Refuel at these Gastown coffee shops
The fashion designers, restaurant and bar staff, locals out for a day of shopping and sightseeing tourists alike all need a place to get their quick caffeine fix or to rest their weary legs after being on their feet all day. Gorgeous Gastown cafés to the rescue.
Revolver Coffee
325 Cambie St, Vancouver, BC V6B 2N4Spearheading Vancouver’s pour-over trend, this café lives up to its name with a revolving door of various roasts each week. Tested by the baristas, they only take on what they love and customers reap the benefits. Care and attention is paid to each perfectly brewed cup, which is best savoured in their lovely café with a house-made cookie. Check out their Canada flag made of hammered nails and their fascinating collection of brewing equipment for sale as you leave.
Timbertrain Coffee Roasters Ltd
311 Cordova St W, Vancouver, BC V6B 1E5A newer kid on the Gastown block, this is an impeccably designed café with an eye for the details, especially when it comes to your coffee. Prepared at their “slow bar,” your cup is brewed with precise technique with beans from their Langley roasting facility. Appreciate the dedication these folks have for every coffee they make and have yours at the bar or one of their tables that subtly reference a train car. There’s no rush, so stay awhile.
The Coffee Bar
10 Water St, Vancouver, BC V6B 1A4Encouraging the strong connection between café culture and the arts, Coffeebar showcases revolving artwork and installations as well as hosting musical performances and readings. They serve coffee from local roaster 49th Parallel and make most of their treats and lunch offerings in-house. The seating provides interesting views into gorgeously renovated Gaoler’s Mews or out onto active Water Street. A great meeting place and event space.
Nelson The Seagull
315 Carrall St, Vancouver, BC V6B 2J4This minimalist, bohemian café with a Scandinavian vibe is a great place for a small, healthy lunch or an afternoon indulgence of a croissant and a flat white. Take in the antique-store artwork, the vintage card catalogue and the pleasant yeasty aroma of freshly baked bread from their open kitchen. Also, pay it forward by offering to buy the next person’s coffee — an altruistic program that they’re happy to facilitate in a neighbourhood where not everyone can afford a $3 Americano.
Milano Boutique Coffee Roasters
36 Powell St, Vancouver, BC V6A 1E7Settle into a cozy afternoon at this Powell Street café with your book or your laptop and a cup of expertly blended espresso by roaster Brian Turko. Banana bread from It’s To Die For and other tasty treats will see you through an epic reading or writing session. The dark, cool atmosphere of wood and concrete is nicely punctuated by large-scale light-box photographs and a chill soundtrack.
East Van Roasters
319 Carrall St, Vancouver, BC V6B 2J4You’ll want to stop into this tiny Gastown café and roaster for both its coffee and its handmade chocolate treats. The confection is made in the window-fronted kitchen to entertain the line-up that’s sure to form. If you can find a seat inside, do so for a pleasant stay over good strong coffee, or take it to go and plunk yourself on the bench outside where you can discuss single origins and pour-over techniques with the legions of coffee nerds nearby.
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