'Tis the season for sugar and spice and all things nice, and when it comes to bakeries, this city couldn't be sweeter. We asked Eagranie Yuh, chocolate educator and author of The Chocolate-Tasting Kit, available spring 2014 from Chronicle Book, to pick the best in town. From neighbourhood favourites to luxe patisseries, we've got it covered. We present—in no particular order— Vancouver's Best Bakeries Map.
Got a suggestion for a spot you think deserves to be added? Drop us a line or leave a comment.
Tucked away in sleepy Kerrisdale, Michele does a roaring trade in Chinese baked goods: delicate egg tarts (and their Portuguese cousins, which feature a bruleed top), Asian-style mousse cakes and multiple incarnations of sponge cake coiled around buttercream. Cash only.
From the staff to the clientele, everyone at Beaucoup Bakery seems thrilled to be there. We chalk it up to the French-inspired desserts, the picture-perfect croissants and the airy feel of the place.
“Life is short, eat dessert first” is emblazoned on the glass fronting this bakery’s kitchen, and they’ve got the desserts to back it up. Here, classic North American desserts meet grown-up tastes, with plenty of gluten-free options to boot.
This postage stamp of a bakery-café pumps out delightful French pastries, tarts and macarons, as well as a quirky, bite-sized fluted cake called canele de Bordeaux: darkly caramelized on the outside, soft and almost gooey on the inside.
Is there anything Adam Chandler and team can’t do? Beta5 scooped up a bevy of awards in the International Chocolate Awards, and their Instagram feed of creampuff cross-sections has probably caused more screen-licking than anyone will care to admit. The puffs’ crackly cookie tops are a nice touch.
Synonymous with bread in Vancouver, this is your one-stop shop for crusty loaves, springy baguettes and afternoon pick-me-ups. The Olympic Village location is tops for people-watching.
Thierry Busset has worked in some of the world’s top kitchens, and counts Gordon Ramsay as one of his fans. Little wonder that his eponymous café is always buzzing. It doesn’t hurt that it’s open late—and licensed. Have a drink with your dessert? How civilized.
The upside to seasonal baking? There’s always something new to try. The downside? That tasty delight from last visit might not be available anymore. No matter. There’s plenty to love here, particularly the Danish: seasonal fruit on vanilla-flecked pastry cream, nestled in buttery, layered pastry.
Two words: apple tarts. Also: elbows out. It’s controlled chaos at New Town, so dive right in, grab a number and when it’s your turn, declare your order to the deadly efficient counter staff. Cash only.
This is the place for divinely flaky sfogliatelle, petite amaretti and the city’s best cannoli—filled to order, for optimal contrast between crisp shell and creamy ricotta filling.
Christophe Bonzon is giving naval-gazing Vancouverites a reason to head to North Burnaby, where he’s dishing up desserts that are almost too beautiful to eat. Don’t miss the chocolates, either; Bonzon makes mad chocolate sculptures, and his mango confection won a gold medal at the Canadian competition of the International Chocolate Awards.
More than a decade ago, Thomas Haas set the standard for pastry in Vancouver. Stop by the North Van location to see where it all started (check out the teeny drawers on the far right wall; you may find a treat for your trouble) or join the masses at his second outpost on West Broadway.
Tucked away in sleepy Kerrisdale, Michele does a roaring trade in Chinese baked goods: delicate egg tarts (and their Portuguese cousins, which feature a bruleed top), Asian-style mousse cakes and multiple incarnations of sponge cake coiled around buttercream. Cash only.
From the staff to the clientele, everyone at Beaucoup Bakery seems thrilled to be there. We chalk it up to the French-inspired desserts, the picture-perfect croissants and the airy feel of the place.
“Life is short, eat dessert first” is emblazoned on the glass fronting this bakery’s kitchen, and they’ve got the desserts to back it up. Here, classic North American desserts meet grown-up tastes, with plenty of gluten-free options to boot.
This postage stamp of a bakery-café pumps out delightful French pastries, tarts and macarons, as well as a quirky, bite-sized fluted cake called canele de Bordeaux: darkly caramelized on the outside, soft and almost gooey on the inside.
Is there anything Adam Chandler and team can’t do? Beta5 scooped up a bevy of awards in the International Chocolate Awards, and their Instagram feed of creampuff cross-sections has probably caused more screen-licking than anyone will care to admit. The puffs’ crackly cookie tops are a nice touch.
Synonymous with bread in Vancouver, this is your one-stop shop for crusty loaves, springy baguettes and afternoon pick-me-ups. The Olympic Village location is tops for people-watching.
Thierry Busset has worked in some of the world’s top kitchens, and counts Gordon Ramsay as one of his fans. Little wonder that his eponymous café is always buzzing. It doesn’t hurt that it’s open late—and licensed. Have a drink with your dessert? How civilized.
The upside to seasonal baking? There’s always something new to try. The downside? That tasty delight from last visit might not be available anymore. No matter. There’s plenty to love here, particularly the Danish: seasonal fruit on vanilla-flecked pastry cream, nestled in buttery, layered pastry.
Two words: apple tarts. Also: elbows out. It’s controlled chaos at New Town, so dive right in, grab a number and when it’s your turn, declare your order to the deadly efficient counter staff. Cash only.
This is the place for divinely flaky sfogliatelle, petite amaretti and the city’s best cannoli—filled to order, for optimal contrast between crisp shell and creamy ricotta filling.
Christophe Bonzon is giving naval-gazing Vancouverites a reason to head to North Burnaby, where he’s dishing up desserts that are almost too beautiful to eat. Don’t miss the chocolates, either; Bonzon makes mad chocolate sculptures, and his mango confection won a gold medal at the Canadian competition of the International Chocolate Awards.
More than a decade ago, Thomas Haas set the standard for pastry in Vancouver. Stop by the North Van location to see where it all started (check out the teeny drawers on the far right wall; you may find a treat for your trouble) or join the masses at his second outpost on West Broadway.
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