u/mold-toad

(Follow-up to my Original Post)

Please check out my last post for the other croissants I tried along the Iron Horse Trail (City Cafe, Bauer Bakery, Vincenzos, Roux Bakehouse, La Patisserie)

Thanks to everyone who made comments and suggestions on my last post! I had no idea the post would be so popular, but I am so glad that many people found it helpful. I started this mainly because there are so many options for baked goods on Google, but it can be hard to find updated prices and photos for each bakery without scrolling extensively.

Luckily the weather was cooling off after this sweltering week, so I decided to do another lengthy walk to try out all of the recommendations from last time!

All prices include taxes (if added).

--

Nova Era Bakery - $2.99 - massive size, sweeter than most croissants (brioche-like taste), less buttery, softer exterior, bready interior, least expensive (Kitchener)

Golden Hearth Bakery - $3.50 - smallest size, strong buttery flavour, very flakey and crispy exterior with a chewy center, mid-range pricing (Kitchener)

Maison KooKoo - $5.59 - most expensive option out of all the croissants, medium sized, rich buttery flavour (they advertised imported butter), aesthetically pleasing exterior with perfect stripes and flakiness (Waterloo)

Manon Bakery - $3.73 - also massive size, similar to Nova Era in appearance but not sweetness, and bread like taste, less butter flavour noticed, crispy exterior with some flakiness, mid-range pricing (Waterloo)

--

Places that did not have butter croissants available:

Aura La Pastry & Provisions - $5.00 - Kouign-amann

Aura La unfortunately did not have any butter croissants (apparently they used to) so I could not buy one to compare. They did have a kouign-amann which was recommended as one of their most popular pastries. (Kitchener)

Lucero Canteen (Terroir Bakery) - $4.40 - Raspberry Croissant

Many mentioned Lucero for the Terroir Bakery (Cambridge) dough they bring in that is then baked there. I however learned upon arrival that Lucero has a rotating selection of pastries each day so the regular butter croissant was not available. I did buy a raspberry croissant that looked lovely to try. It was good, but I would have preferred the butter croissant to compare! I'll have to return for another visit at a different time to try the butter croissant. (Kitchener)

--

- Maison KooKoo and Golden Hearth stand out for their full buttery taste. Golden Hearth wins for the price point but Maison's butter was definitely richer and more unique if you want to splurge on butter quality.

- Nova Era and Manon looked very similar at first glance (I almost mixed up the two!), but Nova's is a sweeter croissant while Manon's was more plain. Both had less buttery flavour when compared to the other two.

- Lucero Canteen had a limited selection and unfortunately the butter croissants are not always available.

- Aura La unfortunately does not have croissants but very friendly staff and many tasty pastries!

-Higher price ranges either contribute to croissant size or butter quality or both.

--

I will admit this route was much longer and less easy to pick up all the croissants, but overall the Laurel and Iron Horse Trail both have lots of options for a range of local croissants.

Again, hopefully this post is helpful for anyone comparing price and croissant types available. Please try to support local businesses when possible. There are lots of bakeries available within walking distance of our lovely trails and downtown and uptown areas!

I had the day off today for Canada Day today instead of the Wednesday, so I decided to visit several shops along the Iron Horse trail between Waterloo and Kitchener to try out several butter croissants.

All prices include taxes (if any).

City Cafe - $2.50 - largest croissant and one of the most economical options (only cash and etransfer), hint of butter, flakey but softer crust

Bauer Kitchen (Bakery & Cafe) - $3.95 - made by the bauer kitchen pastry chefs, mid-range pricing, buttery, less chewy interior, flakey exterior 

La Patisserie Fine Cakes & Pastries Inc. - $4.24 - a bit off the path but one of the more expensive ones, buttery, chewier interior, flakey but softer crust 

Roux Bakehouse - $4.60 - most aesthetically pleasing but also most expensive, very rich in butter and a bit sweet, flakiest exterior with a crunch

Vincenzos - $1.75 - cheapest likely due to grocery pricing and most simple and smallest croissant, butter forward (not as rich as roux), most chewy interior, very flakey but soft at the same time and flaked off when cutting 

- Roux makes up for the price with the butter content and 2nd largest size.

- Bauer and Patisserie were quite similar in taste, but bauer wins for the price.

- City Cafe and Vincenzos compete for price but City Cafes was larger, seemed more freshly baked while Vincenzos had more butter (?) flavour, but different than Roux. 

Overall they were all delicious and I wouldn't hesitate to buy them again if I was nearby. If you want bang for buck then City Cafe is ideal. Roux Bakehouse is great if you want to splurge for more buttery richness. Everything else was tasty and might end up a matter of convenience if you're also picking up coffee or cakes while visiting!

I hope the pricing and images help our locals and visitors decide where to visit and spend their money. Either way, you're supporting local businesses with any of these options!