The 5 Best Coffee Shops in Vancouver [2024]

Coffee is enjoyed by people all around the world. In the Great White North alone, it is estimated that around 25.3 million people consume coffee at least once a day.

The story in Vancouver is no different, with hundreds of coffee shops spread all throughout the area. If you’re looking for a place to get your daily caffeine fix, we’ve got you covered with a handpicked list of the best coffee shops in Vancouver.

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How much does coffee cost in Vancouver?

There’s no end to the number of drinks one can make using freshly brewed coffee. Because of this, the cost of coffee can vary wildly depending on what type of drink you order as well as where you order it from.

Analysts from Square place the average cost of coffee at $3.66 per cup. But, to provide a wider cost estimate, we’ve taken the liberty of making a table with menu prices for some of our entries.

Coffee Shop	Menu Prices
Revolver (FULL MENU)	Espresso – $3.00 Macchiato – $3.25 Cappuccino – $4.00 Latte – $4.50 Tea – $3.50 Tasting flight – $12.00 Brew flight – $12.00 Coffee – (Price Changes Daily)
49th Parallel Café & Lucky’s Doughnuts (FULL MENU)	Coffee and a doughnut $5.00 Filter coffee: Small – $2.25 Medium – $2.50 Large – $2.75 Espresso $3.00 Americano $3.25 Macchiato $3.25 Piccolo $3.50 Cappuccino $3.75
Breka Bakery & Café (FULL MENU)	Americano: S – $2.50, M – $3.00, L – $3.50 Americano Misto: S – $3.25, M – $3.75, L – $4.25 Flat White $3.25 Latte: S – $3.75, M – $4.25, L – $4.75 Cappuccino: S – $3.75, M – $4.25, L – $4.75 Caramel Macchiato: S – $4.00, M – $4.50, L – $5.00 Mocha (dark or White): – S – $4.25, M – $4.75, L – $5.25 Hedgehog Mocha: – S – $4.25, M – $4.75, L – $5.25 Black Forest Mocha: – S – $4.25, M – $4.75, L – $5.25 Salted Caramel Mocha: – S – $4.25, M – $4.75, L – $5.25 White Choc. Peppermint Mocha: – S – $4.25, M – $4.75, L – $5.25 White Choc. Raspberry Mocha: – S – $4.25, M – $4.75, L – $5.25
JJ Bean Coffee Roasters (FULL MENU)	Coffee: S – $2.55, M – $2.80, L – $3.10 Espresso $3.35 Macciato $3.85 Cortado $4.10 Cappuccino $4.10 Americano: S – $3.35, M – $3.85, L – $4.10 Latte: S – $4.10, M – $4.60, L – $5.15 Mocha: S – $4.85, M – $5.40, L – $5.90 Cold Brew: M – $3.35, L – $4.10 Iced Americano: M – $3.35, L – $4.10 Iced Latte: M – $4.60, L – $5.65 Iced Mocha: M – $5.40, L – $6.15
Small Victory Bakery (FULL MENU)	Espresso $2.75 Espresso Machiato $3.25 Cortado $3.50 Cappuccino $3.50 Latte: S – $3.75, M – $4.25 Americano $3.25 Mocha: S – $4.75, M – $5.75 Hot Chocolate: S – $4.00, M – $5.25 Drip $2.50

If you’d care to place an order right away, we’ve linked each coffee shop’s menu to make things easier. Keep in mind, when it comes to coffee, you often get what you pay for so the cheapest option isn’t always the best.

That said, there are plenty of affordable coffee shops on this list that can provide a delicious fix without breaking the bank.

The Best Coffee Shops in Vancouver

With basic costs covered, it’s time to familiarize you with some of Vancity’s top shops for caffeinated brews. To maintain a level of quality, each of our entries has been screened according to the following criteria:

Coffee quality – To make sure you’re getting the best that the city has to offer, we’ve examined the beans used by each of the shops on our list.
Menu size – Along with quality, the shops on our list also have quantity in terms of the types of brews they offer.
Aesthetics/Experience – As an extra bonus, we’ve done our best to pick out places that stand out from the crowd, either through the shop’s design or the experiences they provide.

