Victoria's Best Pains au Chocolat
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Whether you're a pastry lover, chocolate lover, or both, pain au chocolat is the perfect dessert to satisfy your cravings. Warm, buttery, crispy, crumbly, with ooey-gooey chocolate inside, this dessert is one of my ultimate favourites.
Below, you will find the top six places in and around Victoria to find your personal go-to pain au chocolat. Price points for each item will be listed below so you can find not only the best tasting pastry for your palate, but the best price point for your budget.
Pâtisserie Daniel
Situated down charming Cook Street is Pâtisserie Daniel. This lovely little bakery is home to loads of delicious goodies and fresh bread, including pain au chocolat. Their take on the classic shines with pastry that is both chewy and flaky, and chocolate that does not overpower the dough. This pain au chocolat is priced at $4.15—a little on the pricier end of the pastries featured here. But no matter what kind of baked goods you’re looking for, if you're in the Fernwood area, we recommend stopping by this bakery. The staff are friendly and are happy to help you find what you’re looking for inside, and their fresh-baked bread is also some of the best in town.
Location: 1729 Cook St. Website: patisseriedaniel.com Instagram: @patisserie_daniel Price: $4.15 (tax included)
Crust Bakery
Crust Bakery is one of the most popular spots downtown (on Fort Street) for bakery delights! The bakery's pain au chocolat has a splendid, light layering of crust and is pleasantly soft and chewy on the inside. If you're looking for a less buttery flavoured pain au chocolat then Crust’s is the one for you. Their take on the classic pastry has a pleasant, rich chocolate flavour, without being overpoweringly buttery. At Crust, their pain au chocolat is priced at $4 (including tax). If you're looking for delicious baked goods and a great tasting pain au chocolat, Crust is a splendid choice. Check out their downtown location today!
Location: 730 Fort St. Website: crustbakery.ca Instagram: @crustbakeryonfort Price: $4.00 (tax included)
Whole Foods Market
If you're planning on heading to Uptown, make sure to check out Whole Foods! This diverse grocery store offers a wide variety of goods, including a delicious bakery section. Whole Foods' pain au chocolat is the cheapest croissant on this list and retails for $2.99, plus tax. You can also purchase their four-pack for $7.34. The pains au chocolat at Whole Foods are wonderfully chewy and have a rich and gooey chocolatey middle. The chocolate is quite sweet and the puff pastry has a nice buttery flavour. The pastries are not crispy when bought, but crisp up perfectly when warmed in the oven. For the cheapest and chewiest pain au chocolat, check out Whole Foods at Uptown!
Location: 3587 Blanshard St. Website: wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/victoria Instagram: @wholefoodsbc Price: $2.99 (plus tax) $7.34 for 4-pack (tax included)
Fol Epi
This popular bakery on Yates (and Harbour Road) has some delicious treats, breads, and sandwiches to choose from. Fol Epi's pain au chocolat is by far the most buttery and one of the flakies, while the chocolate inside is rich, decadent, and flavourful. If you're looking for a pastry that has a lovely balance of taste and texture, then Fol Epi is the bakery to try. Keep in mind, though, that Fol Epi's stock does sell out fairly quickly, so calling ahead to put certain goods on hold is sometimes a good idea. This pain au chocolat is the most expensive on this list, coming in at $5.25 (tax included). But if you're looking for a great tasting pastry and the price suits your budget, then we would highly recommend Fol Epi as a bakery spot to visit!
Locations: 732 Yates St. and 398 Harbour Rd. #101 Website: folepi.ca Instagram: @fol.epi Price: $5.25 (tax included).
Demitasse Café & Garden Centre
This inviting little bakery and cafe in the Oak Bay area is a hidden gem. Not only selling delicious drinks and savoury goodies, but their selection of treats makes it hard to leave the cafe with only one item in hand. Demitasse’s pain au chocolat has a generous amount of high-quality chocolate (the most out of all the pastries on our list) that is not overpoweringly sweet. Overall the pastry’s flavour is rich and the exterior is crispy and flakey. The price of this pain au chocolat is the same as Pâtisserie Daniel, coming in at $4.15 (tax included), and the two options are quite comparable in terms of quality and taste. However, Demitasse Café’s pain au chocolat is crispier, while Pâtisserie Daniel’s offering is more chewy. No matter your preference, you can’t go wrong with either option!
Location: 2164 McNeill Ave. Website: demitasse.ca Instagram: @demitassevictoria Price: $4.15 (tax included).
La Roux Patisserie
The largest and most unique looking pain au chocolat on our list is from La Roux Patisserie. This croissant has a splendid balance of crunchiness and chewiness. The taste is light and fresh, and although not as rich as Fol Epi’s, its flavour is still extremely satisfying. The hint of icing sugar on top is also a nice touch! For a fresh and tasty pain au chocolat, La Roux Patisserie is a win for quality and price; it is priced second lowest on our list, behind Whole Foods, coming in at $3.68 (tax included). This pain au chocolat is both inviting to the eye and palate, and is a great deal for a fresh, high-quality pain au chocolat. La Roux Patisserie also features a wide selection of other eye-catching treats and makes for the perfect spot to bring your bubble out for some dessert and tea. La Roux Patisserie is a worthy winner on our list of pains au chocolat!
Location: 519 Fisgard St Website: laroux.ca Instagram: @larouxlarouxlaroux Price: $3.68 (tax included).
Try out one of these delectable pains au chocolat today! Don't forget to tag @tastingvictoria or use #TastingVictoria to be featured.
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