On a quiet Sunday afternoon in northern Gatineau, tucked inside a humble strip mall off Highway 50, La Balade des Douceurs hums with quiet purpose. The door swings open, and in comes the smell of fresh bread. It’s the kind of place you could easily drive past—until you know better.

Inside, it’s bright and inviting. the middle, a small fridge holds salad boxes and ready-made items. But the real action is on the right and behind the counter: a glowing glass case filled with glossy, golden viennoiseries—croissants, pastries, and delicate tartelettes. At the back, baguettes and fougasse cool on open racks. Customers stream in and out. Someone leaves with two boxes of tartelettes. This place has regulars, and you can tell.

We were tipped off by a reader who reached out through the blog’s contact page. “This bakery hits the Eat-The-Strip standard,” Michael wrote. “It’s tucked away in a strip mall, but the bread is excellent. Everyone I’ve sent there has come back raving.”

And we see what he means.

Antoinette, who welcomes us at the counter, runs the bakery with her husband Michel and their daughter Yannick. Michel is a trained baker from the Champagne region of France. Antoinette, originally of Chinese heritage, grew up in Madagascar. The couple opened their first shop back in 2008 on Montée Paiement, but it closed during the pandemic. Their current location opened in 2021—and judging by the steady rhythm of foot traffic, word has most definitely spread.

“We love our jobs,” Antoinette says. “We do it with lots of passion—to make people happy elsewhere.” Michel has been baking for 37 years. Yannick, who’s worked here the past four, puts it plainly: “If I didn’t love it, I wouldn’t stay.”

There’s no printed menu. “The baker is always here,” Antoinette explains. “Everything is made fresh.” She recommends arriving early—first thing in the morning is when the cases are full and everything’s in stock. I visited on a Sunday afternoon and caught the tail end of the day’s offerings, though even then, the case still managed to tempt.

I try the almond croissant. It’s room temperature, flake-forward and lightly dusted with icing sugar, filled with a rich almond paste and a soft hit of cinnamon. There’s a gentle tartness in the filling—apple, maybe, or maybe not. Either way, it’s lovely. Not too sweet, not too heavy. I eat it slowly in the sun at one of the two small tables outside.

I take home an olive fougasse. The bread is springy and fresh, with salty olives and a punch of oregano. It’s the kind of thing that disappears faster than you expect—perfect with cheese, soup, or just eaten standing at the counter.

La Balade des Douceurs isn’t trying to be trendy. It doesn’t advertise. And it doesn’t need to. This is a bakery built on skill, consistency, and a loyal crowd of customers who know where to find the good stuff—and when. (Hint: morning.)

There are no frills here, no café soundtrack, no latte art. Just family-run French baking in a quiet corner of Gatineau, made with care and quietly beloved.

Which makes it exactly the kind of place Eat the Strip was made for.