5 Interesting Eateries in Vancouver

August 15, 2015 Published by: VancityAsks

Remember being told not to play with your food as a child? Well, now you’re all grown up and sometimes the rules change. Dining is an experience but some eateries take that experience to a whole another level. It may be live entertainment or fries with a side of insults? (Unfortunately Dick’s Last Resort is not in Vancouver if that’s what you’re looking for.)

We do have quite a few incredible restaurants and eateries in Vancouver that provide a different dining experience than what you might usually find at other restaurants in Vancouver.

Here are some interesting places you need to go if you want an adventure or surprise with your meal.

Five Interesting Eateries in Vancouver:

Looking for an experience with your meal? Perhaps, you may appreciate trying some unique eateries in Vancouver to share with your out of town friends or a little excitement with your dining experience. Whatever your reasons, here are five interesting eateries in Vancouver that you should experience alone or with another.

5) Rio Brazillian Steakhouse:

URL: http://riobraziliansteakhouse.ca/

Food

Cheap & Good Coffee in Downtown Vancouver

August 15, 2015 Published by: VancityAsks

Interested in finding cheap and good coffee in downtown Vancouver? Here’s your list.

There’s no shortage of coffee options in downtown Vancouver but here are where you can find the best value for your buck and enjoy a good cuppa Joe to wake up your day. Of course, “cheap” is relative to your convenience; going for a two or three block walk for “good and cheap” coffee isn’t very cheap unless you needed a breather/walk along the way. So this said, take this with relativity.

Nevertheless, these are cheap coffee spots that serve good coffee.

Cheap & Good Coffee?

Of course there’s Tim Horton’s readily available almost anywhere you go for “cheap” coffee – however, if you’ve

Downtown Vancouver Coffee Shops:

Best Cheap & Good Coffee in Downtown Vancouver:

1) Cheap & Good Coffee in Downtown Vancouver @ 7-11 Convenience Shops:

As far as cheap coffee, and convenience goes – 7-Eleven has some of the BEST cheap & good coffee in Downtown Vancouver.

Convenience – If you’re in downtown Vancouver, chances are that you will be no more than a ten minutes walk from the nearest 7-Eleven.

Good Coffee – They have several thermos of fresh brewed coffee depending on your preference from Light, Medium, Dark, Hazelnut, Kona Blend or coffee from various regions. The variety is good and you can switch up your coffee occasionally for something different.

The coffee tastes good – as good as many artisan shop that may charge you $3 per cup for a cuppa joe.

The coffee is fresh – each thermos is brewed with a timer set for when it is to be disposed off after sitting in the thermos for about 1.5 hours. So you can always ensure your coffee is fresh than having sat in a heater for too long.

Cheap – Coffee at 7-Eleven is some of the cheapest coffee you can find anywhere. It’s even cheaper than Tim Hortons, with much better coffee. It is however self-serve which is better anyways to determine exactly how you want your coffee.

Beyond some of the cheapest prices for coffee in downtown Vancouver… (Refills are just ~$1 if you have your own cup to be environmentally friendly.) 7-Eleven also has a free loyalty reward app. You can get your every 8th cup free (if I’m not mistaken – I don’t admittedly frequent 7-Eleven for coffee often). If you wish to pick up a cookie or donut with your coffee, you also get 100 bonus points – for every 1000 points, you can redeem a free large coffee. If you use their loyalty app along with their cheap prices, it’s easily the cheapest coffee in downtown Vancouver – and importantly, it’s good coffee that’s freshly brewed and customized the way you like it for a fraction of what you may pay at Starbucks. (Some shop also formerly had cinnamon, chocolate, and nutmeg powder however they phased that out and also was why I stop having my coffee at 7-Eleven as I prefer adding Cinnamon to coffee for health benefits.)

Variety – The coffee at 7-Eleven is self-serve and you can add milk, cream, brown sugar, sugar, creamers, or a variety of syrup. Also importantly, if you want a mocha style coffee – you’re welcomed to fill half your cup with hot chocolate or french vanilla from the machine and the other half with coffee of your choice. You have plenty of variety to mix up your coffee however you like it! Or just have it black, it’s your choice and you’re in control as you serve yourself – no need to explain what you want, just have it the way you like. They also have cold brew and ice coffee if you fancy, including caramel and vanilla syrup to sweeten.

Espresso – If you prefer an espresso based drink, many 7-Eleven convenience stores in downtown Vancouver also have an Espresso machine. Tap the options on the machine whether you’re looking for a latte, mocha, or cappuccino, and the machine will freshly grind the beans, brew the espresso, and make your drink on demand. The prices are about 50% of what you’d pay at a cafe.

Conclusion – If you’re looking for cheap and good coffee in downtown Vancouver, there’s no better option than 7-Eleven. This isn’t the go-to if you’re looking for a cafe, but more so coffee for convenience. If you’re looking for the best cafes in Vancouver with good ambiance and seating to enjoy your coffee, then click that linked text.

Location – There are countless 7-Eleven locations in downtown Vancouver. It’s almost located at every other block. Ok, more accurately, there are nine 7-Eleven location; most of the 7-Eleven are located towards the South-East corner of Downtown Vancouver with an even distribution about every two blocks. (The only location in the West-End closed in 2017 and another location on Robson Street closed in 2019.)

The West-End has too many artisan cafes so it kind of makes sense.

The locations with the most extensive coffee bar however are:

a) Coal Harbour – 1199 W Pender St #104, Vancouver, BC V6E 2R1

b) BC Place area – 1093 Homer St, Vancouver, BC V6B 2X5

2) Cheap & Good Coffee in Downtown Vancouver @ McDonalds:

3) Cheap & Good Coffee in Downtown Vancouver @ Urban Fare:

4) Cheap & Good Coffee in Downtown Vancouver @ A&W:

5) Cheap & Good Coffee in Downtown Vancouver @ Breka Bakery:

Special Mentions – Cheap & Good Coffee in Downtown Vancouver:

Here are a few more coffee spots that you might wish trying but didn’t quite make the cut.

