302 West Hastings Street, Vancouver (Gastown)
One of the most interesting coffee shops that I have been in within the Gastown neighbourhood! Nemesis Coffee, located right next to Victory Square park, is housed inside the new SFU graduate residence building on the ground floor. With their tagline being "creating coffee culture", the first word that comes to mind after going to Nemsis is pretentious. It is a completely different coffee experience, and it requires a lot of coffee culture know-how. It perhaps is more advanced than palces like nearby Revolver or Timbertrain. The layout of the shop is quite clever and the first of its kind in the area to optimze itself for maximum exposure to their products. Instead of one front counter, there is a gigantic island, with the till right at the door that shows off a wide array of baked goods. After you order, you walk around the island to wait for your drink and food, while facing a huge wall stuffed with Nemesis merchandise (cups, shirts, hats and the like). You can also see into the kitchen where they make their sandwich and toast plates. I ended up having their drip coffee, not wanting to venture into anything that I was unsure about, and had their avocado toast as well. The toast was AMAZING - I never thought it could get any better than what it was. It was really fresh and flavourful, and the pairing with ricotta cheese was perfect. Definitely a must-get if you're hungry! The interior of the shop is also really simplistic and everything that a typical coffee shop is - lots of wood, clean white walls and brilliant greenery everywhere.
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#160 - 5620 152nd Street, Surrey
I finally found some super cute coffee shops in Surrey! Eleanor and I went to West Village Cafe in the Panaorama Heights part of Surrey. Situated by a very busy intersection and close to many businesses and nearby residential area, West Village is the perfect full-service, community coffee shop. What they have going on there is perfect and special. I had high expectations for West Village, and they did not disappoint. Upon entering into the cafe, I fell in love with the decor. Wooden tables, long marble counters, and comfy couches with tons of natural light streaming in through the wooden blinds made me feel like I was in California - forget the Vancouver coffee shop vibe! You can peer into the kitchen area where they make the drinks as well as the various food items. Seeing as this was a snack, Eleanor and I both had their cinnamon sugar waffles, a macaron each, and coffee for myself and a London Fog for her. Since Eleanor had her camera with her, we got some pretty aesthetic shots of our food before actually digging into it. Everything tasted as good as it looked. The cinnamon sugar waffles came with whipped cream and a choice of topping, of which I had the mango mint & apple compote and Eleanor had the salted caramel sauce. The waffles were crunchy and just the right amount of sweetness, definitely rivaling the waffles from Cafe Medina. The macarons that we had were okay, but definitely really tiny for the price that was paid. The drinks were good too! All in all, West Village is the perfect response to Surrey's lack of coffee shops, though it is still a bit of a distance for me to get there from where I live. Nonetheless, it is an incredible place that has so much to offer, like lunch items and other fantastic drinks, and even beer and wine! 2401 E Hastings Street, Vancouver (East Village)
On the corner of Nanaimo and Hastings street is one of my favourite spaces for coffee - East Cafe! It is a super cozy space that has great coffee and other drinks, as well as a wide variety of food. The cafe scene in the East Village neighbourhood is super strong! I've gone to East Cafe numerous times to get some work done prior to going to the radio station for our weekly show, and it is a great place to do so. The coffee they serve up is from Tangram Coffee Roasters, which is one of my favourite roasters! As well, they have the best grilled cheese sandwiches in the city! It was a three cheese sandwich that was AMAZING and so cheesy. The best type of comfort food around!
2331 E Hastings, Vancouver (East Vancouver)
Coffee shops are a wonderful place to get some work done or enjoy the company of a friend, but no coffee shop looks and feels as magical as Platform 7. The coffee is set up to look like a train station platform in London, with beautiful wooden benches, brick walls and this gorgeous glass ceiling that is painted to look like a cloudy sky. The counter has all the beautiful instruments to brew coffee and do coffee pour overs, as well as a selection of sweet pastries as well as savoury sandwiches. Serving up Stumptown Coffee, Platform 7 has a great atmosphere and their food is also incredible. I have had their mocha, chai tea latte and their brewed coffee. I also had their lovely Pear, Prosciutto, and Brie sandwich (with bonus nacho chips!) and it was absolutely incredible. This sandwich, which is very similar to the one that is served up at Finch's Tea and Coffee, that brings together the wonderful sweetness of the pear and the savoury flavour of prosciutto. If you're ever in East Vancouver or Kitsilano, check out the beautiful interior as well as the wonderful food and drink at Platform 7! 209 E Pender Street, Vancouver (Chinatown)
