![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
One of the things that I love is sipping a well made flat white while enjoying an inspired bakery item in a cafe with good vibes. I like observing people between reading my book chapters, feeling all the other life narratives that are going on around me, the focus and hum of city life.
In Victoria, that cafe was the Loft and Ladder by the RCM. The Loft and Ladder had a lovely selection of food and drink at reasonable prices, and the vibe was very family. Sara and Brett remembered your name, your drink, and invited you into their circle of small rituals. Regulars often volunteered to go grab whipping cream from the store when it was busy, bussed the tables, or entertained their inquisitive coffee shop little; they made space for others to contribute as they willed, or didn't will. I liked it.
In Vancouver, this cafe used to be the Elysian on Broadway. I spent more days than not getting a coffee there during my work breaks, quietly listening to the good willed banter of the barista's. Not only was the coffee good, they had a lending library, a secluded dog friendly garden, table service, and house made food. Unfortunately, the pandemic seems to have cycled through the staff entirely. The prices are way up, the lending library is gone as is the table service, the demeanor and detail mindedness of the staff have dropped, and the vibe no longer suits. That made me sad to learn, so I've been using some of this funemployment time to review other shops.
Kafka's (main and broadway): Closed - Reboot has moved now to Emily Carr district.
Monks Coffee and Bar (Kits) - closed. Now a brunch place, LoCal. This was a sad, as I had used this as a steady meet up place for folks in decades past. I loved their open mic nights.
Aphrodite's Pies: Switched management/sold to new owner last year.
Our Town: Closed (and Closed again after second mod reboot)
Mount Pleasant Coffee Shops:
Kranky's Cafe:
Hours: limited - closes at 5pm.
Selection: limited - good quality coffee/latte basics, but not many custom or signature drinks up my alley. Bakery items all in house. Talked with the owner and custom drinks are more of a Fall thing. They have line ups and summer custom drinks are all cold things.
Price: OK for 2023.
Nice seating area outdoors, limited indoor. Cheerful vibes.
The Paper Crane:
Hours: very limited - closes at 3pm some days.
Selection: limited - OK coffee/latte basics, some house made bakery items.
Nice seating area outdoors, chill vibe.
Starbucks:
Hours: Extensive.
You get what you expect.
Few outdoor tables - frenetic vibe, right next to a busy bus stop on and an intersection set that has almost accidents every few minutes.
Gene:
Hours: Open until 7pm.
Seating: very tight, but lots of outlets inside, and lots of benches without tables outside.
Selection: Limited. Barista's not very familiar with coffee drinks outside of latte and cortado. Expensive.
Vibe: very business.
Bean Around The World
Hours: Open until midnight
Seating: Extensive, good for studying. Limited outdoor (two small tables)
Selection: OK coffee selection, french pastries surprisingly high selection of things to nom on.
Vibe: quiet feel, semi relational.
Nemesis:
Hours: Limited. 8-4 pm, definitely student centred.
Seating: Extensive, indoors and out. Assigned seating -- the coffee shop seats you after ordering, which is a choice.
Selection: Nemesis makes good coffee, but I wasn't impressed with the pricing or the vibe. The music is extra loud to discourage people from attempting to study there, and the seating is crowded together, with the pressure to move on quickly post drink from the assigned seating. Vibe: Trying for hip and trendy with their flower shaped coffee hut. Busy. Not appealing. Impersonal.
Cafe Artigiano:
Hours: 6:30 am -6:30 pm
Seating: Extensive
Selection: Standardized, but good service. No problems with table service, warming up pastries, or butter. Well done coffee pour.
Vibe: airy connective. Best vibe so far - the staff like each other and like their job.
Other Mentions:
Craft Coffee in NWest has a good drink menu and a soft social vibe. Love their Mexican Mocha.
Platform 7 in Kitsilano put some work into their deco, also have a good pour system with many options on how to make your coffee. Vibe is mixed.
The best thing I can say about Only Coffee in Kits was that their Spotify list was very well selected for a chill focused vibe, and that their décor was minimalist. Coffee itself was disappointing, way too much milk for a flat white.
Convivial Coffee in Stamps Landing had a delightful selection of home baked goods. Their scones reminded me of Ireland, and the family feel was embued in every choice they had made about seating and decor. Coffee? Eh. So far, the best candidate for tucking in with a book in the Fall though. Family feel, definitely a community hub, hosts small concerts throughout the year.