Take Five Cafe:
Cream De La Crumb:
Thierry:
Coo Coo Coffee:
Matchstick Coffee:

Updates – Best Cheap & Good Coffee in Downtown Vancouver:

February 11, 2022:

Moved Thierry from #3 Best Cheap and Good Coffee in Downtown Vancouver to Special Mentions. (For the purpose of “cheap and good coffee” in Downtown Vancouver, they may not comparatively be cheap but it is good. McDonald’s fits the criteria more appropriately for convenience/availability and pricing… along with relatively cheap coffee prices. As much as we prefer to feature local businesses unique to Vancouver over cookie cutter, multi-national companies – it’s also important to ensure accuracy.)
Move McDonald’s from Special Mentions to #2 Best Cheap and Good Coffee in Downtown Vancouver. (They have cheap coffee, and by most accounts – despite coffee taste being fairly subjective to individuals – great tasting coffee. Despite it being a large franchise, perhaps they get cheap & good right, by putting a priority on sourcing the right Arabica Coffee Beans while being able to operate with economies of scale.)
Move Coo Coo Coffee from #4 Best Cheap and Good Coffee in Downtown Vancouver to Special Mentions. (Once again, while we typically prefer to feature local businesses that are unique to Vancouver on VancityAsks, for practicality, Coo Coo Coffee is not necessarily “cheap and good” relative to national franchises like A&W who – when taking attention to specializing in a product, can actually create a fairly good product, very cheaply. Many fast food restaurants in recent times, notably since 2019, has been trying to increase their market share of the breakfast customers so as expected and logical, they’ve worked significantly on improving their coffee. The result is customers get cheap, and reasonably good coffee.)
Move A&W from Special Mentions to #4 Best Cheap and Good Coffee in Downtown Vancouver (Truth be told, A&W coffee doesn’t taste great. It’s not bad, but it’s not great. However, it is very cheap and importantly organic. Haha.) Importantly, A&W has a large footprint in Western Canada and so you’ll likely be steps from an A&W franchise when in downtown Vancouver – much as you would be from 7-11.

Knowledge

Cheap Parking at Vancouver City Hall (Broadway & Cambie Street)

March 27, 2015 Published by: VancityAsks

Here are some cheap parking at Vancouver’s City Hall area otherwise known as Broadway and Cambie.

This area just up (South) from downtown Vancouver is one of Vancouver’s busiest arteries where city hall resides along with a variety of professional services and popular eateries. It is also where Broadway-City Hall Canada Line Station is located which means several may choose to park in the area and catch the Canada Line Downtown or Richmond, BC instead of finding parking in a crowded and expensive downtown or driving all the way to Richmond. (Save yourself the frustration of Asian drivers – as an Asian, I think that qualifies me to say so. Lol)

Vancouver Parking Tip – Save the hassle of finding parking in downtown Vancouver and driving in the congested city centre by parking at Vancouver City Hall area (free or cheap parking in the area) and then taking the Canada Line to Downtown Vancouver.

If you’re visiting Vancouver, you may likely be looking for parking around the Broadway corridor, or perhaps cheap parking around city hall. We hope to share a few spots you might be able to find free or cheap parking around Vancouver City Hall.

Either ways, whatever your reason for seeking for cheap parking in Vancouver near Vancouver’s City Hall or Broadway-Cambie, we have several excellent suggestions to look for free or cheap parking in Vancouver near Vancouver City Hall.

There are also a few monthly parking options mentioned but it is unlikely you would require monthly parking passes in this area as there are plentiful free parking available.

1) Free 2-Hour Parking @ Vancouver City Hall:

https://vancouver.ca/your-government/getting-to-city-hall.aspx

There is a free 2-hour parking at the parking lot you enter on 10th avenue from Cambie Street or Yukon Street. (This is no longer available as of March due to the Broadway Subway Project.)

2) Free Parking with Purchase @ Whole Foods Cambie (510 W 8th Ave):

Ok, well it’s not exactly a purposed parking spot but it works.

Make sure you purchase your ticket (with a green stripe) from the machine besides the Whole Foods Entrance as those are the only ones that will be reimbursed.

3) $2/hour pay-parking @ Vancouver City Hall:

https://vancouver.ca/your-government/getting-to-city-hall.aspx

If you enter from 12th Avenue Westbound Lane or Yukon Street, there are stalls parking available with pay stations that charge $2/hour with a two hour limit. This is the only available option near Vancouver City Hall since the free parking is temporarily unavailable.

Knowledge

Cheap Parking Downtown Vancouver

March 27, 2015 Published by: VancityAsks

Here are some cheap parking right in downtown Vancouver, BC:

Depending on where about downtown Vancouver you’re located each of these 10 options would be great for you. If you’re looking for monthly parking, these downtown Vancouver parkade offers monthly parking offers as well competitively.

Namely the top 3 also offer the cheapest for monthly parking in downtown Vancouver.

Here’s the list of the cheapest parking in downtown Vancouver. (maybe not the cheapest but cheap parking anyways).

Pictures are taken from Google using Google maps street view. Sorry, as much as we like you guys, I’m not about to hop to 10 different locations downtown just to snap a picture when we can take it on Google equally as good. Go Google!

1. 1237 Davie Street:

A little out of the way but a lot to save. Parking is only $70/month at 1237 Davie Street. An ideal long term parking for deal seekers.

This parking spot is very near to Sushi Bar Maumi in Davie Village on our list of the best sushi in Vancouver so you can enjoy sushi after a day of work. Another perk to choosing this as your long term parking location is it’s right beside a grocery store so you can pick up grocery on your way home. How convenient!

For hourly parking consider 843 Seymour Street for cheaper and better location to Vancouver’s downtown core. Still this is cheap downtown Vancouver parking with many perks to convenience which is why this is listed first for cheap parking in Vancouver. Get a deal!

$4/ Hour

$70/Month

1237 Davie Street Cheap downtown Vancouver Parking spot

1237 Davie Street marking entrance. Picture from Google.

Full address (for your GPS): 1237 Davie St, Vancouver, BC V6E 1N4

Entrance is on the right if you turned into Davie from Bute street. It’s on your left if you turned into Davie from Jervis Street (going the other direction)

2. 930 Seymour Street:

This location is ideal for monthly parking solutions. This is likely the cheapest downtown Vancouver parking you can find for the location. The price is only so because of an ongoing promotion.