Chinatown has got some serious coffee game. Being neighbours with coffee rich Gastown, there are some coffee shops in Chinatown that are giving Gastown a run for their money with their aesthetic interiors, smooth coffees, and just as delicious pastries. Propaganda Coffee on East Pender is one of those places. Despite calling themselves Propaganda, there is nothing scary or bold about this place - it shines through its simplicity and quietude, which makes it a great place to study, meet with friends or just chill out. I find that a lot of the coffeeps in Gastown are quite noisy, but Propaganda is nice and quiet, which makes it a lot easier to concentrate in. I think this is because of the fact that it is off of Main Street and tucked away on East Pender. It's exterior is unassuming, but upon entry into the shop you'll see how incredibly spacious it is. I had one of their local coffees that was being brewed that day, which was really nice. Propaganda, like nearby Matchstick and others, serves up great local coffee from roasters like Bows and Arrows, Timbertrain and Elysian to name a few. During my visit, I had the Bows and Arrows Ethiopia Wote Konga drip coffee and a apple turnover. This coffee was a little more acidic than I was used to, but still really great and the perfect antidote to a rainy day. The apple turnover had really nice apples in side that were tart and sweet; however, it was more turnover than apple. The pastry was thick and there was a lot of it. I woud have liked to have more apple in my turnover, but I suppose beggars can't be choosers. Regardless, it was still really nice. If you're looking for a hip place that is quiet enough for you to focus on your readings or papers, go check out Propaganda on East Pender. I promise I'm not affiliated with them and forcing you to go!! 100 W Hastings Street, Vancouver (Gastown)
Coffee is one of my favourite things in the world, and in Gastown, there are a number of great places that serve up not only amazing coffee but pastries that go well with it. Prado Cafe is one of those great places. With three locations (Gastown, Commercial Drive, and Fraser Street), Prado l definitely help you with your coffee fix. Serving up 49th Parallel coffee beans, delicious teas, and treats such as oat bars, waffles and danishes, Prado is one of the best looking places for a coffee date, to study, or to people watch: the massive windows facing Abbott Street are perfect for that. Walking into Prado, you are greeted with the stark contrast of dark hardwood floors and tables and clean white walls. The modern and sleek main counter houses the delicious looking pastries and a gorgeous looking fireplace that makes the place look like home. With free WiFi, Prado has an excellent atmosphere for working and studying, making it one of my favourite places to study. I had a cup of 49th Parallel coffee, which was amazing (and served in a cute Mason jar!) and a raspberry oat bar, which was just the right amount of tartness and sweetness. If you love coffee, go check out Prado Cafe to get your caffeine fix! 213 E Georgia Street, Vancouver (Chinatown)
They call it "community space", and how right they are. This was the firs time that I went to check out Matchstick Coffee at their Chinatown location. Located on E Georgia right off of Main Street, the space is massive, open, and yet, homey and intimate all at once. There are many long wooden bar tables, a communal sitting space with low coffee tables, and green plants and cute little cacti sitting on blackened shelves. An open gap in the wall allows you to peer into their kitchen area where they make their baked goods, and coffee brewing enthusiasts will marvel at the brewing equipment that sits in plain view next to the cash registers. Matchstick also roasts all of their own beans, which is incredible to note. I tried the Diamante coffee, which has notes of apple, walnut and brown sugar- which, in my mind, is the embodiment of fall. The coffee, just as the barista promised me, was bold and yet reserved at the same time, bringing together a blend of cohesive flavours with just the right amount of sweetness. I was hooked instantly. I have also been told that Matchstick pastries and food is to die for - will have to update once I get to try them for myself! Whether you are here to meet with friends or get lost in your own mind, read a book or write one of your ow- Matchstick is the place for you. There is a lot of communal space and it is almost guaranteed th you will have a place to do whatever you need to. However, techies beware: there are no plugs of any kind along their walls by their seating areas, though there is free guest wifi that requires no password. So if you are planning on working on a paper or your next novel, make sure that your laptop is completely charged. I guarantee that once you get settled in, you will want to stay for a long time. 655 Front Street, New Westminster Found in downtown New Westminster close by the water is Old Crow Coffee Company, right at the corner of Front and McKenzie in the historic district. A simple building that gives off a comfy and laid back vibe, Old Crow brings the cool Gastown coffee scene a little closer to the Fraser River - perfect for me, since I live in Surrey! There is a lot of rustic charm found in the brick wall exterior, the leather easy chairs and the wooden tables with attached brass stools, topped with vases filled with dandelions and wild flowers. When I went to go visit, I ordered an iced masala chai tea latte and a Dutch toast, something that I had when I was really young! The masala chai was good, though it began to obviously become diluted due to melted ice. Personally, I prefer the masala chai at Lost and Found in Gastown, but Old Crow's was a nice treat on a hot day. The Dutch toast, on the other hand, was spectacular! It brought back all sorts of happy memories and was crunch and not too sweet. They complimented each other quite nicely, actually! Old Crow is a great, quiet place to study if you are in the New Westminster area. I will definitely return and try their coffee drinks soon! 356 Water Street, Vancouver (Gastown)
Yet another amazing coffee shop that is available to add to the bustling Gastown scene! Located in the triangle of the flat iron-esque building on Water Street is Buro Espresso Bar. The vast windows enable natural lighting into the airy coffee shop, and the clean white walls contrasted nicely against the wooden furniture. It made an excellent place for people to come together and meet, and despite how busy it gets the atmosphere is generally quite quiet, making a stylish and simple place to study or to catch up with friends. I studied at Buro for a bit, and while I studied I had Buro's mocha and banana bread with chocolate chips. This mocha is probably one of my favourite ones in the city, and I loved the banana bread! There definitely is a great abundance of choice in Gastown for coffee shops, and this is one of my favourites! |
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