Now that you’re familiar with how we built this list, it’s time to meet the best coffee shops in Vancouver

1. Revolver Coffee

SERVICES	Coffee Cold-brew Homebrew Merchandise Books
WEBSITE	www.revolvercoffee.ca
ADDRESS	325 Cambie St, Vancouver, BC V6B 2N4, Canada
CONTACT DETAILS	Phone number: (604) 558 – 4444 Email: [email protected]
OPERATING HOURS	Monday: 8 am – 4 pm Tuesday: 8 am – 4 pm Wednesday: 8 am – 4 pm Thursday: 8 am – 4 pm Friday: 8 am – 4 pm Saturday: 8 am – 4 pm Sunday: closed

Much like the pistols that adorned the hips of western gunslingers, Revolver Coffee is all about rotation. That is, this shop mixes up the standard coffee experience by rotating its coffee beans daily.

To maintain a high level of quality and spontaneity with every selection, the owners of Revolver subject themselves to blind tastings every week. This lets them experience the brews without any form of bias or favoritism affecting their judgment.

Since they cycle coffee out every day you never really know what kind of coffee you’ll get from Revolver. On a Monday, you might enjoy a Nicaraguan espresso with caramel notes… and on a Friday, you could be sipping on an espresso made with beans from Honduras.

If you’re a real coffee lover, you can even opt for a tasting flight or a brew flight. The former refers to three different coffees served in your preferred brewing method while the latter refers to one type of coffee brewed in three different styles.

The icing on the cake for this shop is the in-your-face layout of the interior. As soon as you walk in, you’re greeted by booths on one side and a 20-foot long countertop on the other where you can watch your coffee go from the grinder all the way to a cup in a skilled barista’s hands.

Pros

Uses different types of beans in a revolving scheme
Unique shop layout
Great for trying out different types of coffee

Cons

Tasting flights and brew flights are expensive
Often packed on weekdays

Customer Reviews

Good coffee. Lovely spot.

“Good coffee. Lovely spot. I love the retro lamps above the booths. They have pastries and coffee and you could also get their carbonated cold brew in six packs. One thing I don’t like is that the music is a bit too loud. Making it harder to have good conversations when sitting inside.” – Sam K.

It was a very interesting experience to taste different types of espresso…

“We tried the flight at Revolver today. It was a very interesting experience to taste different types of espresso and the macchiato. I tried the cappuccino, well balanced amount of milk and espresso.” – Steli S.

2. 49th Parallel Café & Lucky’s Doughnuts

SERVICES	Espresso Decaf Tea Merchandises Brewing Donuts
WEBSITE	www.49thcafe.com
ADDRESS	2902 Main St, Vancouver, BC V5T 3G3, Canada
CONTACT DETAILS	Phone number: (604) 872 – 4901 Toll-free number: (877) 773 – 4900
OPERATING HOURS	Monday: 7 am – 7 pm Tuesday: 7 am – 7 pm Wednesday: 7 am – 7 pm Thursday: 7 am – 7 pm Friday: 7 am – 7 pm Saturday: 7 am – 7 pm Sunday: 7 am – 7 pm

This isn’t the first time Lucky’s Doughnuts has found its way onto one of our lists. But this time, we’ve chosen to focus exclusively on its partner store 49th Parallel and its excellent caffeinated brews.

As a micro-roaster, 49th Parallel actively sources and roasts coffee beans in made-to-order quantities. Some of their products are packaged and shipped online while the rest of their roasted batches go directly to their physical cafes.

These folks only source and roast enough beans to meet daily demands, and from what we’ve seen, it’s not too often that they have beans left over at the end of the day.

Overall, 49th Parallel sources beans from 7 different countries, including Brazil, Ethiopia, and Peru, to name a few.

Though their brews only come in straight espressos or filtered grounds, the option to have the drinks iced makes things easier for novice coffee drinkers. Also, if you’re passing by, the doughnuts are an absolute must try, especially since they come in vegan and standard recipes.

In terms of aesthetics, 49th Parallel scores full points for embracing the small-town corner store design reminiscent of most Main Street buildings. And with a long patio out front, the cafe also makes for an excellent venue to relax and take in the fresh Vancouver air.

Pros

Imports coffee from 7 countries
Focuses on espressos and filter coffee
Serves delicious doughnuts

Cons

Limited coffee selection
Extremely busy during mornings

Customer Reviews

Honestly the best coffee I’ve ever had, ever

“Have you tried their coffee?! Honestly the best coffee I’ve ever had, ever. Specifically their lattes Also the donuts are GREAT, especially the vegan ones.. i had a non vegan as well, the vegan was better, so moist. Staff were super friendly and nice. They also have a cute lil patio as well as inside dining (not with Covid) This was my first time here but i know I’ll be back” – Liz A.

