Vancouver residents are rarely spotted out and about without a take-out cup of coffee in their hand (and, yes, a yoga mat slung over their shoulder) but where to go for a java shot that's a cut above the usual burned bean brews? We asked Vancouver coffee scene expert, Lawrence Lee, who runs Vancouver's cafe photography blog CafeYVR to select his pick of the city's finest.
Got a suggestion for a cafe you think deserves to be added to our next coffee map? Drop us a line or leave a comment and stay tuned for the next edition.
It's hard to miss the brick wall painted bright yellow with the huge raccoon on the side. Culprit is one of the few cafes in the city with coffee from Victoria's Fernwood Coffee and all the food prepared in their kitchen is gluten free.
Since they opened in 2000, Elysian has been a favourite for specialty coffee drinkers in the city, thanks to the sourcing of their coffee and brewing techniques. With the move to roast their own coffee beans they're more focused than ever on serving up the perfect cup.
What they lack in floor space they make up for with a beautiful design and great coffee from two local specialty coffee roasters. Upstairs you'll find more seating along with exhibition space that is regularly used by local artists.
An emerging art space in the city, you can sit down with a great cup of coffee from Seattle's Herkimer Coffee while browsing the latest art exhibition at Kafka's. With new extended hours, they're also open late until 10pm from Mon-Thurs.
With loyal fans of their coffee beans across North America, their Main Street cafe is the perfect environment to enjoy their coffee. 49th Parallel also added a whole new legion of fans by opening a Lucky's Doughnuts inside the cafe.
One of the city's newest specialty coffee roasters, Matchstick combine their roasting operations with a beautiful cafe filled with warm natural woods. If you want to learn more about what goes into creating a great cup of coffee drop by the cafe on Saturdays for their public coffee tastings.
On the corner of a residential street, Le Marché St. George is an immersive experience into the creativity of the owners who designed a space that is a gathering spot for the neighbourhood. The unique touches extend to espresso drinks served in an eclectic collection of vintage tea cups. The cafe serves up coffee locally from Elysian Coffee.
One of the perfect spots in the city to grab a coffee thanks to the huge windows looking onto Commercial Drive. PRADO is run by the four-time Canadian barista Champion, Sammy Piccolo, and he keeps it in the family with coffee from 49th Parallel Coffee Roasters which is run by his brothers.
On the corner of Nanaimo and East Hastings you'll find a neighbourhood cafe that is filled with Vancouver memorabilia; photos and posters collected by the owners over the years. East cafe is one of a handful in Vancouver that serves coffee from Chicago's Intelligentsia Coffee.
Serving up some of the best sandwiches in the city, Finch's pay an amazing amount of attention to detail into service and presentation. Espresso drinks are prepared on an ornate Italian espresso machine made from brass and copper with their own packaged direct trade and organic espresso blend.
Run by the Portland Hotel Society, the cafe roast their own chocolate and coffee in the back room, while also providing training and employment to women residents of the Rainier Hotel. You can also find pastries from Kerrisdale's Faubourg bakery on sale here as well.
A stylish room in Gastown, Nelson The Seagull focus on using local and organic producers combining them into favourites like the Avocado on Toast. Their coffee is from Matchstick Coffee and they also make their own bottled cold brew coffee.
Run by the Giannakos brothers who take a scientific approach to producing a cup of coffee and use beans from some of the best coffee roasters around North America and a variety of brewing methods. With their new coffee education/home brew retail store next door it's the coffee mecca of Vancouver.
There's nothing more Canadian than a doughnut with a cup of joe. Along with finding unique flavour combinations and making everything fresh, Cartems source all their ingredients as locally as possible - which includes their coffee from Matchstick Coffee Roasters.
With more than a dozen cafes, JJ Bean is a staple of the Vancouver coffee scene. Their latest location inside the historic Marine Building raised their game bringing their design flair to the art deco treasure of the city. Take the time to look at the unique architectural features in the cafe while sipping one of their single origin coffees in a French press.
David Hawksworth's intimate street cafe is a regular for people looking for a quick business lunch or to enjoy one of their pastries and a cup of coffee using beans from Vancouver's 49th Parallel Coffee Roasters.The table service at the cafe is a great touch, but you can also head to the counter to get something to go.
