay up to date on menu items and happenings around the store.

Cafe Du Park

• Cafe Du Park

Inside a repurposed storage container in North Glenmore Park is Cafe du Parc: an outpost selling drinks made with locally-roasted Devils Head Coffee. Along with classic espresso-based drinks, Cafe du Parc also sells seasonally flavoured lattes, pastries from Butter Block & CO. and even ice cream in the summertime. Hello, affogatos!

The stand is located in an outdoor park that gets chilly in the Calgary winter. Luckily, Cafe du Par has a few benches and an outdoor heater, so adults can be comfortable in the winter while children play. Calgarians appreciate this spot for its convenient location in the park and for the owner, who often strikes up conversation with guests.

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