A Sweet Rogue Trip Destination
Situated in the picturesque heart of southwestern Ontario, Listowel beckons travellers to visit with its unassuming charm and rich agricultural heritage. As you step into this quaint town, you’ll find a delightful blend of small-town warmth, modern amenities, and even a few surprises along the way. Surrounded by scenic farmlands and rolling hills, Listowel invites nature lovers and outdoor enthusiasts to explore its hidden gems.
Listowel proudly wears its farming heritage on its sleeve. This community thrives on hard work and resilience. As you enter the town centre, you’ll encounter feed stores, livestock, farm stands, and the comforting hum of tractors that will set the mood for your sweet rogue trip. Listowel shares a connection with the fictional town of Letterkenny, which was made famous by the TV series. Beyond the pop culture references, the people—their generosity, camaraderie, and unwavering spirit—truly define Listowel.
Listowel isn’t about grand landmarks or busy downtown streets. Instead, it’s the little moments and the simple pleasures that will steal your heart. Imagine sipping coffee at a local café, chatting with friendly shopkeepers, and discovering tucked-away bookstores. Walking through the town, you will find many diverse shopping experiences and family-owned businesses to keep you busy. Listowel has everything from fantastic footwear, gorgeous home décor, arts and craft stores, and beautiful fashions. Whether you are looking for a unique shopping experience, great dining, or a peaceful escape, Listowel promises an unforgettable day trip destination.
Join us as we share the sweetest reason for taking a great day trip to this captivating corner of Ontario, and Discover Listowel’s sweetest spot.
Located in the heart of Listowel’s downtown, next to the Memory Lane carriage lane, there is a charming little bakery & café known as Impressions. Its unassuming exterior belies the magic that unfolds within its walls, and it will make a significant impression on your tastebuds.
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Impressions Bakery is the brainchild of local baker Graham Lichti. Their primary motto is that dessert should taste twice as stunning as it looks, and if you follow them on social media, you know they look spectacular.
On our first Discover Listowel rogue trip, we visited Impressions Bakery, when it was a wholesale bakery selling items out of the back door of its kitchen. They were just working on creating a café/bakery out front. It felt like we were being let in on a little secret that only the locals knew about. The only thing missing was a secret knock on the door. W
e came for the butter tarts that a follower had recommended we try, but we left with much more. A love for Graham’s fantastic baked goods. It was leading up to Thanksgiving Day weekend, and they had so many pies for their customers to pick up – pumpkin, pecan, cherry, apple, and many more. Even in this small space, they managed to create dozens of options for the long line-up of customers who knew to wait at the back door.
You won’t find them at the many festivals around Ontario, but these butter tarts easily would rank in the top of the best Butter Tarts in Ontario. The butter tarts are lovely—evenly baked and lightly golden. The crust is light, flaky, and delicious. The filling is sweet without being TOO sweet. It has a nice smooth, creamy, buttery texture that melts in your mouth. This is an excellent tart with nice flavours, pleasing textures, and a good mouthfeel. The pecan tarts are loaded with an abundance of nuts. The tarts are small enough that you can eat a whole one but big enough that it is a good-sized dessert. You can enjoy these tarts as you walk through the streets of Listowel.
If you have never tried a fry pie, you don’t know what you are missing. Impressions Bakery’s fry pies are the stuff of my (sweet) dreams and probably their most popular item. These fry pies are essentially hand pies folded over, deep fried, and glazed to perfection. Every day, they offer about a dozen flavour options. With many seasonal flavours throughout the year for holidays like Christmas, Easter, and Thanksgiving.
If you follow Impressions on social media, you will find many posts that will tantalize and entice you to head to Listowel to enjoy some of their sweet treats. Their social feeds are full of gorgeous photos of their delectable desserts, treats, beverages, and meals. They are so beautifully shot that they will make your mouth water and inspire your next day trip.
The donuts are legendary works of art. Every one of their mouth-watering doughnuts is handmade from scratch daily using high-quality, fresh ingredients, and they offer an ever-changing menu of new flavours to enjoy. These gorgeous creations are stuffed with decadent fillings and are beautifully decorated. Their donuts, like all items at Impressions, look too good to eat.
Whether you’re craving a classic or something unique, Impressions Bakery Café has you covered. Cornflake caramel brownies, cinnamon buns, red velvet squares, gourmet French tarts, cookies, and macarons help fill out their vast display case. Along with fancy decorated cakes and more of their hefty and decadent pies.
If you want a spot to enjoy a delicious lunch during your day trip to Discover Listowel, Impressions has you covered. Their lunch menu includes tasty items, such as sandwiches, wraps, hearty soups and stews, Mediterranean bowls, fresh salads, and delicious fresh-baked bread. Enjoy one of their delicious meals as a picnic lunch with your friends along the Maitland River in the beautiful Listowel Memorial Park.
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Everything Impressions Bakery makes is made fresh and from scratch. Including the syrups used for their coffees. Their new recipes are tested over and over again until they are happy with the results. They ensure that the items are the the best they can be for taste, texture, and quality.
In the years since our first ‘Impression,’ Impressions Bakery has grown to be a full service bakery. They are still doing wholesale but they also do a booming retail bakery with café. Visitors can enjoy a light snack, custom cakes, a robust menu of lunch items, and much more. The growth continues as Graham and his team will open a larger second location in Listowel to meet the demands for his baked goods that they rightly deserve and create new dining experiences.
So, if you are looking for a fun Ontario road trip destination, take a drive to Perth County, and Discover Listowel. Follow the sweetly enticing aroma of fresh-baked treats to Impressions Bakery & Café. Push open the door, and let the magic of Impressions envelop you. Impressions is a featured stop on the Perth County Tourism Dessert Trail. Plan your visit to the area, and explore all the stops along the way. A trip to the county makes for a great Sweet Rogue Trip itineray idea.
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