This café, located in an unassuming strip mall, serves homemade soups, a wide selection of sandwiches and butter chicken bowls. But it’s the sweets that have spurred a following in Lacombe and beyond — particularly the doughnuts, which are made fresh daily, in varieties from apple fritter and Boston cream to lemon poppyseed and Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Have an idea for a flavour? Owners Ken and Molly McAmmond encourage customers to share their dream creations. It’s how they keep coming up with fresh offerings, such as coffee cream, a fried yeast doughnut with a Phil & Sebastian coffee glaze, finished with a swirl of whipped cream and crispy wafer cookies. Arrive early: Doughnuts are available from 10 a.m. until they sell out.
Driving distance from Calgary : 2 hours north
Bring home: Why, more doughnuts, of course! With more than 10 flavours available daily, you’re going to want a box full of options.
Take a detour: Spend a couple of hours at Ellis Bird Farm, 15 minutes southeast of Lacombe. This non-profit works to conserve mountain bluebirds, tree swallows and other native cavity-nesting birds, so keep your eyes peeled for them on the farm’s self-guided trails.
2-4801 63 St., Bay 2, Lacombe 403-786-8400, tollersbistro.com