Submitted by my pal Rachel. Enjoy. – Matty
After a year of living in North Vancouver, British Columbia, I can attest to the very high quality of local coffee shops. That said, let me confess that this review is very limited to my neighborhood; Lonsdale – a pretty, mellow community with stunning views of the North Shore mountains, Vancouver Harbor, and the city skyline. I’ve also thrown in a bonus shop that’s a short drive up the road and just too delightful to omit. Let me also confess that I am a cappuccino drinker and, when I rate coffee, that is my brew. In Vancouver, most coffee shops also sell lovely pastries, made locally or in-house, and no review would be complete without discussing the treats.
In Lonsdale:
BEAN ON 5TH (official name: Bean Around the World – 5th & Chesterfield)
506 Chesterfield Avenue, North Vancouver, BC
https://batwcoffee.com
Coffee: Consistently excellent
Ambiance: Cozy garden outside, casual and inviting inside
Pastry: All very delicious, but the star of the show is the chocolate bread pudding, only available on weekends. It is sublime; crusty, gooey, and rich. Cookies, blueberry loaf, and muffins are also above average.
Location: An unexpected delight on a quiet, residential street just a couple of blocks from Lonsdale Avenue, the commercial heart of Lonsdale. With plentiful outdoor seating on a shady patio, this is a great place to take your dog out to coffee. Or, if you are like me this past year and temporarily dogless, this is where you go to bother other coffee drinkers with your need to pet their dog.
JJ BEAN COFFEE ROASTERS
125 17th Street, North Vancouver, BC
https://jjbeancoffee.com
Coffee: Consistently excellent. This is where I buy my coffee beans for the AeroPress at home, I love the medium roast Eastside.
Ambiance: Unique architecture that uses soaring timber posts to create a lofty, modern feel that is both airy and cozy at the same time. This is where I go for a good, long hangout with a buddy. It’s also where I go to take myself out to coffee and ponder the meaning of life.
Pastry: Favorites include the apple cruffin, the “good morning” muffin (filled with chunks of fruit and nuts), all cookies, and the blueberry scone.
Location: On a busy corner in the heart of Lonsdale, it’s a great place to stop when out running errands.
NEMESIS COFFEE (POLYGON)
101 Carrie Cates Court #110, North Vancouver, BC
https://www.nemesis.coffee
Coffee: Recently, I had a cappuccino at Nemesis that was so good I actually went up and thanked the barista for his role in improving my life. But last week, I had a cup that was surprisingly bad. It tasted sour and bitter, which is not what cappuccino drinkers are after; I think the difference might have been the barista. However, don’t miss Nemesis because the coffee is usually amazing.
Ambiance: Modern and warm at the same time, it’s glass and wood and walls decorated with record covers. There isn’t much table seating, but plentiful seats at the bar for folks on laptops.
Food: This pastry case is not to be missed. Dope Bakery is located inside the coffee shop behind a glass wall, and it’s fun to watch the pastry chefs work their magic. Dope makes my favorite donut in all of Vancouver, the brown butter salted caramel cruller. It’s crunchy, gooey, salty and sweet. It has been inducted into a very tiny donut hall of fame that exists only in my mind. Everything I’ve tasted from Dope is outstanding, including the pear almond tart.
Location: Nemesis is located at Lonsdale Quay, the fun and busy ferry port and shopping area along the harbor. There’s unlimited outdoor seating just steps from the coffee shop with incredible views of Vancouver harbor. Find a bench and watch cargo ships sail by, seaplanes land, and the Seabus ferry work its way across the busy port. If you’re lucky, you might spot a seal swimming by.
TIM HORTON’S
1590 Lonsdale Avenue, North Vancouver, BC
https://www.timhortons.ca
I know, I know, Tim’s will never get the Matty Macchiato *Asterisk of Quality (that’s the coveted *asterisk of quality – ed.), but hear me out….
Coffee: crappy, chain coffee that is better than Dunkin’ Donuts and exactly what you want on a car trip, a rainy morning when your adult kids are visiting and you want to surprise them with donuts, or you are just feeling extra Canadian. If you want to “pass” as Canadian, order the “double, double” i.e., double cream, double sugar. It’s way too sweet for me, but is the classic and most beloved version of Tim’s coffee.
Ambiance: Chain coffee shop look, but chummy, neighborly vibe because it is always hopping with friendly Canadians who cannot get enough Timmy’s in their lives.
Food: I’ve tried most of the donuts on offer and the sour cream donut and the cruller are the winners. The sour cream has a nice crispy glaze and a creamy, mildly vanilla-flavored center. The cruller is sweet, chewy and crunchy with lots of air pockets. I’ve spent a lot of money on donuts in this town and, hand to God, these two rank near the top of my list. Tim’s also makes solid breakfast sandwiches.
Location: In the heart of Lonsdale and sprinkled generously throughout Canada from coast to coast.
Now, we drive up the gorgeous Sea-to-Sky Highway towards Whistler for about 35 minutes to reach a roadside coffee shop that cannot be missed.
OUTBOUND STATION
27400 Sea-to-Sky Highway, Britannia Beach, BC
https://outboundstation.com/
Coffee: Here is where I depart from cappuccino so that I can order the coffee/croiffle special – a cup of drip coffee and a croiffle, the perfect mid-morning-I’m gonna-hike-so-I-need-extra-calories snack. The coffee is balanced, rich and always freshly brewed.
Ambiance: A modern cargo container, converted into a sleek, Scandinavian-looking shop with huge windows looking out at the mountains and the Howe Sound. The seating is all outdoor picnic tables.
Food: It’s all about the croiffle – croissant dough poured into a waffle iron and cooked up crispy and chewy, then sprinkled with powdered sugar. All I can say is, “what took them so long to come up with this little delight?”
Location: Perfectly situated on the only road that goes from Vancouver to Whistler-Blackcomb, North America’s largest ski resort. Located just south of Squamish, a famous rock-climbing mecca and my favorite hiking spot in the region. The outdoor seating features a classic British Columbia view of sky, snow-capped mountains, and blue water. Once you’ve reached OS, you are just at the beginning of your mountain adventure and it is the very best way to start the day.
The North Shore has too many good coffee shops to review and it pains me to leave any of them out, so here’s a few more that should not be missed (in order of preference):
- 49th Parallel Café & Lucky’s Doughnuts
- Andrews on Eighth
- Caffe Artigiano
- Isetta Café Bistro (West Vancouver)
- Lovelarte
- United Strangers Coffee
Cruffins & croiffles & donuts, oh my! Thanks Rachel! Terrific post. I’m insanely jealous of your stay in Vancouver, and sorry I wasn’t able to get out while you were there.
I concur. Take me back to Outbound Station.