VilleVelo: morning pastry in Sabin

At NE 15th and Prescott in Sabin, VilleVelo is a small bake shop that's easy to walk past if you're out hunting for a famous croissant. It's where you go for a morning pastry and a coffee. Inside it's pink, with pink walls, hearts and photos, and it feels like someone's house started selling pastry. Regulars chat with the owner, there are only a few seats, and the espresso machine is usually going, and if you want breakfast pastry in Sabin, this is the place.

What to order

The case changes, so look first and order second. Regulars and public boards keep mentioning the same things, which are scones, Danish, biscuits and homemade pop tarts, especially the peach one, along with cookies and cakes to take home. The peach pop tart is the standout, a handmade pastry rectangle, golden and sugared, with a peach-jam filling. A scone goes with coffee, and a Danish gets you fruit and laminated dough without a drive to a French bakery.

Biscuits are the savory side. People who eat breakfast here talk about biscuits with jam, biscuits with gravy, and a frittata biscuit sandwich you may want a fork for, and quiche turns up sometimes too. The menu changes, so ask what just came out and pick whatever looks freshest, and if there's a seat, take it with an espresso.

Before you go

It's a small shop with only a few seats, and the menu changes. Weekend mornings are busy with people who live nearby, so if you're coming from farther away, go earlier. Skip the list of things you saw in an old photo and ask what they'd recommend that morning. Sabin is residential, with street parking, and VilleVelo pairs nicely with a walk toward Alberta. If there's bread that day, take a loaf if you want one, but expect mostly pastry.

Check before you go, especially midweek. If you can, eat one pastry there the morning it's baked, and bring a box if you're taking some to someone else. The peach pop tart has a way of calling you back.