930 Seymour Street is fairly convenient location closer to downtown than the West End Vancouver. It’s near Staples for your office supplies should you be running low on printer ink (maybe from printing this list of the cheap parking in downtown Vancouver). It’s also near a some good cafes (but where are you now in downtown Vancouver? Here’s the best Cafes in Vancouver.) Parking is cheap though at least.

$115/month

No hourly parking

930 Seymour Cheap parking spot in downtown Vancouver

Cheap parking in downtown Vancouver at 930 Seymour Street. Picture used from Google.

Full Address: 930 Seymour St, Vancouver, BC V6B 1B4

3. 900 Howe Street:

Located right in the center of the Downtown core, this is one of the cheapest parking in downtown Vancouver for the location. It’s an excellent monthly parking location if you’re looking to get near your centrally located office at the TD building. The pricing is more than most other parking locations because it’s right in the heart of downtown.

This parking location is very central in downtown Vancouver. You’re a block from Granville street if you plan on parking on Fridays after work. It’s right next to UBC Robson where you’ll frequently find food trucks out which makes a good bite on your way back from the office to your car. There’s coffee and pizza nearby too.

This is a great parking location but slightly at a premium. If you value your convenience and walk time then it’d be a good trade-off but maybe you prefer your morning walk in downtown Vancouver with coffee and croissant (talking about croissant, here’s the list of the best bakery in Vancouver) in hand while you hear the bird chirp and the construction growl?

$5.50/hour

$200/month

Cheap Parking downtown Vancouver at 900 Howe Street

Cheap parking in downtown Vancouver near UBC at 900 Howe Street. Picture from Google.

Full address: 900 Howe St, Vancouver, BC V6Z 2S9

4. 843 Seymour Street:

An excellent solution for hourly downtown parking. You’ll be paying $2.50 an hour for parking in the heart of downtown. Certainly one of the cheapest hourly parking in downtown Vancouver.

This is absolutely the best cheap parking in downtown Vancouver for those needing cheap hourly parking in downtown Vancouver. The parking spot is located about 2 blocks from Robson Street where the restaurants are. It’s also near Dunn’s Famous which happens to be on our list of the best poutine in Vancouver for none other than their smoke meat poutine. (Dunn’s Famous is famous for Montreal style smoke meat). Consider this hourly parking spot for catching a bite at Dunn’s. Conveniently near to Orpheum theatre and Nester’s for grocery run.

$2.50/Hour

Cheap hourly parking in downtown Vancouver at 834 Seymour Street. Picture from Google Maps, street view.

Full address: 834 Seymour St, Vancouver, BC V6B

5. 969 Burrard Street:

Also known as First Baptist Church, this parking location is centrally located near UBC Robson and Sheraton. You can take a skytrain to downtown Vancouver, Waterfront station or walk there in a few minutes. The location is also about 10 minutes walk to English Bay and accessible to Yaletown by the Canada Line skytrain from City Hall station. This is our preferred parking location for the pricing and locality.

This cheap downtown Vancouver parking spot is just a little out of the way but very conveniently besides the Robert Lee YMCA for gym goers. Perhaps stop by before or after work for a brief workout or fitness class; apparently, working out in the morning provides more energy and mental agility throughout the day. If fitness is not your bid, you’re a block south from a grocery store and a block east will find you Tim Horton’s.

Entrance is just before First Baptist Church as pictured.

$4/Hour

$135/Month

Cheap parking in downtown Vancouver at 969 Burrard Street (First Baptist Church). Picture from Google maps, street view.

Full Address: 969 Burrard St, Vancouver, BC V6E 1J1

6. 311 W Hastings:

This parking location is a bit towards the East of downtown by Gastown but still centrally located and a good parking spot for $2/hour.

It’s an outdoor parking spot on the cusp of Gastown which makes it a cheap hourly parking spot in downtown Vancouver if you planned on dining in Gastown. Maybe park here as you dine at Al Porto Ristorante on our list of the best Italian restaurants in Vancouver. Other nearby attractions includes the Revolver Cafe and the infamous “Meat and Bread”. Effectively, it’s a good parking option if you’re looking for cheap parking as a visitor to Vancouver for a couple hours downtown. Not the best part of town however.

It’s a little hard getting to this parking spot. You cannot turn into it from W Hastings street actually as it’s a different elevation. To enter this cheap parking spot in downtown Vancouver, you have to drive through the back street of W Hastings where the back entrance to the shops on W Hastings are. Entry by Cambie Street or Homer Street.

$2/hour

Cheap parking downtown Vancouver at 311 W Hastings Street. Picture from Google Maps, street view.

Full Address: 311 W Hastings St, Vancouver, BC V6B 2N4

7. Granville Island:

Lots of free parking and cheap parking located at Grandville Island. If you like to start your day with a nice adventure, artisan coffee, premier donuts (Lee’s Donuts which happens to be on our list of the 5 best donuts in Vancouver – for good reason), then you can park at Granville Island and take the water taxi across to downtown (about $5 each way).

Hence this is best if you are making a lifestyle decision and want to enjoy more of your day. Economically, the time you take to get from Granville Island to downtown Vancouver won’t be worth the cost savings.

A great solution for tourists or a day trip too to enjoy Vancouver (when it’s sunny). Realistically, it’s not practical on a daily basis but a perfect solution for those exploring Vancouver for a couple days and looking for cheap parking to roam downtown.

$117/Month

$15/day

$3.50/Hour (Free parking available for 1-3 hours from 7 AM to 7PM for Granville Island visitors)

Cheap Vancouver parking at Granville Island for tourist and visitors.

Cheap parking at Granville Island for tourist and visitors. Picture from Google maps, street view.

Full Address: 1535 Johnston St #102, Vancouver, BC V6H 3R9

8. 900 Burrard Street:

We listed Paramount Place parking on our top 10 list of cheapest parking in Vancouver because of it’s central location and lower monthly rate.

This cheap parking location in downtown Vancouver is situated right where where the Scotiabank Theater is should you wish to catch a movie after the office. At the Hornby entrance, there’s a Tim Hortons and by the Burrard entrance, there’s a Starbucks so you have options for your morning coffee. For your grocery shopping, you can stop by IGA opposite the street or maybe grab a Japadog (which is on our list of top 5 food trucks/carts in Vancouver) at the junction of Burrard and Smithe Street after a day’s work.

The parking spot is accessible both on Burrard Street and Hornby Street by UBC Robson. It’s covered parking.

