Somewhere in Vancouver, a bakery is putting real takoyaki inside a croissant, and you have ten days to go find it.
The Metro Vancouver Croissant Crawl is back for its fifth year, running September 25 to October 4 with 35 bakeries and cafés across the region, each serving a limited-edition croissant made for the event.
The idea has not changed since year one.
Pick your stops, walk, bike or drive between them with friends, and eat as many special croissants as you can manage.
What has changed is the calendar.
After two November editions, the crawl moves up to the start of fall, which is where it began.
“The event was originally Oct 1 to 7 the first year,” organizer Laura Wong-Thompson says. “I like celebrating the beginning of Fall.”
The biggest addition this year is a set of Taste-Off challenges: 12 head-to-head matchups where two bakeries tackle the same ingredient in completely different ways.
Laura built the list for anyone who wants a route handed to them. The matchups, she says, “showcase unique uses of a shared ingredient.”
The Pandan Taste-Off puts Viva Cafe & Bakery’s Tropical Pandan Pain Suisse against Jack’s Spot Cafe + Bakery’s Coffee and Pandan Croissant.
The Savoury Meat Taste-Off is the one to plan lunch around.
Bel Café is doing a Croissant Al Pastor with marinated pork, Monterey Jack and caramelized pineapple, while Wren Cafe is serving Croissant Bourguignon, slow-braised beef in red wine sauce inside a croissant shaped like a bowl.
Drink pairings are also back at select vendors too, and Laura has one she’s really looking forward to.
“One highlight is Cadeaux Bakery’s Filipino-inspired Banana Turon Twice Baked Croissant paired with Taho Coffee,” she says.
The croissant is filled with banana vanilla bean crème pâtissière and roasted bananas, topped with frangipane and spring roll pastry, and finished with a caramelized sugar coating.
Her friends went another way.
“My friends’ group chat picked To Live For Bakery’s Brown Sugar Boba Milk Tea Cube Croissant as the must-try croissant for the itinerary we’re planning,” she says.
And that takoyaki croissant?
It’s at Broyé Café & Bakery’s Hornby location, with real takoyaki tucked inside and finished with Japanese mayo, takoyaki sauce, aonori and bonito flakes.
“For a croissant date with my husband I want to try Broyé Café & Bakery’s Japanese Takoyaki Croissant as a nod to our Tokyo honeymoon,” Laura says.
The crawl also reaches Langley for the first time, with Blacksmith Bakery, Fresh St. Market and Sabà Cafe joining the map.
Two judges will pick this year’s Most Creative Croissant: chef Alex Kim, co-owner of Five Sails, and Carson Ting, Official FIFA World Cup 2026 Artist and founder of Chairman Ting.
New this year, there’s a croissant passport.
Print one at home or grab one at a vendor while supplies last, and collect a stamp at every stop.
Four stamps get you into the draw for croissant cash, which is $25 gift cards to participating vendors.
Bonus stamps come from pre-ordering, ordering the drink pairing, or sharing with a friend.
The first 300 crawlers to hit four stamps can also claim a limited-edition Croissant Crawl pin, with the pickup spot at Wren Cafe.
Walk-in quantities are limited, so pre-order where you can. You can also vote online for the Fan Favourite Flavour.
“It takes incredibly talented pastry chefs, enthusiastic content creators, and most importantly, adventurous pastry fans to make the croissant celebration come to life,” Laura says. “I hope people will enjoy exploring this year’s creative croissant options!”
The full lineup, Taste-Off list and vendor map are on the event website. The crawl wraps October 4.
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