Five Of My Favourite Vancouver Coffee Shops

Trying out new coffee shops is a hobby of mine - of ours - my partner and I regularly try out new places, and almost every weekend we meet up with friends to try out a new coffee shop. So we've seen a lot of them in Vancouver and yet I feel like new ones are always popping up on my list. ;)

Today I want to share four of my favourites coffee shops that we visit regularly and one that I call an absolute hidden gem and insider tip. I'm curious to know what you think of them and whether you already know them all.

L’Atelier

L’Atelier used to be a little hole in the wall and during the pandemic we went there often as we tried to support local businesses as much as possible.

A touch of France, beautiful interior and crispy croissants.

I guess we were not the only one who discovered that hidden gem over the past year because today they have a beautiful location on Broadway and Fraser that invites you to sit down and enjoy one of their pastries in-house.

Small Victory

This is one of our oldest favourites. We used to go to the Small Victory in Downtown regularly. Today, we live a few blocks from the Granville branch and love to to there with our dog to grab a croissant (you can tell is'a a favourite), a coffee and sometimes some cookies or bread to go.

They have a few tables outside and it’s such a dog and child-friendly neighbourhood, perfect for sitting down and enjoying your coffee while watching the action of the street.

If you don’t believe me, trust Seth Rogan, apparently he likes this place as well. :)

To Live For Bakery

While I’m not vegan, I can heartily recommend To Live For Bakery, owned by Erin Ireland. She has long been an advocate of vegan food and opened her own coffee shop last year. I tried a few coffees, pastries and snacks and to be honest, I couldn’t tell the difference between them and non-vegan food. Apart from that, the store is very nicely decorated.

49th Parallel

It's probably no secret, but 49th Parallel Coffee is a must-visit when in Vancouver. We call it the tried and true, and we go there regularly. They have very strong coffee and the best donuts. I'm not a donut girl, so I ALWAYS go for the vegan lemon loaf (Erin Ireland's recipe) with shredded coconut on top, and it's so good. But I have tried their donuts and they are really delicious. The location on 4th is also very social and a great place to meet friends or observe the busy neighbourhood. The location in Downtown is more of a business location, people take their coffee and go to the office.

Isetta Coffee

Last but not least, this is an absolute hidden gem that I'm sharing with you today. We don't go there often, because it's so far away from where we live, but it's such a special coffee shop. Nestled between the ocean and the mountains, this West Vancouver coffee shop has a cozy interior, offers great coffee and food, has cute mugs and a collection of vintage cars outside. It's a place where many cyclists and motorcyclists make a stop, so the atmosphere is very laid back. If you're ever in the area or on the way to or from Whistler, stop in, you won't regret it.

---

And that's it for today. I can assure you that this won't be my last list of favorite cafés in Vancouver. This month's blog is all about coffee, so there will be more coffee-related posts. The next topics: The sustainability of to-go cups, a book post about a coffee shop in Japan, and maybe a few international favorites from me. Stay tuned!