$5/Hour

$170/Month

Cheap downtown Vancouver parking at 900 Burrard street

Cheap parking in downtown Vancouver at 900 Burrard Street. Picture from Google Maps, street view. Picture of entrance at Hornby Street.

Full Address: 900 Burrard St, Vancouver, BC V6Z 3G5

9. 330 Cambie Street:

Very centrally located and cheap hourly rate for parking in downtown Vancouver. The pricing is excellent for hourly parking in downtown Vancouver although 834 Seymour street may be a better option for cheap hourly parking in downtown Vancouver unless you’r visiting this specific area of Vancouver such as picking up coffee from Timbertrain Coffee Roasters (on our list of the best coffee roasters in Vancouver).

As with our earlier mention of cheap downtown Vancouver W Hastings parking, this 330 Cambie Street parking is a good option for day trips cheap parking. It’s rather close downtown and right besides the Meat and Bread shop opposite which is Revolver Cafe.

The unassuming entrance leads to a fairly large parking lot behind the building. It’s definitely cheap parking for downtown Vancouver area. This isn’t the best or safest part of downtown but still acceptable.

$3/Hour

Cheap hourly Vancouver downtown parking at 330 Cambie Street

Cheap downtown Vancouver parking at 330 Cambie Street. Hourly rates at $3. Picture from Google Maps, street view.

Full Address: 330 Cambie St, Vancouver, BC V6B 2N3

10. 320 Granville Street:

Expensive hourly rate of $6.50 but a fair $130 for monthly parking. The price is good for monthly parking rates.

This parking spot in downtown Vancouver is the perfect parking spot location wise for the Waterfront area right outside the Waterfront station with Seabus to North Vancouver, Canada Line to Richmond, and the Sky train across Greater Vancouver Area. It’s a good spot for tourist preferring convenience and security as the parking is gated and indoors.

Entrance is at the corner of W Cordova Street and Granville Street. You may enter from W Cordova Street or Granville Street.

$6.50/Hour

$130/Month

Cheap monthly downtown Vancouver parking at 320 Granville Street. Picture from Google maps, street view.

Full Address: 320 Granville St, Vancouver, BC V6B 0G5

Monthly Parking in Downtown Vancouver:

Hope these help you find your parking options in downtown Vancouver. Bellow are the top 5 cheapest monthly parking in downtown Vancouver as well.

1. 1237 Davie Street: $70/month

2. 930 Seymour Street: $115/month

3. Granville Island: $117/month

4. 320 Granville Street: $130/month

5. 969 Burrard Street: $135/month

Good City Parking:

Lastly, in case you wanted some city parking, here are some good parking spots to watch out for:

Vancouver Library – Free for Library visitors

Granville Island – Free parking for visitors.

These are best for visitors to Vancouver. There are no economical longer term street parking options (most have limitations to the # of hours) unless you use the meters which then it would be better to get a monthly parking pass from one of the options mentioned earlier.

Parking in downtown Vancouver is a peculiar art, central downtown Vancouver parking by Waterfront Station can eat $8 every hour whereas to walk only a block or two later.

Even then there are great parking deals to be had that will save you hundreds over time. It isn’t a perfect market and there isn’t perfect information so we hope to help you save more with your parking on VancityAsks.com by revealing the best deals in Vancouver downtown parking and the cheapest Vancouver downtown parking available by hourly or monthly rate. Due to the constant changing rate of parking prices by supply and demand in downtown Vancouver, we will update the list periodically.

It’s a quick list which you don’t need to look too long at; just enjoy the savings.

Resource for cheap parking in downtown Vancouver:

We gone through the complicated lists for you although here are some more resources you may be interested with:

http://www.bestparking.com/vancouver-parking/

https://advancedlots.myparkingworld.com/ADV/en?latlng=49.2827291,-123.12073750000002&q=Vancouver%2C%20BC%2C%20Canada&a=#details=52,9149

http://vancouver.ca/streets-transportation/find-parking.aspx

The resource mentioned above allows you to plug in the specific hours and days that you’ll be looking for parking in downtown Vancouver and it’ll help you to calculate the estimated costs of parking in downtown Vancouver. Quite a useful tool if you want to browse through a whole lot of options.

Thanks for reading about Cheapest downtown Vancouver parking on VancityAsks.com

Food

Best Cafe in Vancouver

March 15, 2015 Published by: VancityAsks

Latest Updated February 2, 2022: VancityAsks is your source for reliable local recommendations, manually curated by locals. We genuinely endeavor to find the best of Vancouver – hence, we do our best to minimize bias across all our recommendations.

We hope to save you time; helping locals rediscover their amazing city and visitors to find the best Vancouver has to offer. To maintain the validity and accuracy of our content; we review/edit/update our content from time to time. The latest update on this best cafes in Vancouver article was done on February 2, 2022.

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Who is this “Best Cafes in Vancouver” list for?

First off, to ensure we’re connecting you with the right local recommendations, we should take some time to clarify you’re on the right article at VancityAsks.com

This “Best Cafes in Vancouver” article is to categorize the BEST cafes in Vancouver with considerations to (1) cafe space – ambiance, uniqueness, location (2) coffee – You’re at a cafe presumably to get coffee (3) food selection – It’s nice to get a delicious bite with your coffee. Having a cafe with good food selection certainly helps with making the cafe a better spot to read your book, finish some work, or chat with a friend. Finally, the all important consideration is (4) service – your experience at a cafe will inevitably be toned by the service staff; you’d want personal and consistent friendly staff at a Vancouver cafe (it’s the main reason to keep people coming back).

Effectively, what we’re saying is these recommendations for the best cafes in Vancouver are relevant for you if you’re looking for a nice, chic, or unique cafe in Vancouver with good WiFi to get some work done, study, or spend a couple hours with a friend – over some good coffee and delicious food.

If you’re looking to find the best coffee in Vancouver (without consideration for the cafe ambiance, space, or food selection) we have that too. In such article, we focus on quality & value of the coffee shops’ coffee.

If you’re looking to find the best coffee roasters in Vancouver (to enjoy your french press, pour over, or espresso in the comforts of your own home each morning – or afternoon. Afternoon pick-me-up coffee is always a nice treat.) we have that as well!

