I have been here in Kits now for about a year. It is, in my humblest opinion, the best of all neighborhoods in Vancouver. Everything you may want is here, within walking distance even. Except for one thing.
A really good cup of coffee.
Now, yes I am aware that there is a Starbucks within sight of another Starbucks all over the place. They serve a good, consistent cup with no surprises. And they support more musicians, artists and "activists" than all the Canada Council grants put together. But I would rather feed a family than a corporation these days.
I’ve tried Viva, and although there is an intriguing mystery involving dogs, disgruntled customers, and possibly a zeppelin, I find their coffee somehow lacking. Probably the best sandwiches around though, but that is another post. Wait for it.
The only solution I have found has been Caffe Artigiano, which has no Kits location. Yet. Seriously the best cup I have ever had. And I have had a lot of coffee.
So if the good people of Caffe Artigiano are reading this, please bring a store to Kits, preferably near my house, and save me the trip into Kerrisdale or (gasp) Downtown.
PS, this is West Broadway at Christmas, taken on my phone. Its nice.
Last modified: December 9, 2008
Rich, I’d encourage you to drop by the MacFourth neighbourhood. (It’s what they’re calling the area around Fourth Avenue and Macdonald.) There are a few coffee places I like on Fourth, but I’ll just mention two: Saffron (at Macdonald) and, a block away (at Bayswater), the ambitiously-named Vancouver’s Best Coffee. I’d love to know what you think.
Elysian Room, 5th and Burrard. End of discussion.
I’ll second Saffron (great lunches, breakfasts and treats, too). VBC is my local. A few blocks east (4th and Stephens or so) is Wired Monk, which has good coffee and snacks and, quite often, live entertainment. We don’t lack of good coffee in the MacFourth area.
Do you mean drip coffee or espresso? The baristas of Cuppa Joe at 4th & Alma make excellent espresso drinks. The brewed coffee is average.
um, you guys outta try Kava at 2813 West Broadway, on the North side of the street, just due West of Macdonald. They’re an Artigiano java contender for sure!
Elysian Room – awesome coffee, fabulous baristas.
1778 West 5th
http://www.elysianroom.com/
Jitters on 4th!
Vancouver’s best is pretty good for local coffee in Kits. As for supporting corporations, I think Macdonalds is way better than starbucks, and probably the best value coffee in the city. But yeah, it’s Macdonalds and no true yuppie would be caught going in there :P.
I would *move* to Kits just to be closer to it’s cafes, namely Wicked and Elysium Room – okay, well maybe that’s a bit of an exageration as I’m not sure that I could tolerate other aspects of Kits, but there’s definately several good coffee shops around.
And FYI, Artigiano is now owned by Earl’s and many of the people who made it good (because a good espresso generally takes more work than just pressing a button on a super-automatic, a la Starbucks) quit. But I digress…
You certainly know how to elicit comments from your readers – keep it up.
BTW: Coco et Olive on West Broadway – can’t beat it.
How could I forget the Wired Monk! And thanks, Viola, for the Artigiano/Earl’s connection infobit. I had no idea that they were owned by Earl’s. . .