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sarahsociables
  • home
  • Attend
    • YYC Fun News
    • Events Calendar
    • My Events
    • Calgary Festivals
    • Free Things To Do
  • Celebrate
    • Halloween in Calgary
    • Christmas in Calgary
    • New Years Eve in Calgary
    • Valentine's in Calgary
    • St Patricks Day Calgary
    • Easter in Calgary
    • Cinco de Mayo
    • Canada Day
    • Pride Week
    • Stampede
  • Plan
    • Fun Things To Do
    • Staycation
    • Birthday Party
    • Bachelor Party
    • Bachelorette
    • Date Night
    • Private Party Venues
    • 24 Hours in Calgary
  • Eat
    • New Restaurant Openings
    • Calgary Patios
    • Happy Hours
    • Daily Specials
    • Calgarys Best Restaurants
    • Best Foods of Calgary
    • Unique Restaurants
    • Perfect Restaurant for...
  • Drink
    • Calgarys Best Bars
    • Best Breweries
    • Secret Speakeasys
    • Calgary Distilleries
    • Dancing in Calgary
  • More
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Best Foods of Calgary

Calgary Food Wars

I'm putting Calgary foods in head to head to battles so I can bring you the BEST of the BEST!!

BATTLE OF THE CINNAMON BUNS - CALGARY'S BEST

Alforno (2/10)


  • medium size
  • no raisins (pro or con depending on what you're looking for)
  • surprisingly hard and stale
  • icing in a big blob, not spread around
  • icing was cream cheesey and tasted delicious so I do give them credit for that (best icing I tried)
  • not fresh or tasty, maybe I went on a bad day, honestly I would have returned this. it was terrible
  • pricy ($7)

Atmosphere - the building is very cute and

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Cobs Bread (6.5/10)


  • medium size
  • no raisins
  • outside was unflavoured, crunchy, dry (no cinnamon or icing to edges)
  • middle inside was good
  • icing was average, I don't think it was cream cheese though (if it was, it was light on the cream cheese flavour)
  • decent cinnamon bun, but not special
  • reasonable price ($3.83)

Atmosphere - Nice but no seating or coffee, not a place to hangout

Prairie Mill Bread (7/10)


  • massive in size, lots of layers
  • has raisins 
  • no icing
  • whole wheat so a "healthier" bun
  • not super sweet (pro or con depending on what you're looking for)
  • only $3
  • I feel like this would be grandma's favorite for sure, also because it's not as sweet you can eat more and not be dying for water

Atmosphere - very plain setting, no seating, no coffee, not a place to hang out

Cinnaholic (9.5/10)


  • decently sized
  • tons of icing, like almost too much, it slid off my bun
  • not cream cheese icing, but it's a light whipped texture
  • no raisins
  • served warm!! hell ya, really took it up a notch
  • very soft and lots of cinnamon flavour
  • kinda pricy ($6.29)

Atmosphere - cute place on 17th that serves only cinnamon buns, they have lots of wild flavours. I was in and out fast so I didn't notice sea

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Love Sugar Dough (7.5/10)


  • large size
  • no raisins
  • good layer of thick icing
  • icing spread out over whole bun which was a nice distribution
  • served cold (refrigerated, so lost points, could potentially be much higher)
  • big square bun, bread was fluffy, but hard to tell how soft it was because it was just out of the fridge
  • average price ($4.50)

Atmosphere - a little rough around the edges, no seating, no coffee,

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Sidewalk Citizen (9/10)


  • on the smaller side in terms of size
  • no icing
  • no raisins
  • very gooey and soft, falls apart easily
  • excellent sticky bun flavour, you know that deep heated brown sugar flavour, you get that here
  • bread had a bit of a weird texture (grainy?) which didn't bother me but I could see some people not liking it
  • average price ($4.46)

Atmosphere - cute side area in Simmons Building in East Vill

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La Boulangerie (5/10)


  • no icing
  • a couple raisins on top as a garnish
  • very soft flaky bread, but it was basically a croissant and not a cinnamon bun
  • very little cinnamon flavour, it was only on the outside and not baked in
  • not sweet, more like eating a slightly sweetened croissant, a good croissant, but this would not satisfy someone looking for a cinnamon bun
  • average price ($5.25)