Now that I presume you’re looking for the best cafes in Vancouver, here are five cafes in Vancouver that is worth visiting!

Vancouver LOCAL Recommendations – 5 Best Cafes in Vancouver:

We true Vancouver locals always enjoy a good cup of coffee. There are cafes in every corner of Vancouver. Everyone one of them are great in their right but when you want to find the best “MUST-try” cafes in Vancouver, here’s where you look. We’ve highlighted these establishments for their interior experience and phenomenal Vancouver coffee. These are also some of the best cafes in Vancouver to sit-back, enjoy a good cup of Americano, and dive into a book, paperwork, or let your mind wander. If you’re privileged enough to be around the area regularly, make sure to visit them for your daily coffee runs…only if you appreciate luxury for a small price. $2.75 is a nominal cost for such enjoyment and the productivity from a good cup of coffee. (not to forget, the hipster vibes – who knows you may be more creative at work?)

Here are VancityAsks‘ TOP 5 recommendations for the best cafes in Vancouver to try (subject to improvements and updates). If you’re a local, it would be a shame not to try these local Vancouver cafes. If you’re a tourist, experience a local’s unique appreciation for good Vancouver coffee at the best of the best – the best cafes in Vancouver, BC. You can understand a lot about a city by their food scene; some of these cafes are also conveniently located near tourist attractions, points of interest, or neighborhoods hence you’ll find a few cafe stops recommended in 48 hours tourists itinerary. (Some activity ideas if you’re visiting Vancouver for a brief lay-over upon arriving in Canada. Itinerary assumes you arrive on an international flight in the morning/afternoon however you can easily adjust the schedule to your time of arrival and cherry pick your choice of activities. The activities plan are fairly economical; we’ve tried to incorporate as much of a local experience, as much as possible to provide a solid insight to Vancouver, BC… added with your typical touristy activities. Blah.)

It was a difficult decision trying to find the best cafes in Vancouver as there are no lack of good Vancouver coffee and cafes, but we believe these are absolutely the top 5 MUST-try cafes in Vancouver… especially if you’re around the area.

Here are the 5 BEST cafes in Vancouver:

1) Best Cafe in Downtown Vancouver – Caffe Artigiano:

Caffe Artigiano is the place to be if you’re looking for a cafe in downtown Vancouver with some unique character, comfy & cozy atmosphere, and plentiful seating. It’s also an excellent option to grab a quick homemade breakfast sandwich, sit-in for an eggs benedict with your coffee, or grab and go their freshly roasted coffee with an in-house baked muffin! Caffe Artigiano is a great choice to start your day with, especially important if you find yourself waking up to some dreary weather in Vancouver common from November to February.

The cafe may be small but there are plenty of seating available and power plugs to charge up your devices while you sip a cup of delicious coffee. Service is quick and consistently friendly while the high ceilings & soft walls ensure any conversation or noise becomes white-noise for your comfort. For these combination of reasons, we believe Caffe Artigiano’s flagship branch on West Hastings to be the BEST cafe in Vancouver currently.

Yelp – https://www.yelp.ca/biz/caff%C3%A8-artigiano-vancouver-14

Zomato – https://www.zomato.com/vancouver/caffe-artigiano-downtown-vancouver

Trip Advisor – https://www.tripadvisor.ca/Restaurant_Review-g154943-d683196-Reviews-Caffe_Artigiano-Vancouver_British_Columbia.html

Address – 740 W Hastings St, Vancouver, BC, V6C 2X1

Caffe Artigiano has quickly become a favourite cafe in Downtown Vancouver for several reasons…

(1) good coffee – always important if you’re looking for the best cafes in Vancouver.

(2) good service – especially important for the service industry. You’d think it was a given but surprisingly sometimes non-service professionals get into the service industry and get hired. Caffe Artigiano in Downtown Vancouver have chosen and trained their team well to assure customers get a great experience in their West Hastings store – so it seems.

(3) nice ambiance – the downtown Vancouver cafe is rather unique and chic place. This is the perfect little cafe in downtown Vancouver with a quaint and warm interior design (perfect for a cold, rainy day in Vancouver) and high ceilings for spacious feel and muffling conversations (in a good way – to minimize distractions and unintended listening… of course those nearby can still hear you audibly but with higher ceilings, noise seems to get caught in the ceiling than curious ears across the room.)

Caffe Artigiano on West Hastings (Note that this description refers to their 740 West Hastings location; they have another cafe in downtown Vancouver’s Coal Harbour community at 1101 West Pender which is a larger cafe – walking distance to Loden Hotel actually – but without the same characteristics, warmth, or coziness as their flagship branch/commissary kitchen which presumably would bring fresher pastries & food as well) is a small cafe in downtown Vancouver, their flagship store, but it’s cozy and well designed inside. It has the ambiance similar to something European, specifically Spain, and a little bit of Italian along with a hint of rustic/rawness to the interior design. A plus is the many power plugs and seating available if you’re looking for somewhere to finish some work, catch up on emails, or read an e-book.

The cafe is often packed with office professionals which is good and bad; you might have trouble finding a seat during peak periods (but there are many seats) and it’s also good if you like a lot of white noise. (Most people speak moderately and as mentioned with the high ceiling, noise really muffles to a consistent white-noise so to drown out any specific conversation. It’s the exact type of white noise you might look for increasing productivity as well; go figure – cafe white noise is actually something people have on their playlists Haha.) It makes a great place to get work done, read a book, have a casual meeting, or enjoy a good cup of coffee (possibly with an delicious in-house baked pastries, or their delicious & quick, fresh-made daily, sandwich, or perhaps their popular salmon lox eggs benedict).

If you’re looking for a cafe in downtown Vancouver, be sure to pop by Caffe Artigiano for their delicious coffee, great service, and freshly-made pastries, or a meal – the salmon lox eggs benedict is a favourite of many. It is well deserving of the “best cafe in Vancouver” title for it’s unique cozy cafe vibe, excellent white-noise, good coffee, delicious cafe food, and excellent service in a exceptionally convenient downtown Vancouver nook. The next time you’re looking for a cafe in downtown Vancouver, you know where to go!

