Kitsilano’s coffee run comes with a little extra temptation this week.
The Metro Vancouver Croissant Crawl is underway through October 4, bringing 10 days of limited-edition pastries to 35 participating vendors across the region. Running September 25 to October 4, the self-guided event lets pastry lovers build their own route, with special drink pairings and new tasting challenges adding to the fun.
For a neighbourhood stop, Nomad Coffee Bar Kitsilano is taking things in a savoury direction with its Formaggio Pizza Croffle. The creation combines a butter croissant with tomato sauce, pepperoni, mozzarella and Formaggio cheese, making a convincing case for croissants at lunchtime.
Fresh St. Market’s Kitsilano location is also participating, offering a Crème Brûlée Croissant filled with French Bavarian cream and topped with torched sugar for a crisp caramelized finish. It’s a pastry-shop take on the classic dessert, complete with that satisfying sugary crunch.
Those venturing farther can explore creations such as A Bread Affair’s Black Sesame Croissant with Miso Caramel or Doughgirls’ The Dill-irious, which brings together pickles, cream cheese, Parmesan, roasted jalapeño and tomato jam.
New this year, Taste-Off Challenges invite crawlers to compare different vendors’ interpretations of a shared ingredient. Participants can also collect stamps in a Croissant Passport as they work their way through the lineup.
There are no tickets required: simply pay for what you order at each stop. Prices and opening hours vary by vendor, and organizers strongly encourage pre-orders where available to avoid missing out.
Find the full lineup and plan your pastry route at vancouvercroissantcrawl.com.
