It was a beautiful Saturday morning and I decided that it was time for my family to try out a different bakery. You see, we learned from a friend about Monastery Bakery and we’ve only gone to this bakery ever since. That was 10 years ago.
Because neither my husband nor I consider ourselves pastry aficionados, we decided that we’d have to taste the same pastries side by side to really determine the winner.
First, we headed to the Danish Pastry House. They are in a very nice plaza on Cornwall Rd. in Oakville. When you step inside you see photos of Denmark. There are seats and tables, a long counter for ordering pastries and the high unfinished ceiling is akin to the trendy factory-style look. One whole side of the shop is all windows and on that day the entire place was bright and cheery.
A reviewer on Yelp writes; The Danish Pastry House was close to the “real thing” you’d get in Denmark. “They imported a special machine that is able to make fresh baked Danish dough with no less than 27 melt-in-your-mouth layers. 27 layers!” https://www.yelp.ca/biz/the-danish-pastry-house-oakville
Everything at the Danish Pastry House looked delicious. The person behind the counter gave limited advice in terms of what we (as new customers) should try. And she did not know what I meant when I asked her about the special machine to make freshly baked Danish dough. So I called around and found out that all the pastries are actually made in Mississauga at The Danish Pastry House on Odessy Rd. and they are brought to our Oakville Store every day.
After some thought, we ordered chocolate croissants, a huge Kanel Snegel Chokolade (cinnamon roll with chocolate), and two varieties of Danish (apple and strawberry) and a piece of lemon cake. (The Danish House Danishes got rave reviews online.) We decided that we really should go back to try out the breads as well as the cakes someday. There was such a variety of cakes, and personally, I’d love to try their sourdough!
In the corner, after the checkout is where they prepare the “fancy” coffee. They use Kontra coffee which comes from Copenhagen. And yes, the Oakville Place Mall also serves this coffee from The Danish House. At both places, you could order any kind of espresso drink and all sorts of varieties of beverages.
It was nice that the Danish Pastry House had a lovely seating area. My husband and I sat down there and tasted some of the pastries. It gave me an opportunity to sip my cappuccino and soak up the sun. And it was a wonderful way to spend a few relaxing minutes in the morning.
Monastery Bakery
Next, we headed to Monastery Bakery. At this bakery there is a bit of a hustle and bustle to find a parking spot in this very busy, yet small parking lot. Luckily, patrons come and go very quickly so you often don’t have to wait long before someone is pulling out of a spot.
The store itself begins with a small grocery area. Here you can find your fruit, vegetables, cheeses and more. I like this about Monastery because I can put together an entire brunch including cheeses, grapes and pastries all in one place. As well, if I’m low on things such as milk and eggs, bacon and other things, I know I can find them all at Monastery.
Over at the Espresso area, you can get any sort of coffee or espresso drink. I ordered an espresso shot and it came in a small paper cup. There was no seating for me to sit down and drink so I carried it with me.
At the back of the store is the bakery and it is important to enter the bakery the correct way. So take the door on the right and follow the other patrons around past the breads and toward the pastries.
Monastery had more variety compared to The Danish Pastry House. We loved the savoury options, then the sweet options. There were all sorts of donuts, croissants, danishes, and cinnamon rolls. Sometimes there were different sizes of the same things so you could choose the large or snack size.
We chose chocolate croissants, danishes (they had apple and lemon), and regular croissants. Because we were bringing some home for our kids, we made sure there were at least two or more of each.
The Monastery Bakery is busy and so are all the staff. We found them helpful, but in a hurry. The checkouts were busy but it was only a few minutes before we were through the checkout and heading home.
The Results - Which is Better?
Once home, we laid out the pastries and the four of us did the taste test. Here are our observations:
- Size – the Danish pastries were larger than those at Monastery Bakery
- Taste –
- Croissants: We found the Danish Pastry House had a more airy-looking croissant. Monastery Bakery’s croissant was denser looking but tasted light and buttery which some family members enjoyed more, however, I liked the crunchy crust on the croissant from The Danish Pastry House.
- The Danish from the Danish Pastry House was much better than the one from Monastery Bakery and many reviews comment that the ones from the Danish Pastry House are just like the ones you’d find in Denmark
- The chocolate croissant from Monastery Bakery had a hunk of chocolate inside and also drizzled on the outside while the one from the Danish Pastry House had chocolate drizzled on the outside but none inside. All of us enjoyed the Danish Pastry chocolate croissant the most. We felt the chocolate inside was a bit overwhelming and overly sweet for our taste.
- Cost – The Danish Pastry House pastries were more expensive.
- Friendliness of staff – We found the service was good at both places.
- Ambiance – The Danish Pastry House had a nicer feel and offered seating so I’d suggest going there for coffee with a friend.
Overall, there are pros and cons to both bakeries. But here’s how I’d look at it: If you want to go out for a really nice coffee with pastries while sitting in the bakery with a friend or spouse, then The Danish Pastry House is your bakery. However, if you have a large crowd staying overnight at your house and you want a nice full brunch including pastries, grapes, cheese, and freshly squeezed orange juice, then head to Monastery Bakery.