In a back alley located off of the Hornby Street bike lane, Musette is a cycling cafe that is frequented by cyclists and non-cyclists alike. It's a visually interesting space with a colourful collection of cycling memorabilia along with antique furniture displayed throughout. With coffee from 49th Parallel Coffee it's one of the few places downtown to grab a good cup of coffee.
It's hard to miss the brick wall painted bright yellow with the huge raccoon on the side. Culprit is one of the few cafes in the city with coffee from Victoria's Fernwood Coffee and all the food prepared in their kitchen is gluten free.
Since they opened in 2000, Elysian has been a favourite for specialty coffee drinkers in the city, thanks to the sourcing of their coffee and brewing techniques. With the move to roast their own coffee beans they're more focused than ever on serving up the perfect cup.
What they lack in floor space they make up for with a beautiful design and great coffee from two local specialty coffee roasters. Upstairs you'll find more seating along with exhibition space that is regularly used by local artists.
An emerging art space in the city, you can sit down with a great cup of coffee from Seattle's Herkimer Coffee while browsing the latest art exhibition at Kafka's. With new extended hours, they're also open late until 10pm from Mon-Thurs.
With loyal fans of their coffee beans across North America, their Main Street cafe is the perfect environment to enjoy their coffee. 49th Parallel also added a whole new legion of fans by opening a Lucky's Doughnuts inside the cafe.
One of the city's newest specialty coffee roasters, Matchstick combine their roasting operations with a beautiful cafe filled with warm natural woods. If you want to learn more about what goes into creating a great cup of coffee drop by the cafe on Saturdays for their public coffee tastings.
On the corner of a residential street, Le Marché St. George is an immersive experience into the creativity of the owners who designed a space that is a gathering spot for the neighbourhood. The unique touches extend to espresso drinks served in an eclectic collection of vintage tea cups. The cafe serves up coffee locally from Elysian Coffee.
One of the perfect spots in the city to grab a coffee thanks to the huge windows looking onto Commercial Drive. PRADO is run by the four-time Canadian barista Champion, Sammy Piccolo, and he keeps it in the family with coffee from 49th Parallel Coffee Roasters which is run by his brothers.
On the corner of Nanaimo and East Hastings you'll find a neighbourhood cafe that is filled with Vancouver memorabilia; photos and posters collected by the owners over the years. East cafe is one of a handful in Vancouver that serves coffee from Chicago's Intelligentsia Coffee.
Serving up some of the best sandwiches in the city, Finch's pay an amazing amount of attention to detail into service and presentation. Espresso drinks are prepared on an ornate Italian espresso machine made from brass and copper with their own packaged direct trade and organic espresso blend.
Run by the Portland Hotel Society, the cafe roast their own chocolate and coffee in the back room, while also providing training and employment to women residents of the Rainier Hotel. You can also find pastries from Kerrisdale's Faubourg bakery on sale here as well.
A stylish room in Gastown, Nelson The Seagull focus on using local and organic producers combining them into favourites like the Avocado on Toast. Their coffee is from Matchstick Coffee and they also make their own bottled cold brew coffee.
Run by the Giannakos brothers who take a scientific approach to producing a cup of coffee and use beans from some of the best coffee roasters around North America and a variety of brewing methods. With their new coffee education/home brew retail store next door it's the coffee mecca of Vancouver.
There's nothing more Canadian than a doughnut with a cup of joe. Along with finding unique flavour combinations and making everything fresh, Cartems source all their ingredients as locally as possible - which includes their coffee from Matchstick Coffee Roasters.
With more than a dozen cafes, JJ Bean is a staple of the Vancouver coffee scene. Their latest location inside the historic Marine Building raised their game bringing their design flair to the art deco treasure of the city. Take the time to look at the unique architectural features in the cafe while sipping one of their single origin coffees in a French press.
David Hawksworth's intimate street cafe is a regular for people looking for a quick business lunch or to enjoy one of their pastries and a cup of coffee using beans from Vancouver's 49th Parallel Coffee Roasters.The table service at the cafe is a great touch, but you can also head to the counter to get something to go.
In a back alley located off of the Hornby Street bike lane, Musette is a cycling cafe that is frequented by cyclists and non-cyclists alike. It's a visually interesting space with a colourful collection of cycling memorabilia along with antique furniture displayed throughout. With coffee from 49th Parallel Coffee it's one of the few places downtown to grab a good cup of coffee.
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