Where has the summer gone? I hope that everyone has had a great summer so far. A few months ago I was joking on Twitter with the team from Tourism Prince George about spending a day touring Prince George determining who has the city’s best cinnamon buns. While at first, I was joking, I decided that showcasing the many great places in Prince George where you can satisfy your sweet tooth, especially if you are looking for a pastry to go with your morning coffee, would be a fun little challenge.
So some of my colleagues from Big Brothers Big Sisters and I spent a lunch break visiting four local coffee shops to test their cinnamon buns. Here are the results of our research.
- Black Donkey Café (located on the corner of 3rd and George) is right now a hotbed of Pokémon activity. With multiple PokéStops and incentives for “dropping lures”, you can go socialize with other players and try and catch a Pokémon; I hear they are plentiful. Black Donkey is also home to the Prince George Board Gamers Club and quite often holds family-friendly events such a karaoke. They are in the process of hiring a new baker so we didn’t get a chance to try their normal pastries. We are going to withhold judgment until we can try the ones they make in-house.
- Zoe’s Java House
(located on 4th Avenue) is one of my first choices when someone asks me “Where do you want to meet downtown?” The café feels homey plus the food is great. The ‘soup and sandwich’ is made in house and is delicious and filling. However, I will be honest when I say that no matter how full I am there is always room for their cinnamon bun. It doesn’t have icing, but it doesn’t need it. The cinnamon on top is brûléed and adds a nice crunch; a solid cinnamon bun that never disappoints. 
Second Cup (located in Parkwood Place) just went through a bunch of renovations and is a great place to grab a cup of coffee before heading to the movie. Their cinnamon bun is the moistest bun we tried. Not only is there a great cream cheese icing but the cinnamon bun is full of diced apples, too. It is not too sweet and well worth the stop! - Last but not least is Playgrounds Café (located on the corner of 18th and Quinn). The concept is great. There is a kid only area where your toddlers can play under the supervision of licensed and qualified staff. Outside the play area is the café where parents can visit, work and enjoy a little adult conversation. While you are visiting, you can enjoy lunch, including crepes, but I always get one of their cinnamon buns. For the record, it was the clear favourite of the BBBS staff. The cinnamon bun was moist and flavourful without being too sweet. Then you get the nice crunch of the toffee coating. Yes, I said toffee! I can’t say it is the best cinnamon bun in Prince George because we have not tried them all but it is going to be tough to beat. But don’t worry, I am up for the challenge.
If pastries are not your poison then I would recommend three other treats: the chocolate covered cheesecake from Rocky Mountain Chocolate; the OMG’s from Ohh Chocolat; and the Tiramisu from Cimo Mediterranean Grill.
With all this talk of sweets, I am off to walk the dog again and try and make up for my City of PG Cinnamon bun tour.
Until next time,
Tim
