Treat yourself! A guide to dessert around Waterloo

What better motivation to get through your exams and assignments than a sweet treat? We all deserve a little treat sometimes, especially after a long day of working. Even if your efforts don’t result in the desired outcome, a dessert can be a great pick-me-up. Not achieving your goal does not mean that your work was for nothing — be kind to yourself and take a bite of a delicious dessert, you deserve it.  

D Spot 

Hours: 1 p.m. – 12 a.m. (Sun – Thurs), 1 p.m. – 2 a.m. (Fri – Sat) 

Location: 160 University Ave. W. Unit 14, Waterloo, ON N2L 3E9 

D Spot is a dessert café located in the University Shops Plaza next to UW. D Spot has a massive variety of dessert options on the menu. Cakes, waffles, crepes, funnel cakes, sundaes, milkshakes, and even dessert poutine. Could you believe there’s still more items on the menu that haven’t been covered? D Spot also provides vegan dessert options in a dark chocolate vegan ice cream, dark chocolate milkshake, chocolate croissant waffle, and vegan cake with ice cream. Although this café, however, is more on the expensive side, you won’t be able to find such an expansive menu anywhere else. Whether you’re looking for a new dessert to try or an old favourite, D Spot definitely has it.  

Fuwa Fuwa 

Hours: 10:30 a.m. – 9 p.m. (Sun – Thurs), 10:30 a.m. – 10 p.m. (Fri – Sat) 

Location: 80 King St. S. #102, Waterloo, ON N2J 1P5 

Fuwa Fuwa is a new addition to Uptown Waterloo, right across from the public square. Fuwa Fuwa translates to “fluffy fluffy,” a name that seems fitting given their fluffy soufflé dessert pancakes. Fuwa Fuwa is North America’s largest soufflé pancake café. They serve soufflé pancakes, croissant waffles that can be both sweet or savoury, macarons, ice cream, burnt cheesecake, and drinks. Some of their soufflé pancakes come with ice cream of your choice to accompany the dessert, like the cookies and cream pancake. The soufflé pancakes take around 25 – 30 minutes to make, so be patient as the staff cooks the pancakes to perfection.  

The Bingsu/The Bingsu Café  

Hours:  

• The Bingsu: 1 – 10 p.m. (Sun – Fri), 12 – 10 p.m. (Sat) 

• The Bingsu Café: 1 – 10 p.m. (Mon – Fri), 12 – 10 p.m. (Sat – Sun)  

Location:  

• The Bingsu: 80 King St. S. Unit 107, Waterloo, ON N2J 1P5  

• The Bingsu Café: 150 University Ave. W. #2, Waterloo, ON N2L 3E4 

The Bingsu/The Bingsu Café is a dessert café that specializes in bingsu, a Korean dessert comprised of shaved ice, fruit, ice cream, condensed milk, and red beans boiled in sugar water. This list of ingredients may change, depending on the flavour of bingsu you choose, with different toppings being added. Despite the difference in name, these two cafés are one and the same, with The Bingsu Café being the second location of The Bingsu. Regardless, The Bingsu and The Bingsu Café is the first bingsu café in the Waterloo region, definitely a dessert café you wouldn’t want to miss.  

It should be noted that The Bingsu Café can only serve cup sizes of bingsu at the moment. For a bowl size, you should go to The Bingsu.  

Mr. Puffs 

Hours: 12 p.m. – 12 a.m. (Mon – Thurs), 10 a.m. – 2 a.m. (Fri – Sat), 10 a.m. – 12 a.m. (Sun) 

Location: 220 King St. N., Waterloo, ON N2J 2Y7 

 Mr. Puffs’ forte is their puffs, which are also called loukoumades or Greek donuts. These puffs are deep fried and covered in a glaze of the customers choosing. The glaze can be in a variety of cheesecake, jam, or chocolate flavours. They can also be plain puffs if you wish. They can be purchased in a box or platter, ranging from 12 to 130 puffs. Usually, only two glazes can be chosen for a box, though the 50-puff box allows for up to three glazes. They take their puffs one step further with their Mount Olympus dessert:, puffs with a side of ice cream. The name Mount Olympus has meaning as the loukoumades used to be offered to winners of Olympic games as Greek tradition. Mr. Puffs mention that they use less sugar than most donuts and that the puffs are a vegan dessert.  

Menchie’s 

Hours: 11 a.m. – 11 p.m. (Sun – Thurs), 11 a.m. – 12 a.m. (Fri – Sat) 

Location: 247 King St. N. #3, Waterloo, ON N2J 2Y8 

Enjoy a swirl of frozen yogurt filled to the brim with your favourite toppings at Menchie’s. Menchie’s is a frozen yogurt store where you pay for the weight of a single size cup instead of a fixed size. The creation of a delicious froyo mix is completely up to the customer given the variety of flavours and toppings. Some flavours include chocolate, vanilla, cake batter, sorbet, and cookie dough. Some topping options include maraschino cherries, rainbow sprinkles, cookie dough, gummies, and brownies. Want every single flavour and topping in one cup? Go crazy and do it! The sky is the limit at Menchie’s with froyo customization, just be careful of the cup’s weight at the end. Menchie’s provides vegan-friendly options with their fruit-flavoured sorbet.