Ottawa food lovers who've been watching Toronto's dessert scene with envy may have just gotten a preview of what's heading our way, and it involves fruit skewers coated in crackling sugar.
What Is Tanghulu?
If you haven't heard of tanghulu yet, you're about to. The traditional Chinese street snack consists of fresh fruit, think tart green grapes, mandarin orange slices, or strawberries, threaded onto a bamboo skewer and dipped in molten sugar syrup. When the coating hardens, it forms a glassy, satisfying shell that shatters with every bite, creating a perfect contrast of sweet crunch and juicy fruit underneath.
The snack exploded across social media over the past couple of years, with videos of the sugar-dipping process racking up millions of views online. The ASMR-worthy crunch alone was enough to send people lining up around the block.
Toronto's Tanghulu Boom, and a Quiet Closure
When Tanghulu Tanghulu opened in Toronto's Queen West neighbourhood in spring 2024, billing itself as the city's first dedicated tanghulu shop, the lineup stretched down the block. In under two years, the chain has ballooned to seven locations across the Greater Toronto Area and amassed over 20,000 Instagram followers, a remarkable run for a dessert concept that barely existed in Canada before they arrived.
But the original Queen and John location that started it all has quietly closed its doors. In a twist that's very on-brand for the food industry, it's already been replaced, the chain relocated just a few blocks west, opening inside a pet supply shop called Petview Pet Supplies. Only in Toronto.
What This Means for Ottawa
For Ottawa residents, the rise of tanghulu is worth paying attention to. Dessert trends that take off in Toronto tend to make their way to the capital within a year or two. We've seen it with Korean bingsu, mochi donuts, and croffles. The tanghulu craze checks all the boxes: it's visually stunning, highly shareable, and genuinely delicious.
Ottawa's food scene has been on a roll lately, with new independent dessert spots and international street food concepts popping up across neighbourhoods like Hintonburg, Centretown, and the Glebe. If a local entrepreneur is looking for a gap in the market, a tanghulu shop would make for a seriously compelling concept, especially heading into patio and festival season.
In the meantime, if you're making a trip to Toronto, Tanghulu Tanghulu's remaining six locations are still very much open for business. It's well worth tracking one down if you want to taste the dessert that defined Toronto's 2024 food moment.
Keep an Eye Out
Whether tanghulu arrives in Ottawa via a dedicated shop, a pop-up, or a stall at a summer market, the trend is too big to ignore. Keep your eyes on local food Instagram accounts and Ottawa's growing street food scene. It's probably closer than you think.
Source: blogTO