Atmosphere - nice bakery

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Patisserie Du Soleil (10/10)


  • medium size
  • no icing
  • no raisins
  • served warm!!! 
  • incredibly soft bread
  • they were out of their cinnamon raisin ones so I got a chocolate cinnamon, it wasn't very chocolately but it was flipping amazing, so perhaps the chocolate gave this bun an advantage
  • layers of flavour, not just one sweet mass, so it kept each bite interesting
  • good price ($3.25)

Atmosphere - bakery/small resta

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Cinnzeo (8/10)


  • small in size 
  • light cream cheese icing, very minimal
  • no raisins
  • served warm!! YES
  • very soft
  • very sweet
  • hard to criticize it, but loses a few points for size and being overly sweet throughout, every bite was the same
  • expensive for size ($5.24)

Atmosphere - the atmosphere is chinook mall lol so if you're familiar with the food court area then I don't need to say more haha

Good Bread (6/10)


  • cream cheese icing, but not evenly distributed
  • medium size
  • no raisins 
  • bread was fresh but could have been fluffier
  • a little weird it was in a muffin wrapper, not the best aesthetic 
  • tasted great but I wouldn't say it's special
  • price (?) not sure because I bought other stuff and didn't ask for a receipt, oops

Atmosphere - cute modern bakery located in Acadia, there are a few seats and th

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 Lazy Loaf & Kettle (5/10)


  • 2 options (raisin or no raisin) (I went with no raisin)
  • no icing
  • large size
  • not stale, but not as soft as I would have liked
  • tasted good but not amazing
  • had seeds in it which was a little weird
  • upon further tasting, some inner bites were doughy/undercooked, so I actually lowered my original rating on this
  • average price ($5.95)

Atmosphere - homey little restaurant that is always b

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Lina's Italian Market (7/10)


  • medium/smallish in size
  • no icing
  • no raisins
  • pecans on top (a non-pecan version was also available)
  • served very cold, so this hurt the rating for sure, if this was warm could be a 9 
  • soft bread, but cold so made it stiffer
  • good sticky flavour
  • average price ($5.76)

Atmosphere: very cute Italian market, has seating and place to buy coffee, sandwiches or baked goods, great place to

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Monogram (8.5/10)


  • medium/large in size
  • no raisins
  • flavoured icing that was spread throughout
  • tasted very different, had nutmeg? or ginger? reminded me of christmas, after tasting so many cinnamon buns this was a surprising hit
  • quite sweet but too sweet
  • soft dough, but not the softest
  • if you want classic cinnamon bun flavour, this isn't it, but this was an amazing twist that I really enjoyed with each bit


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Yum Bakery (6.5/10)


  • medium/large in size
  • no raisins
  • cream cheese icing spread throughout (option for no icing as well)
  • quite wet! felt like I should have ate with a fork
  • smothered in apple/caramel "sauce," while this made it extra juicy, personally not a big apple flavor fan
  • too sweet at first, but actually less sweet towards centre
  • very soft dough, fresh
  • average price ($5.25)

Atmosphere: this was their fa

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Canela (7/10)


  • medium size
  • no raisins
  • vegan
  • outside layers a little tough 
  • icing in big blob, not spread out
  • icing not good, tasted like plain icing sugar, would have preferred cream cheese 
  • extremely sweet towards centre
  • little pricy ($6.30)

Atmosphere: nice little café in Inglewood, lots of baked goods and coffee options

Forage (7/10)


  • large size
  • no raisins
  • wet and saucy outside
  • icing served on the side (icing wasn't good, was allegedly cream cheese but I tasted no cream cheese)
  • very soft and fresh
  • average price ($5.25)

Atmosphere: little shop in Marda Loop/Altadore area, no seating, no coffee

Big Buns Club (8/10)


  • very large in size
  • no raisins
  • fantastic icing distribution 
  • one of the better tasting icings out of all that I tried
  • soft dough/fresh
  • only critique, it takes a few bites of bread to get into the cinnamon bun flavour
  • pricier ($6.56)

Atmosphere: none, you order ahead and pick them up at Culinary Coworking Kitchen

Honorable Mentions That Didn't Get Tested

Here's a list of places I was told I had to try but didn't make it to:


