Living in south Calgary, Willow Park Village is actually one of my favourite spots to shop, so when I was asked to check out sweet treats in this shopping village I was more than happy to oblige! Many weekends I find myself in Willow Park Village shopping for delicious eats, because it’s one of the few places I know where you can buy wine, fish, fresh bread, cheese, cupcakes and coffee from stand alone shops that you can walk to. There’s just something so nice about being able to get what you want from individual shops and not a big box grocery store…it feels quaint and very personal and I love that.
So with my sweet treat assignment in hand I hit Willow Park Village with my family and we had the most delicious time!
Our first stop was Crave Cupcakes. I think Crave Cupcakes makes the most delicious and moist cupcakes in Calgary, with my favourite being the ‘A Lovely Bunch of Coconuts Vanilla’, closely followed by ‘Just Chocolate’, seriously so good! But one thing you may not know about Crave is that they offer more than just cupcakes, in fact you can buy custom made cakes, pies and cookies, so there is truly something for everyone. But make sure you get there early in the day because their treats sell out fast!
I think my favourite stop in my quest for sweet treats was Springbank Cheese. Now you may not think of cheese when you think of sweet treats but sometimes cheese is just the perfect way to wrap up a big dinner! And you might be surprised to know Springbank Cheese offers some delicious cheeses that are perfect for dessert. What I loved most about my visit to this store is the help I received! When I mentioned that I was visiting to look for some ideas for dessert, the staff were quick to offer up some delicious and unusual flavour combinations! Who knew you could buy chocolate cheese, or that it would pair up perfectly with a creamy blue cheese? Amazing. I left with a basket full of delicious cheeses to enjoy for an after dinner treat…Stilton Cheese with Mango and Ginger, Chocolate Cheese, Goat Cheese Brie with to be served with Earl Grey Lavender Peach Jam over fruit & nut toast crackers. So many great sweet treat options.
A family favourite stop was to Cobs Bread! This bakery is not to be missed when you are looking for sweet treats because it is filled with fresh baked scones, pastries, cinnamon buns, fruit & nut breads and croissants. We decided to visit Cobs Bread on a Saturday morning in search of warm and gooey cinnamon buns, and we were not disappointed! The cases were full of fresh baked treats and we were able to get the cinnamon buns we were looking for. I may have also left with some hot cross buns, chocolate filled croissants and a raspberry tea bread…is your mouth watering yet?
After eating dinner at home, sometimes as a special treat we like to go out for dessert. Willow Park Village has a number of dine-in restaurants like Chianti Cafe and Restaurant, Caesar’s Steakhouse, Sushi Ginza, and Broken Plate Greek Restaurant, so there are plenty of dessert options here! Our first after dinner stop was to Chianti Cafe and Restaurant, where we happily enjoyed some delicious desserts. They have a wide selection of after dinner drinks, coffees, cakes and desserts. We sampled their Classic Red Velvet cake, the Tiramisu, the New York Cheesecake and their Blackout Torte. All SO good…my fave was the torte!
The next evening we stopped by Broken Plate Greek Restaurant, who also has an nice variety of after dinner drinks, coffees, sorbettos, ice creams and desserts. We tried their Home Made Baklava, the Baklava Cheesecake and the Lemon Tart. Oh the lemon tart, it was divine (it was my favourite dessert!). We really enjoyed the family friendly atmosphere here and can’t wait to go back for dinner!
I really enjoyed my experience seeking out sweet treats in Willow Park Village, I mean you can’t really go wrong with dessert, right? So if you’re in search of a delicious dessert experience you will definitely be able to find what you are looking for here!
Have a delicious day!
Jo-Anna
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