Savoury food gets a lot of fanfare, but most of us crave something sweet from time to time. When you want a nice dessert, be it something to take home or a treat to eat while you’re out, Calgary has a lot of options for sweet tooths of all stripes.
Dessert in Calgary
Sweet eats
Dessert in Calgary
Pie at the Blackfoot Truckstop Diner.
Blackfoot Truckstop Diner
The Blackfoot Truckstop is not Calgary’s fanciest restaurant by a long stretch, but it makes a darn fine slice of pie. Open since 1956, the Blackfoot is still a legitimate old school diner, complete with a well-stocked pie case. The mile-high flapper pie is the must-try, but there are also plenty of other down-home fruit and cream pies to be had.
Fiasco Gelato
One of the pioneers of Calgary’s craft ice cream scene, Fiasco makes rich and delicious gelatos and flavourful fruity sorbettos in fun flavours like Bourbon vanilla bean and strawberry rhubarb. Buy it by the pint from local grocery stores or by the scoop at various restaurants around the city, at the Fiasco food truck or at the company’s plant/tasting room.
La Boulangerie Bakery Café
A traditional French bakery, the Boulangerie offers a number of delectable French treats, both sweet and savoury. Choose from delicate fruit tarts, custard-filled croissants, and perfect éclairs. Indulge in-shop with a cup of coffee or take something home for dessert after a home cooked meal.
MARKET
A side business of the popular Market restaurant on 17th Avenue SW, MARKET Bonbons offers six rotating flavours of exquisitely made and beautifully decorated little chocolates. The products are both gluten and nut aware, with vegan options available. The varieties change regularly but expect surprising bursts of flavour with selections like smoked old fashioned, lemon meringue pie or espresso mint.
Colourful macarons from Ollia
Ollia Macarons and Tea
Specializing in treats that are both delicate and delicious, Ollia is all about brightly coloured macarons, available in specialty flavours like passion fruit with milk chocolate, champagne, lavender and honey, and earl grey. The shop also makes specialty macaron cakes (which are basically a giant macaron) and pretty macaron pyramids for special occasions.
Made By Marcus
Calgary has more than its fair share of excellent ice cream shops, but if you’re looking for a special dessert, Made By Marcus is your ticket. The regular cones are all fantastic, but the magic lies in the sundaes, with toppings including anything from cotton candy to homemade butter tarts.
Lemon tart from Manuel Latruwe in Calgary.
Pavlova from the café Manuel Latruwe.
Manuel Latruwe
Another café where you can indulge while in the shop or take something to go, Manuel Latruwe is regarded by many as Calgary’s finest patisserie. The selection is huge — bring home opulent opera cakes, precious lemon tarts, or a collection of profiteroles. They’re all delicious and fancy enough for a special occasion.
Order the choux, or cream puffs, at Mari Bakeshop.
Delicious desserts at Mari Bakeshop in East Village.
Mari Bakeshop
Mari has won accolades for its excellent bread, but their sweet offerings are pretty wonderful as well. Pastry chef Lauren Ahn’s irresistible cream-filled roll cakes are Mari’s signature, but her bake case is also full of tasty cookies and cakes.
Pie Junkie will satisfy every pie craving.
Pie Junkie
Yes, this is a shop with an all-pie menu. Pie Junkie makes a wide range of savoury pies, but their sweet pies are also always a great bet. All of the pies are made from scratch with an all-butter pastry. Flavours change seasonally, but try to snag one of the salted honey or the sour cherry pies.
Sauce Italian Kitchen and Market
A restaurant, deli, coffee shop and market all in one, Sauce offers a number of delicious treats. Restaurant patrons can end their meal with some tiramisu or vanilla bean panna cotta, but the real dessert star here is the cannoli from the café, which come in a wide host of surprisingly vibrant flavours.
Suzette Brittany Bistro
Suzette is all about crepes — both savoury buckwheat galettes and sweet white flour concoctions. The sweet varieties are all fairly traditional, but that means the combinations are tried and true. Try out flavours ranging from the ultra-simple Citron with lemon juice, butter and sugar to the fancier Poire Belle Helene with poached pear, chocolate, ice cream, and almonds.
Mini Butterscotch Pudding from Ten Foot Henry.
Chocolate Avocado Torte from Ten Foot Henry.
Ten Foot Henry
Most everything Ten Foot Henry serves is delicious — the vegetable-forward restaurant is one of the most popular dining hotspots in Calgary. While the lunch and dinner dishes all come highly recommended, their butterscotch pudding with sponge toffee has become a cult hit among customers. Smooth, creamy and utterly addictive, it is a dessert to remember.
Yann Haute Patisserie
With both his original patisserie and the Berlingo confectionary shop next door, Yann Blanchard has become one of Calgary’s true dessert masters. The patisserie shop is full of Blanchard’s signature macarons, as well as cakes and other French favourites. Next door at Berlingo, dessert fans can go for soft serve ice cream or housemade chocolate.
Of course, this is all in addition to all of the great Calgary restaurants that have solid dessert menus to complement their savoury offerings. If you fancy something sweet in this city, you won’t have to work to hard to find it.
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