  1. Heritage Park Railroad Café - Although I discovered you can visit the café without paying the fee for entry to the park, when I checked the menu there was no cinnamon bun listed. (They might still have it but I didn't feel like driving there to check.)
  2. Roy's Place in Claresholm - apparently has massive cinnamon buns that were even featured on TV.  I just didn't want to do the drive. :(
  3. Home Ground in Okotoks - several people mentioned I must try these epic buns, but alas, I did not make it here.
  4. The Nash - only served for brunch on weekends, this $12 cinnamon bun is apparently epic. I think it changes flavour too because the menu says cinnamon bun "creation of the month."
  5. Butter Block - one of my personal favourite bakeries in the city! But they are currently closed for renovations. 
  6. Diner Deluxe - On weekend and holidays they offer a $9 cinnamon bun feature.  Cream cheese icing, rum caramel sauce, and candied walnuts. Made fresh!

okay so... which CINNAMON BUN IS best in Calgary?

  1. Which is your favorite overall, Sarah? If I could only pick one, my favorite was Patisserie Du Soleil It was warm, fresh, not too sweet, each bite was delicious from start to centre.
  2. Which is the best "sticky bun style" cinnamon bun? - In my opinion, Sidewalk Citizen
  3. Which one was a surprise hit? - Monogram's cinnamon bun was unusual! I think they put ginger in their icing, I love it and would get it again.
  4. Where can I try wild novelty flavours? Try Cinnaholic, Canela or Big Buns Club for wacky toppings like oreo, apple pie or lucky charms.
  5. What's your recommendation for a cinnamon bun that isn't too sweet? - Try Prairie Bread Mill for a tasty option that isn't too sweet.
  6. Which had the best icing? - While Alforno's bun was sadly dry and stale, their icing was the best I tried.
  7. Which are vegan? - Cinnaholic and Canela
  8. You should have heated them all up so that it would be a fair comparison - True, the heated cinnamon buns definitely had a leg up over the ones that weren't. However I was taste testing in my car and had no method to heat them. Also, I feel like that should fall on the business to offer that option.
  9. You should give Alforno another try, they are really good! - You are probably right, I think I just got unlucky and got a stale one, most people say they are excellent.


SEE THIS INFO IN MAP FORMAT

(currently updating the map, not quite done yet)


Full disclosure: this cinnamon bun hunt was not sponsored in anyway.  I purchased every cinnamon bun with my own money and all ratings are completely my own opinion.

Battle of the bagels - calgary's best bagels


SEE THIS INFO IN MAP FORMAT


Montreal Bagels (6.5/10)

  • small and dense bread
  • traditional
  • slightly sweetened
  • limited selection/sells out early
  • takes cash only


Atmosphere - takeout only (no chairs/not a place to hangout)

Wayne's Bagels (7/10)

  • small and dense bagel
  • traditional, classic taste
  • more flavour selections


Atmosphere - takeout only (no chairs/ not a place to hangout)

Bagelino's (8/10)

  •  larger fluffier bagel
  • good for sandwiches
  • more expensive ($2 each)
  • more flavour selections


Atmosphere - a few chairs but it's a small seating space

Good Bread (10/10)

  • massive fluffy bagels
  • delicious! so good you can eat it straight up!
  • not as traditional (more like a bun consistency)


Atmosphere - cute, has some chairs/place to sit, order coffee, pastry etc.

testing soon

Upcoming YYC Taste Tests

I haven't planned out exactly what I'm taste testing next but here are some suggestions I received:


  • poutine
  • hot chicken sandwiches
  • chocolate chip cookies
  • breakfast sandwiches
  • pizza
  • happy hours
  • wings
  • donairs
  • croissants
  • ramen
  • tacos
  • french toast
  • donuts
  • burger
  • sushi
  • calzones
  • lattes
  • shawarma
  • cupcakes 
  • ice cream
  • Indian food
  • pho
  • bubble tea
  • milkshakes
  • beef jerky
  • Vietnamese subs

 

If you want to vote on what I should taste test next - do so here!


VOTE FOR NEXT TASTE TEST FOOD

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