If you live or work in downtown Vancouver, you can visit Caffe Artigiano today and enjoy a delicious cup of coffee in a warm and cozy cafe with high ceilings making for excellent acoustics (you can hear a good and consistent hum of white noise if you’re sitting in to read a book or finish some work – while also being able to hear conversations nearby clearly). The staff is friendly and the food is good. Nothing to critique about Caffe Artigiano’s location on West Hastings. (Coffee is a little weak though but the ambiance makes up for it.) They are open from 6 AM to 5 PM Mondays to Fridays; if not, you can pop by on the weekend till 4 PM from as early as 7 AM but come before 2 PM if you want to try their brunch!

2) Best Hipster Cafe in Vancouver – Revolver Cafe:

Located in Gastown, Revolver Cafe is 10 for 10 when it comes to espresso. They are known for their coffee tasting events! Quite possibly some of the BEST coffee in the Gastown locality.

Revolver Cafe baristas can frequently be found wearing a beanie.

Yelp – http://www.yelp.ca/biz/revolver-vancouver

Zomato – https://www.zomato.com/vancouver/revolver-gastown-vancouver

Trip Advisor – https://www.tripadvisor.ca/Restaurant_Review-g154943-d2615148-Reviews-Revolver_Coffee-Vancouver_British_Columbia.html

Address – 325 Cambie Street Vancouver, BC V6B 1H7

Revolver Café is not just any café. It has espresso tasting flights. Yes, espresso tasting flights. Go and try their variety of espresso to find which beans you like. Revolver has a huge fan following for good reason.

The coffee is made fresh to order from specially selected roasters across the globe – liken to your exclusive LV purse (or murse). These coffee are quality-checked and Revolver only serves the BEST coffee. You’ll be sure to get wowed by the taste and feel like a million bucks. (possibly – no guarantee). Certainly good coffee that will keep you awake and productive.

Price wise, the cost of coffee at Revolver Café is nominal for the utility you get from such a fabulous cup of coffee. You don’t want to miss this. 10/10 MUST try!

Vancouver Coffee pour over at Revolver Cafe. Picture courtesy of Tanglao on Flikr.

Old picture of Revolver Cafe interior in Vancouver. Best Cafe in Vancouver on VancityAsks.com

Best Coffee in Vancouver on VancityAsks.com at Revolver Cafe. Picture courtesy of Roland Tanglao on Flickr.

3) Best Cafe in Vancouver’s Gastown – Milano Cafe:

This is the coffee brand I see so often on UBC campus. This coffee roaster supports certified organic and small farms with an emphasis on quality.

Go for their unique espresso bar and try the different blends. Milano has several branches but you may wish to visit their coffee lounge at 156 West 8th Avenue.

Yelp – http://www.yelp.ca/biz/milano-coffee-vancouver

Zomato – https://www.zomato.com/vancouver/milano-coffee-roasters-mount-pleasant-vancouver

Trip Advisor – https://www.tripadvisor.ca/Restaurant_Review-g154943-d4853019-Reviews-Milano_Boutique_Coffee_Roasters-Vancouver_British_Columbia.html

Address – 156 8th Avenue W Vancouver, BC V5Y 1N2

Milano café takes 3rd place currently because they also roast their own beans and distribute to UBC. More interestingly Milano Café main branch has a nice espresso bar that’s a unique experience. It’s a bit out of the way but certainly worth a visit.

This is a larger coffee roaster that distribute their beans far and wide. You may have recognized their coffee at various cafes downtown so give their Vancouver Cambie-area café/roastery a visit and taste it freshest.

Price wise, you’d be looking at $3 for a shot of espresso or $2.75 to $4 for an americano. Certainly worthwhile for the enjoyment at their espresso lounge.

Here’s a tip from Holly on Yelp:

“I always get a large, because the medium and small are a little on the skimpy side for what you would usually get if you were at a large chain coffee place. Having said that, there’s a good reason the sizes are small – this stuff is strong. This coffee goes down slowly because it’s so full of flavour, and by the end you find yourself way more alert and energetic. It definitely gets you going. ”

Milano Coffee in Vancouver. They roast their own beans. Fresh coffee to go!

Vancouver Espresso Tasting at Milano Coffee

Fresh espresso with espresso tasting flights at Milano Coffee in Vancouver.

Interior of Milano Coffee shop in Vancouver.

4) Best Original Vancouver Roasters Cafe – 49th Parallel Coffee Roasters:

If you haven’t heard of 49th Parallel Coffee Roasters, you’re likely either new to Vancouver or the coffee scene in Vancouver. 49th Parallel Coffee is a Vancouver coffee icon whose beans are also used in various cafes nationally.

The ones I’ve tried were too mild for my liking personally. Also, you may like to know it’s the same company that spun off Lucky Donuts arguably the BEST donuts in Vancouver.

Go ahead. Treat yourself. Go step into their Kitsilano store at 2198 W 4th Avenue and sip a freshly brewed cup of coffee with one of their unique Lucky Donuts like Creme Brûlée or maybe an apple bacon fritter? You deserve it. If you’re around the area you can also pop by their Main St. store at 2902 Main St.

Yelp – https://www.yelp.ca/biz/49th-parallel-coffee-vancouver-6

Zomato – https://www.zomato.com/vancouver/forty-ninth-parallel-cafe-luckys-doughnuts-kitsilano-vancouver

Trip Advisor – https://www.tripadvisor.ca/ShowUserReviews-g154943-d7297661-r243168296-49th_Parallel_Roasters_Cafe-Vancouver_British_Columbia.html

Address – 2902 Main St. Vancouver, BC, V5T 3G3
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49th Parallel Coffee Roasters might be considered the grandfather of coffee culture in Vancouver, BC. They were one of the first artisan roasters who had a neat little cafe on 4th Avenue.

They soon branched to artisan, small-batch donuts known as Lucky Donuts; you will find Lucky Donuts at all 49th Parallel Coffee Roasters cafe. It seems the next step is towards 49th Parallel Brewing (beer).

While many branches have since opened representing 49th Parallel Coffee Roasters including one in downtown Vancouver on Thurlow (close to Trump International Hotel, Shangri-La Living, Coast Coal Harbour Hotel, and Loden Hotel), their original cafe is located on Main Street with the Roastery/Head Office in Burnaby.

They serve a (fresh) fruity flavoured style of coffee that might be enjoyable to some. Fair warning that while they cafes are typically fairly large, airy (lightly furnished & bright), they are not very laptop friendly. (Few power plugs & cafe owners do not like people sitting with laptops.) Their cafe is recommended on our best cafes in Vancouver as an ode to one of the early Vancouver artisan cafes/coffee roasters.

