Mama in the City

Life is good when you get to go to parent friendly cafes and enjoy a morning coffee as the tots play. This past week we went to Crumsby's Cupcake Cafe in Oak Bay (near Victoria). The cafe is in a cute little walking part of Estevan Village with old houses that have beautiful gardens and a few unique shops that line the street. We picked the perfect time of day to check out this cafe, an hour later the place filled up with fellow mamas and many many toddlers. I did spy one father and of course Ben's grandpa was there too!


Crumsby's is a fairly new cafe that serves up beautiful miniature cupcakes in a selection of decadent flavors. A small panini menu is available for lunch along with one option for a child's lunch. From what I saw most people dined on mini cupcakes and muffins while the children played. At out table we had 3 different muffins and 3 different cupcakes along with coffee and tea. I enjoy a good muffin and this place met that need! A lavender lemon muffin that had the perfect muffin top! My Mum had a raspberry oatmeal muffin with a streusel topping and it also went over quite well. The baked goods were well done and the coffee was wonderful. This place knows how to make a good cup of joe!


The children's play area is off to the side but there are enough tables around that you can mind your children. The toys were new and in good condition and allowed for creative play among toddlers to older kids. They had a mini kitchen with a well stocked wooden toy fridge and a second lower table with more unique toys. The play area was a big hit with the 2 and 5 year old that we took. My baby enjoyed furniture surfing in it too!

The only real downside to this shop is the major lack of highchairs and the small children's menu (one option). Also, as a mum I like the safety and the security of highchairs with proper lap belts and there were none available in this cafe. Instead they provided Bumbo baby sitters for you to perch on a chair. The problem with Bumbo's is most babies won't sit still in a Bumbo and there is no tray for them to eat off of. Invest in a few quality highchairs with trays and expand the children's lunch menu and this place is a perfect treat!


Crumsby's Cupcake Cafe is located at 2509 Estevan Avenue in Oak Bay, BC.