Port Coquitlam guide
Bakeries and Sweets in Port Coquitlam
From donuts on the Shaughnessy strip to Belgian chocolate on Marpole Avenue, PoCo's bakeries and dessert counters cover every occasion. A sweet-toothed local's map.
Written by Fern Kellaway
Every PoCo errand seems to end at a bakery counter, and I have stopped fighting it. The city's sweet trade is spread across the strips the way everything else is, but it leans European in a way that says something about the families who built these blocks: deli counters beside pastry cases, donut shops that predate the newer plazas, and chocolate makers who take the long view. This guide gathers the bakeries and dessert rooms worth planning around, from the Shaughnessy Street heritage strip to the east side, organized the way I actually use it: by what the craving is.
The Shaughnessy strip does the morning trade. Ava Bakery works the strip's commercial block with the breads and pastries that sell out on a weekend, and Goldie's Donuts & Bakery carries the donut-and-coffee habit that half the downtown runs on. Tinshin Bakery & Pastry rounds out the bakery list on the west side, and together the three give the city a proper bakery row. Further around the Lincoln pocket, Europe Old Fashion Bakery and Deli keeps an old-world counter going, the kind of place where the case is full and the service is unhurried. These are the rooms to know for birthday cakes and holiday loaves, and they are worth a phone call before you need them.
Specialty diets have their own address. Delish Gluten Free Bakery & Caffé Delish runs a dedicated gluten-free bakery on the Coast Meridian Road side, with a cafe attached, and it draws people from well beyond PoCo for exactly that reason. Over on Seaborne Avenue, Cannoli King keeps its counter going, and the name tells you everything about the case. Neither fits the old bakery-row pattern, and both are proof that the city's sweet trade keeps diversifying. If you are feeding someone with restrictions, call ahead and ask about ingredients: both rooms are used to the question.
Chocolate and frozen things round out the map. Charlie's Chocolate Factory works the McLean Avenue belt, where the bays give it room to do what it does, and Daniel Le Chocolat Belge brings Belgian-style chocolate to the Marpole Avenue blocks. Matteo's Gelato on Mary Hill Road is the bench's dessert anchor, and on a warm evening it pulls a line that spills onto the sidewalk. Crave Waffle Bar rounds out the list on the Coquitlam River side of the city. These are the occasion stops, the ones you plan a walk around rather than the other way.
The practical notes are the same as any small-shop town. Custom orders need lead time, holiday hours change, and the best pastry cases empty before noon, so plan accordingly. Ask about ordering a cake ahead rather than hoping for one, and confirm seasonal hours by phone before you cross town. Every listing here is checked by hand for the directory, and I keep the addresses and details current as the counters change. Bring an appetite, and if you find a favorite, tell the counter you read about it here. PoCo's bakeries run on regulars, and there is always room for one more.
From the directory
Mentioned in this article
Every place named above has its own page here, with the address, the hours and the nearest station.
Ava Bakery
Bakery on Shaughnessy Street in Port Coquitlam, selling daily loaves, pastries and sweets, with orders by phone or online.
View details
Cannoli King
Seaborne Avenue bakery built around Sicilian cannoli, filled with sweet ricotta and boxed to take away.
View details
Charlie's Chocolate Factory
McLean Avenue candy shop stocking chocolates, bulk sweets and novelty treats for everyday errands and gifts.
View details
Crave Waffle Bar
Breakfast spot serving the Port Coquitlam area with sweet and savoury waffles and morning favorites.
View details
Daniel Le Chocolat Belge
Belgian chocolate shop on Marpole Avenue selling truffles, bars and gift boxes alongside everyday confections.
View details
Delish Gluten Free Bakery & Caffé Delish
Bakery and café on Coast Meridian Road devoted entirely to gluten-free baking, with fresh breads, pastries and coffee.
View details
Europe Old Fashion Bakery and Deli
Independent bakery and deli in Lincoln, Port Coquitlam, with bread mixed, shaped, and baked before dawn for the morning crowd.
View details
Goldie's Donuts & Bakery
Bakery counter on Shaughnessy Street in Port Coquitlam selling fresh donuts, pastries and morning bakes.
View details
Matteo's Gelato
Dessert shop at 2615 Mary Hill Road serving Italian-style gelato and frozen treats by the scoop.
View details
Tinshin Bakery & Pastry
Independent bakery in Lincoln, Port Coquitlam, where the ovens start before the street does and bread and pastry set the pace of the day.
View details
Who wrote this
Fern Kellaway
Fern Kellaway grew up in Mary Hill, three streets from the rail corridor, and her grandfather worked the CPR yards for most of his life. She lives near Lions Park now and has walked the Traboulay loop weekly for twenty years, which is how she knows which businesses are still there.