5) Best Casual Cafe With a View in Vancouver – Coal Harbor Cafe:

The Coal Harbour Cafe is not exactly known for their coffee but their location & convenience (to Vancouver’s cruise ship terminal at Vancouver Convention Centre in downtown Vancouver and most of Downtown Vancouver’s Waterfront area.)

This is an excellent coffee to sit in and appreciate the views while visiting Vancouver or perhaps before your cruise as the location is connected to Vancouver Convention Centre.

Zomato – https://www.zomato.com/vancouver/coal-harbour-cafe-coal-harbour-vancouver (Coal Harbour Cafe has two branches one at 1055 and the other at 999. The 999 is better than 1055 although Zomato doesn’t have a listing for 999 by Canada Place docks)

Address – 999 Canada Pl, Vancouver, BC V6C 3E1

The Coal Harbour Cafe serves acceptable coffee, but they serve amazing views right at Canada Convention Centre makes for a nice sit-in café to sip & read (or type). Service is standard, sub-standard, or slightly-better than average (don’t get us wrong – they are not at all rude, just not overly personal or memorable). The cafe features full walled window on one side and sliding doors to Vancouver Convention Centre Exhibition Halls on the other side. It is typically empty (as people grab and go their coffee it appears) but there are adequate sitting space with excellent views if you want a sit-in cafe with your friend or a place to sit back & relax around the Coal Harbour area. It has a bright (when it’s not raining) and simplistic interior design.

They also sell Thomas Haas bake goods and a variety of sandwiches. You can also typically catch a special daily deal in-store like a croissant and coffee for $3.40 (at time of writing).

They do not have power plugs though if you were looking to charge up your cellphone/tablet/laptop. If you were hoping to enjoy the view and get some work done, make sure you have your batteries fully charged. WiFi is unsecured publicly accessible WiFi which can get slow. (This is a popular spot where many people walk along Canada Place Boardwalk who also use the WiFi.)

The view though once again is amazing. Sit there with your coffee in hand and watch the Harbour Air Seaplanes land and take off by Coal Harbour or catch an amazing view of North Vancouver. They don’t have a Zomato or Yelp listing but it exists! You got to walk towards where it says Port Metro on the Google maps.

Honourable Mentions – Best Cafes in Vancouver:

Matchstick Coffee – 213 Georgia St, Vancouver, BC V6A 0B1

Excellent coffee and clean open cafe interiors and communal tables are two things reputed with Matchstick Coffee. It’s a good cafe to pop by in Vancouver but nothing spectacular or intrinsically unique about Matchstick Coffee. Service can vary; sometimes you get stuck-up hipsters – my beanie is cooler than you – type of service, sometimes you get very friendly hipsters – I love coffee and want you to feel the love – type of service.

Timbertrain Coffee – 311 W Cordova St, Vancouver, BC V6B 4K2

A coffee roastery in Gastown with a tight space but cozy design intended to foster interactions and close meetups; would make for a great place to bring your out of town guest to catch up or perhaps a date? The important thing is their coffee beans are highly recommended and used by many cafes across Metro Vancouver. Expect a hipster vibe as you would in Gastown. They may not be mentioned on our best cafes in Vancouver (because the cafe itself is meh) but they are mentioned in our best coffee roastery in Vancouver because they truly shine best with their coffee beans.

Pallet – 2002 W Broadway, Vancouver, BC V6J 1Z4

Another cafe that is well known for their coffee. Pallet is a coffee roastery that is catching on like wild fire amongst baristas; their coffee is good, very good. The location on West Broadway also has a spacious cafe with plentiful of natural lighting from an open concept. It may not be the most conducive for a meet-up or cozy atmosphere but it’s spacious and bright. Pair it with house-made baked goods, salads, paninis, and sandwiches and you’ve got a great cafe in Vancouver… quiet possibly one of the best cafes in Vancouver? Maybe later. One thing for sure is they have GREAT coffee! Pallet is currently #1 on our Best Coffee Roasteries in Vancouver recommendations.

(Apologies about the sporadic writing with this section… been watching too many Section 4 clips of Scott Galloway on Youtube of recency. You’ll see. Pun intended.)

More Vancouver Cafe Options to consider:

Once again, leave your suggestions bellow and we’ll shake things up base on feedback. VancityAsks.com is community based list. Your call. Quite possibly the most controversial decision you’ll make today so think carefully. Coffee is always a difficult topic.

Here are some more Vancouver Cafes that come to mind:

(1) Creme de la Crumb (200 Granville St #10, Vancouver, BC V6C 1S4) – Located right by Waterfront station, 200 granville street, Creme de la Crumb is a convenient location, nice communal tables, and good coffee. Try their chirozo breakfast sandwich as well!

(2) Trees Organic Coffee Roasters (450 Granville St, Vancouver, BC V6C 1V4) – Known for their cheesecake and single-origin freshly roasted organic coffee beans, this cozy (and often crowded) cafe on Granville is a convenient spot to relax, read, or reconnect over a cup of coffee as you watch the coffee expert freshly roast the coffee beans in their coffee roastery machine towards the back of their Granville Street location – or if you prefer to watch the crowds pass by along Granville Street as you watch through the window at the front of the store.

(3) Timbertrain Coffee Roasters (311 W Cordova St, Vancouver, BC V6B 4K2) –

(4)

(5)

(6)

(7)

As you can tell, we’ve intentionally left out the franchise options like Blenz and Starbucks on our list.

Lists of Updates to Best Cafes in Vancouver local recommendations on VancityAsks.com:

November 7, 2019 –

Updated and revise recommendations for the 5 best cafes in Vancouver. Added more good cafes in Vancouver to consider, and honourable mentions.