Very friendly staff and superb service

“Very friendly staff and superb service. Nice patio outside to chill and enjoy your coffee” – Tapan S.

3. Breka Bakery & Café

SERVICES	Tea Coffee Cakes Pastries Bread
WEBSITE	www.breka.ca
ADDRESS	855 Davie St, Vancouver, BC V6Z 1B7, Canada
CONTACT DETAILS	Phone number: (604) 559-0900
OPERATING HOURS	Open 24 hours

Breka is yet another excellent coffee shop situated along Vancouver’s Main Street. As a combination bakery and cafe, these folks offer a long list of both pastries and caffeinated beverages.

In particular, this shop likes to focus on crafting different types of mocha, each with its own flavors. Some of their mocha flavors include black forest, salted caramel, white chocolate peppermint, and white chocolate raspberry.

For those who are unfamiliar with it, a mocha is basically an espresso-based drink made with chocolate and milk. These drinks are great for people who want the high caffeine delivered by espressos without any of the overpowering flavors.

At first glance, Breka looks like any other bakery with an inviting glass-lined storefront. But, once you step inside, you realize just how wide the store actually is, with a pastry-filled display case stretching from the entrance all the way to the rear of the shop.

With everything from cookies and cakes to croissants and cinnamon buns, you’d be hard-pressed not to find at least one decent pairing with your coffee. To top things off, the store is open 24/7, meaning you can get your fill of coffee and pastries whenever you see fit.

Pros

Open 24/7
Extremely wide selection of pastries
Specializes in Mochas

Cons

No indoor seating
Not ideal for dark coffee drinkers

Customer Reviews

The artichoke pocket and lavender latte are definitely my favourite items and cannot recommend them enough

“Absolutely love Breka! The artichoke pocket and lavender latte are definitely my favourite items and cannot recommend them enough. It’s also open 24/7 which is really nice.” – Elisa K.

“Amazing coffee, great ambience. A lot of cute and tasty looking desserts

“Amazing coffee, great ambience. A lot of cute and tasty looking desserts.

The best part is its open 24 ×7.” – Jena C.

4. JJ Bean Coffee Roasters

SERVICES	Coffee Espressos Iced drinks Tea Pastries
WEBSITE	https://jjbeancoffee.com/
ADDRESS	2206 Commercial Dr, Vancouver, BC V5N 4B5, Canada
CONTACT DETAILS	Phone number: (604) 254-3723 Email: [email protected]
OPERATING HOURS	Monday: 6 am – 8 pm Tuesday: 6 am – 8 pm Wednesday: 6 am – 8 pm Thursday: 6 am – 8 pm Friday: 6 am – 8 pm Saturday: 6 am – 8 pm Sunday: 6 am – 8 pm

Though they are a commercial chain, JJ Bean maintains a serious level of quality in all of their coffee products. The company manages this by sourcing only certified beans from various parts of the world, such as Latin America, Africa and Asia.

But what’s in a certification? Well, for starters a certified coffee is one that is grown without the use of pesticides or chemicals.

Along with this, certified coffee is also priced according to its quality, meaning farmers and gatherers are compensated properly for their work.

Last but not least, certified coffee is grown and harvested under the watchful eye of a quality control team. These measures ensure that only the finest raw beans are used in JJ Bean’s coffee.

Among the shop’s many locations, we’ve chosen to focus on their commercial drive branch. This is because all of JJ Bean’s raw coffee is sample-roasted and brewed at this particular place, making it smell like a coffee lover’s dream.

Patrons can also watch the entire process since the shop’s roasters are situated right in the heart of the cafe area. On the whole, despite being more commercialized than other coffee shops, JJ bean still offers high-quality brews thanks to its use of fully-certified beans.

Pros

Multiple branches
Uses fully-certified coffee beans
Roasts coffee on-site

Cons

Internet not available
No plugs for device charging

Customer Reviews

The overall ambience is also really relaxed and pleasant

“So the decorations and food are great. The overall ambience is also really relaxed and pleasant. However, there is unfortunately no wifi or places to plug in your electronics if you want to stay here a bit and work.” – Kyla T.

Great selection of single origin coffees…

“My favorite coffee place in Vancouver with several locations. Great selection of single origin coffees as well as some excellent blends including my favorite, Eastside Blend. Buy one 340 gr. Bag of beans and get a free coffee. Very nice baked goods, friendly staff and great vibe.” – Frank H.

