Popbar

Social media is a wonderful resource. Without it I probably wouldn't have discovered some of the food places I've visited. That's when I came across the page for Popbar Canada on Instagram (@popbarcanada). They made a post saying their first Canada location at West Edmonton Mall would be having their grand opening celebration on May 8, so I knew I needed to take a trip to the mall soon. I made several plans with CJ to go to West Ed over the next few weeks after the 8th, but each plan didn't end up following through. Last Thursday, however, he surprised me by saying we'd finally be able to go to the mall and try out Popbar for the first time. 

Popbar (www.pop-bar.com) offers handcrafted gelato or sorbetto on a stick, made with all natural ingredients. Specifically, Popbar sells popGelato, popSorbetto, or yogurtPops - a yogurt based treat. Each treat is customizable, which makes it exciting for both the young and old. The Popbars can be dipped in a variety of chocolate and also topped with different "poppings" (aka, toppings). 

Popbar is situated on the second floor of West Edmonton Mall near the Ice Palace skating rink. It's the first thing you see coming up from the escalators in that area. Definitely a very good location since many people pass by the place. When CJ and I arrived, there were only a few people in line and a lot of curious mall goers taking a peek at WEM's newest addition. 

An assortment of Popbars.

There were so many different flavours to choose from... I couldn't decide! CJ asked one of the staff for their recommendation and he responded by asking us if we wanted something creamy or fruity. Let's go with something fruity. He told us that while all of them tasted good, the Strawberry popSorbetto was one of the most popular. He also said that taking a bite into the fruity Popbars was like taking a bite into the actual fruit. Mmmm... it already sounds very delicious. I decided to get the Strawberry popSorbetto while CJ got Watermelon. 

The next step would be customizing our Popbars. Right next to the Popbar display were containers of chocolate used for dippings. There was dark chocolate, milk chocolate, white chocolate and mint chocolate. I'm pretty sure there was another dipping next to the mint chocolate, but I don't remember. You can choose to get your Popbar with a "half dip" of chocolate or a "full dip" (or no dipping at all). Beside the dippings were the poppings, which consisted of an assortment of nuts, coconut, and chocolate sprinkles. 

I decided to get my Popbar with a half dip of mint chocolate with chocolate sprinkle poppings. I customized CJ's Popbar as well and got him a half dip of milk chocolate with chocolate sprinkle poppings. Strawberry and mint chocolate is an odd combo, but I love mint chocolate too much to care. I guess a Strawberry popSorbetto bar with a dark chocolate or milk chocolate dipping would have been a more typical choice. CJ paid just a little over $10 for both our Popbars. 

My Popbar (left) and CJ's (right).

The first bite of my Popbar: awesome! I absolutely loved the taste of my mint chocolate dipping with the Strawberry treat. I don't think the Strawberry popSorbetto itself tasted exactly like the actual strawberry fruit, but it was close enough. I loved each and every bite of this treat! I tried CJ's popbar as well... and it tasted exactly like the actual watermelon fruit! I had only one bite of his Popbar but that bite alone was very tasty and refreshing. I think I'm going to get Watermelon for next time!

Popbar is great if you want something cold and delicious after doing some shopping at the mall. I love that these Popbars are made fresh daily at the store so that everyone can see. All the Popbars made are gluten free, which is an awesome bonus. The popSorbettos (the fruity varieties) are lactose free and vegan friendly, which means that pretty much anyone can enjoy these treats! 

Strawberry popSorbetto with mint chocolate dipping and chocolate sprinkle popping.

I can't wait to go back to West Ed so I can have another one of these delicious treats. I'm going to try Watermelon next time, and I'll eventually want to try one of their popGelatos. The fact that these treats are on a stick make it very easy to eat and carry around the mall. Thank you CJ for finally taking me here!