May 24, 2019 –

– Added Caffe Artigiano to #1 best cafe in Vancouver (nice ambiance, good service, plentiful seating & power plugs for your laptop if you choose an eBook, good coffee, unique interior design)

– Removed Trees Organic Coffee from #4 (Average cheesecake, Ok coffee, crowded cafe, small space. Initially listed for novelty of seeing the coffee roasted at their Granville Street branch in Downtown Vancouver along with their indie music nights for a unique atmosphere/vibe to experience… but we’ve categorized and refined our recommendations for the best cafes in Vancouver to focus on ambiance <and of course good coffee is still a must> with another article for the best coffee roasters in Vancouver. So with the new categories and ratings, Trees Organic Coffee doesn’t fit either as the category leader. It was good at a little bit of everything initially to fit our initial recommendation for the best cafes in Vancouver but in properly segmenting our content recommendation, they don’t hit sufficiently on any one point. If you want to see coffee roasting, you can still visiting their downtown Vancouver cafe on Granville but it’s not worth going as a sit-down cafe. Not many power plugs – just one, and limited seating in a cramp cafe with overpriced cheesecake that’s not the best in Vancouver. Their coffee is also not consistently good and their service is neither consistent as well. So it doesn’t make a bonus consideration for consistency. Single-origin beans does vary in taste by time of year so if you don’t like the taste of one-batch, you’re stuck with it for some time and if you like the taste of one-batch, it might be short lived.)

– Former description for Trees Organic Coffee listed bellow:

4) Best Dessert Cafe in Vancouver – Trees Organic Coffee Roasters:

Trees Organic is a new addition to our list of the best cafes in Vancouver. Having been enjoying their coffee for several months, their stores are always packed with patrons who enjoy their freshly roasted, single-origin brewed coffee as well. They’re also relatively known for their in-house pastries, notably varying flavors of cheesecake. (That rings in at $7.50/slice!) But, let’s get back to coffee…this cozy cafe on Granville Street is where you have to visit if you enjoy good coffee. Forget 49th Parallel, Trees Organic coffee beans are even better. (Slightly a notch under Milano Coffee. Revolver Cafe doesn’t roast their own beans but procure a variety of unique suppliers; it is still one of the only spots in Vancouver where you can enjoy coffee prepared three-ways.)

They have a frequency card that gives you every 10th coffee free. Reasonably priced at $2.55 for medium size, $2.90 for large, and you should never go small with coffee at Trees Organic, because why would you? Their standard drip coffee comes in medium or dark roast. Trees Organic roasts their own beans much like Milano Coffee and 49th Parallel; the roasting is right at their Granville branch. Mentioned earlier, Trees Organic also only uses single origin beans for their coffee so depending on where the beans come from at the time you savor their freshly roasted coffee, your coffee may taste slightly different month to month. (It’s subtle but moderately noticeable. An interesting experiential process to observe over-time.)

A visit to Trees Organic is recommended if you enjoy good Vancouver coffee in a cozy cafe, especially so if you like cheesecake (and willing to spend $7.50 for a small slice.) The main branch is on Granville Street, right outside Canada Line Waterfront station (how convenient.) while another branch is right at Gastown outside the Gastown clock. This is the one on our 48 hr tourist itinerary activity list.

Yelp: https://www.yelp.ca/biz/trees-organic-coffee-vancouver

Zomato: https://www.zomato.com/vancouver/trees-organic-coffee-downtown-vancouver

Trip Advisor: https://www.tripadvisor.ca/Restaurant_Review-g154943-d1008187-Reviews-Trees_Organic_Coffee-Vancouver_British_Columbia.html

Address: 450 Granville St, Vancouver, BC V6C 1V4

Other things to note: The Granville Street location is just minutes from Waterfront and Vancouver Convention Centre; grab a coffee and enjoy it by the water as you see the furry of activity on the water. (Seabus, Boats, Planes, Cruises, and the occasional Cargo ship.) There is also a nice look-out seating spot at 200 Granville Street above the Waterfront Station, where Denton’s and PWC office is. It is no more than 5 minutes walk to Trees Organic Granville.

They say they have the best cheesecake in Vancouver but truth be told, it’s “average at best” as many food bloggers/reviewers will share. The gimmick gets a few who haven’t yet tried, shelling out $7.50+ for a slice. Best only means something when you truly are the best hence we try to be as honest with our recommendations on VancityAsks. When ratings goes to “votes” it’s rarely accurate but a marketing ploy; all our highlights on VancityAsks are manually and locally curated. Go for their coffee but do yourself a favor and skip the cheesecake.

April 10, 2019 –

– Moved Revolver Cafe from #1 to #2

– Moved Milano Coffee from #2 to #3.

September 21, 2016 –
– Removed TimberTrain Coffee Rosters from #4.
– Moved 49th Parallel Coffee Roasters from #3 to #4.
– Added Trees Organic at #3. Remarkable coffee
– Best Cafe in Vancouver for #1, #2, #5 remains unchanged.
– Former description for Timbertrain Coffee Roasters bellow:

4) Timbertrain Coffee Roasters

With a name like that, you already know the coffee is going to be hipster good. Timbertrain Coffee Roasters is an artisan coffee roaster. It’s as good at 49th Parallel but slightly lesser known in Vancouver. Make no mistake however, they are highly acclaimed for some of the BEST coffee in Vancouver…hence why it’s on this VancityAsks.com list.

“Timbertrain Coffee Roasters is committed to the fundamentals and the science of brewing perfection into each cup of coffee we serve.”

Yelp – http://www.yelp.ca/biz/mancakes-bakery-vancouver

Zomato – https://www.zomato.com/vancouver/timbertrain-coffee-roasters-gastown-vancouver

Trip Advisor – https://www.tripadvisor.ca/Restaurant_Review-g154943-d5068132-Reviews-Timbertrain_Coffee_Roasters-Vancouver_British_Columbia.html

Address – 311 W Cordova Street Vancouver, BC V6B 4K2

Any cafe that roasts their own beans immediately get a notch over others. Timber Train nestled in downtown Vancouver with passionate owners who enjoy good coffee and company. If you’re looking for a delicious, fresh coffee then Timbertrain Coffee Roasters is where you ought to go.

Timbertain Coffee Roasters in Vancouver with new coffee beans

Freshly roasted coffee beans at Timbertrain Coffee Roasters. Picture from Timbertrain Coffee Roasters

Espresso at Timbertrain Coffee Roasters in the morning in Vancouver.

How about an espresso to wake you up? Picture from Timbertain Coffee Roasters Facebook

Timbertrain Coffee Roasters are located at 311 W Cordova St in Vancouver. Picture from Timbertain Coffee Roasters Facebook