#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!
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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! 311 West Cordova Street, Vancouver (Gastown) I've been doing a lot of coffee shop hunting and hopping recently, and the latest shop that I stopped by at was Timbertrain Coffee Roasters in Gastown. Running inside on a raining Saturday afternoon, I was greeted by a rustic charm meets trendy minimalist decor and the aroma of coffee beans. The coffee shop is very small with tables and red couches down the side, the coffee bar and single bar seating along the window. Before a wild night, it was nice to sit down in a mellow environment and warm up with a cup of coffee and a sweet Liege waffle. I had a house cappuccino and a green tea waffle. The cappuccino had just the right amount of sweetness and bitterness and was incredibly smooth, and the art was really nice to see! The waffle had a greenish tint to show off it's green tea taste. It was yummy though just a touch bland. Those that work in Timbertrain really enjoy and love what they do, and it is really evident by the smiles on their faces and the food and drinks that they serve. Go check them out - Timbertrain is only about a year old and definitely making their mark on the coffee scene in Vancouver! 2902 Main Street, Vancouver (Mount Pleasant)
On a cold and wet Saturday evening, what better way to kick back and make the most of the evening than to enjoy incredibly delicious donuts? My knowledge of donuts is very limited - basically only Tim Horton's and Krispy Kreme. And don't get me wrong, those donuts are great - but Lucky's Donuts, which are featured at 49th Parallel coffee shop, are incredible. Elaine and I went after dinner to warm up and continue our conversations. 49th Parallel & Lucky's Donuts on Main Street is very large and yet, quite intimate with its community style tables, wooden furniture and comfy couches by the fireplace. The aroma of coffee beans and sweet donuts greet you as you walk in the door, and the selection of donuts all sound incredible. They definitely don't make it easy for you to choose! We both had the $5 Coffee + Donut combo with 49th Parallel Roasters Coffee. I had the PB & J donut and Elaine had the Tiramisu. It had been a long time since I last had a donut, and having this glazed donut topped with peanut butter and stuffed (all the way around) with jelly was amazing. Definitely going back to try all the donuts that they have to offer! 10 Water Street (Vancouver - Gastown) -OR- 1695 Marine Drive (West Vancouver - Ambleside)
Outside of your usual Starbucks or Blenz coffees, I've found that Downtown Vancouver has a lot of stand alone and independently owned coffee shops that have their own character. Being one of the first coffee shops that I have gone to, Coffeebar exceeded my expectations. One of my favourite things about coffee shops is the chill vibe, the sounds of cups of coffee being made and the simple decor - in particular, wooden furniture. It was clear that everyone in the neighbourhood congregated at Coffeebar to study, meet up or chill out. I had a chai tea latte and shared a tiramisu with my friend, which was delicious. I am a stickler for chai tea lattes, and this one was not too sweet with just the right amount of cinnamon. I highly recommend this place if you are passing through Gastown and are looking for a cool place to chill out! with photo credits to Jamie |
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