In Victoria, that cafe was the Loft and Ladder by the RCM. The Loft and Ladder had a lovely selection of food and drink at reasonable prices, and the vibe was very family. Sara and Brett remembered your name, your drink, and invited you into their circle of small rituals. Regulars often volunteered to go grab whipping cream from the store when it was busy, bussed the tables, or entertained their inquisitive coffee shop little; they made space for others to contribute as they willed, or didn't will. I liked it.
In Vancouver, this cafe used to be the Elysian on Broadway. I spent more days than not getting a coffee there during my work breaks, quietly listening to the good willed banter of the barista's. Not only was the coffee good, they had a lending library, a secluded dog friendly garden, table service, and house made food. Unfortunately, the pandemic seems to have cycled through the staff entirely. The prices are way up, the lending library is gone as is the table service, the demeanor and detail mindedness of the staff have dropped, and the vibe no longer suits. That made me sad to learn, so I've been using some of this funemployment time to review other shops.
Kafka's (main and broadway): Closed - Reboot has moved now to Emily Carr district.
Monks Coffee and Bar (Kits) - closed. Now a brunch place, LoCal. This was a sad, as I had used this as a steady meet up place for folks in decades past. I loved their open mic nights.
Aphrodite's Pies: Switched management/sold to new owner last year.
Our Town: Closed (and Closed again after second mod reboot)
Mount Pleasant Coffee Shops:
Kranky's Cafe:
Hours: limited - closes at 5pm.
Selection: limited - good quality coffee/latte basics, but not many custom or signature drinks up my alley. Bakery items all in house. Talked with the owner and custom drinks are more of a Fall thing. They have line ups and summer custom drinks are all cold things.
Price: OK for 2023.
Nice seating area outdoors, limited indoor. Cheerful vibes.
The Paper Crane:
Hours: very limited - closes at 3pm some days.
Selection: limited - OK coffee/latte basics, some house made bakery items.
Nice seating area outdoors, chill vibe.
Starbucks:
Hours: Extensive.
You get what you expect.
Few outdoor tables - frenetic vibe, right next to a busy bus stop on and an intersection set that has almost accidents every few minutes.
Gene:
Hours: Open until 7pm.
Seating: very tight, but lots of outlets inside, and lots of benches without tables outside.
Selection: Limited. Barista's not very familiar with coffee drinks outside of latte and cortado. Expensive.
Vibe: very business.
Bean Around The World
Hours: Open until midnight
Seating: Extensive, good for studying. Limited outdoor (two small tables)
Selection: OK coffee selection, french pastries surprisingly high selection of things to nom on.
Vibe: quiet feel, semi relational.
Nemesis:
Hours: Limited. 8-4 pm, definitely student centred.
Seating: Extensive, indoors and out. Assigned seating -- the coffee shop seats you after ordering, which is a choice.
Selection: Nemesis makes good coffee, but I wasn't impressed with the pricing or the vibe. The music is extra loud to discourage people from attempting to study there, and the seating is crowded together, with the pressure to move on quickly post drink from the assigned seating. Vibe: Trying for hip and trendy with their flower shaped coffee hut. Busy. Not appealing. Impersonal.
Cafe Artigiano:
Hours: 6:30 am -6:30 pm
Seating: Extensive
Selection: Standardized, but good service. No problems with table service, warming up pastries, or butter. Well done coffee pour.
Vibe: airy connective. Best vibe so far - the staff like each other and like their job.
Other Mentions:
Craft Coffee in NWest has a good drink menu and a soft social vibe. Love their Mexican Mocha.
Platform 7 in Kitsilano put some work into their deco, also have a good pour system with many options on how to make your coffee. Vibe is mixed.
The best thing I can say about Only Coffee in Kits was that their Spotify list was very well selected for a chill focused vibe, and that their décor was minimalist. Coffee itself was disappointing, way too much milk for a flat white.
Convivial Coffee in Stamps Landing had a delightful selection of home baked goods. Their scones reminded me of Ireland, and the family feel was embued in every choice they had made about seating and decor. Coffee? Eh. So far, the best candidate for tucking in with a book in the Fall though. Family feel, definitely a community hub, hosts small concerts throughout the year.