5. Small Victory Bakery

SERVICES	Pastries Cakes Coffee Brunch Lunch Desserts Bread Tea
WEBSITE	www.smallvictory.ca
ADDRESS	1088 Homer St, Vancouver, BC V6B 2W9, Canada
CONTACT DETAILS	Phone number: (604) 899 – 8892 Email: [email protected]
OPERATING HOURS	Monday: 8 am – 3 pm Tuesday: 8 am – 3 pm Wednesday: 8 am – 3 pm Thursday: 8 am – 3 pm Friday: 8 am – 3 pm Saturday: 8 am – 4 pm Sunday: 8 am – 4 pm

We like to think that Small Victory is what you’d get if a modern fine dining establishment combined with a corner coffee shop. In terms of aesthetics, the place is clean and sharp, with high ceilings and marble lining just about every surface.

Whatever isn’t made of marble is either organic wood or pastel in color, giving the entire shop a calm, sophisticated aura. This pairs nicely with their offerings and it also coincides with how Small Victory approaches coffee.

To these folks, coffee is an experience and it should be treated with the utmost reverence. By using the latest brewing technology, this shop is able to introduce patrons to brewing methods that they don’t have access to at home.

One example of this is the shop’s custom water filtration system, which demineralizes and remineralizes water to the perfect coffee-brewing ratio. This is important because the minerals in your water can affect the hardness or softness of your coffee’s taste.

Though this shop doesn’t roast its own coffee, it does source beans from notable local roasters like Luna, and Campos. This helps the shop procure top-shelf beans to go with their state-of-the-art brewing equipment.

Pros

High-quality brewing equipment
Beautiful interior aesthetics
Offers bar seats and booths for patrons

Cons

Coffee can be a bit pricey
Closes relatively early

Customer Reviews

They tasted amazing and so perfect with coffee

“I ordered a coffee, almond croissant and a scone to go. They tasted amazing and so perfect with coffee. Service was good and I can’t wait to try other pastries or desserts!” – Ralph K.

Really nice interior, fancy pastries and good quality coffee

“Really nice interior, fancy pastries and good quality coffee. A little pricey but that’s standard for these kinds of bakeries/cafes. The cookies are delicious!” – Taylor M.

FAQs About Coffee

What are the basic forms of coffee?

The basic forms of coffee are as follows:

Espresso – The espresso is the basis for almost every coffee drink ever made. It consists of a pure shot of coffee without any additives whatsoever.

Cappuccino – The cappuccino is best known by its iconic head of thick foam. It’s made by adding steamed milk to espresso and then topping that with foam.

Mocha – The mocha is essentially a cappuccino with the welcomed addition of chocolate. This gives it a creamy flavor that helps the espresso go down easier.

Latte – Lattes are made by combining a single shot of espresso with a generous serving of steamed milk. They can also be topped with foam and syrup to make the drink sweeter.

Macchiato – A macchiato or “mark” as it’s literally translated is made by adding a single dash of steamed milk to an espresso, giving it a white stain on top.

Americano – The americano is made by adding 2 or 3 shots of water to a single shot of espresso. This waters down the coffee and makes it more palatable and plentiful.

What is the best type of coffee for a beginner?

Since new coffee drinkers can be put off by a strong, concentrated shot of espresso, the best option would be a latte. Lattes are easy to drink because of the amount of milk they have, while still providing a prominent coffee taste.

Can I drink coffee every day?

Yes, experts say that consuming four 8 ounce cups of coffee is perfectly safe. Going beyond this limit can cause problems such as bloating, sleeplessness, tremors, and an irregular heartbeat.

Why does my stomach ache when I drink coffee?

Some people experience serious stomach problems when drinking coffee. This is usually due to the fact that their bodies are not used to the amount of caffeine being consumed.

To remedy this issue, experts recommend eating a sizeable meal before coffee and opting for a less acidic brew. It’s worth noting that some people often mistake caffeine acidity for lactose intolerance due to the dairy in their drink.

You’ve now reached the end of our list of the top coffee shops in Vancouver. We hope you’ve found a new go-to spot or a prospective cafe to try during your morning rounds.

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The 5 Best Coffee Shops in Vancouver

The 5 Best Coffee Shops in Vancouver

How much does coffee cost in Vancouver?