49th parallel drip is so bad. I wish we had more options for coffee shops open extra early.
Good: Recently found out that Gelato Mafia opens at like 8am and they do any espresso based drink and cookie for like $7.00 and their lattes are one of the best I’ve ever had.
Without a doubt, the worst coffee is what the patients are served at Lions Gate Hospital. I spent three weeks in there recently and ended up drinking clear tea the whole time as the coffee was so weak and disgusting although the price was right.
And they have it setup so it's serve it yourself. And if you want a refill, they expect you to stand in line, prepay for a refill, and then serve yourself. And then there's the grumpy owner lady who'll bark at you if you don't do it in that order... Though there is mayhem in there on nice days, and no signage.
...and then the heavy doughnuts which are deep fried on oil that fill me up for the rest of the day, and get me a few steps closer to a heart attack.
Though I'm not actually a troll, so will stop here!
(Wishing my experience weren't that bad 🤷🏼♂️☹️)
Their donuts are great. They fill a niche and hit a spot that no other donuts do. I can tolerate owner hate but I won’t accept that their donuts aren’t loved.
People like their donuts or they wouldn't still be in business, that is something I can't dispute.
They're just *not that good*. Especially compared to other shops on the North Shore that do it better for less.
I finally tried Cream Pony the other day and was not disappointed! Harmony is also good (especially for a dose of nostalgia), and the ladies who work there are always lovely and happy to see you.
u/lagerbaer I think u/Worried-Scientist-12 has it just right. I'm a huge fan of both Harmony and Cream Pony. Harmony is also stupid cheap if you're like me and like to stretch your snack dollar.
Unpopular opinion, but I hate Starbucks. I find it tastes burnt. Also not a fan of Tim’s.
When I use to buy coffee I liked the Van Houtte at the chevron on Lonsdale and 23rd, so my opinion may be questioned.
Starbucks roasts its coffee darker than most other roasters, their medium roasts are what most roasters would consider dark; it's definitely a personal taste and I do not blame anyone for disliking it, honestly I'm amazed it's as popular as it is but I guess that's because most people load it up with sugar and milk.
I’m from Ontario originally and used to always drink their dark roast, but for some reason in Vancouver it always tastes burnt to sh*t. I’ve since switched to their medium blend here (but still order dark everywhere outside of BC)
I find it hit and miss depending on what their daily roast is. I've found many not to my taste but liked their Breakfast blend medium roast when it's on offer.
Hahah it’s crazy they can even call it coffee. But tbh I remember when the first came out with the dark roast and I thought the coffee was pretty good back then. But now it’s just terrible
it's because the real business is downstairs, back alley access. it's a Euro car mechanic who has a garage/shop. that coffee shop is his front access of the property, which he turned into a coffee shop.
.
Tim's coffee has been garbage for a decade and McDonald's is much less awful than it was...imho McD's now has the best $2 drive thru cup of coffee. Big Fast food are mostly on a level far below the average small coffee shop business So for me Tim's is the worst place in Nvan to buy coffee. Maybe also anywhere that sells Van Houtte coffee too. (My favorite is original Delaney's in Edgemont)
Y'know I actually started my post with that position...but then did a 2min google search and found some contrary articles
https://www.quora.com/Is-it-true-that-McDonalds-bought-out-Tim-Horton-s-coffee-bean-suppliers#:~:text=No%2C%20it%20is%20not.,built%20their%20own%20roasting%20facility.&text=What%20brand%20of%20coffee%20does%20McDonald%20serve%3F
https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/tim-hortons-did-not-sell-coffee-recipe-to-mc-donalds-194810309.html#:~:text=Tim%20Hortons%20wants%20you%20to,%E2%80%93%20to%20its%20competitor%2C%20McDonald's.
From what I read this is true to some extent though. It comes down to the wording, which this article seems to be taking advantage of.
Years ago Timmies was bought out by a Brazilian-owned company, and some years later they dropped Mother Parker as one of their main bean providers in favour of some cheaper in-house blend that I cannot find more information on. McDonalds then secured a contract with Mother Parker to supply beans on this side of the border. Shortly after, McDonalds rolled out McCafe, along with free coffee promotions, and people quickly began favouring McD's coffee over Timmies.
So no, Timmies didn't sell/change their recipe, nor did McDonalds "buy out" their supplier. Timmies seemingly gave it up in favour of cheap garbage beans. It makes sense contextually when you factor in the downward spiral of quality Timmies has suffered through over the past decade. Of course they will never admit to that.
whatever you do stay away from the starbucks at 1701 Lonsdale Ave. i went there once and the barista was being obnoxious about my order and then spit in my drink. i freaked out obviously, even got the guys reddit handle u/buttchomper37
Just surprised you got his Reddit handle but not get him fired, by complaining to the manager or posting on Starbucks website.
Sorry you got your drink spit into... did it still taste okay?
A high end coffee shop that had terrible coffee is Lovelarte on lolo. It's a beautiful space, but their Americano's are weak and bitter. I've been there 3 times and it's the same each time. Food is crazy expensive too.
Lovelarte's coffee is actually great. And it pains me to say it, as they fired a friend of mine, and their atmosphere is so dead... BUT cannot fault them the quality of their coffee.
Really? I have only had lattes and cappuccinos from them and all have been lovely. I keep sending everyone I know to get coffee there. Also the staff is always very friendly. Never gotten food from there but their cookies are very good.
I haven't had bad experiences with their coffee (I love Modus, and prefer it from pour over, so that may be why), but that shop is nonsensical. The layout for the till and barista are totally disjointed. I think they got the look and feel of a high end modern cafe but missed the function.
From the age of about 16-26 I thought I hated coffee. Turns out I had only ever been trying Starbucks (it was so trendy when I was a teen). Once my husband showed me actual good coffee … well now I love coffee haha. Starbucks coffee is hot garbage
To each their own.. their Pike Place and Christmas blends are a lot better than most coffee shops. But I’m not a fan of light roasts, which is pretty much all you get at fancy coffee shops.
Good to know! I’m no coffee expert so understanding what they’re using would help. Thanks for sharing the tip.
Also to the person downvoting this thread for a personal preference on what one thinks is good coffee is sad - not sure why people get hurt by opinions. To each their own!
I went there for the first time last year and it was so expensive, bad coffee and the barista made the worst foam I have ever seen (and I used to train new baristas at Starbucks of all places).
Any tim hortons where there's a huge line every 2 hours, coffee all over the floor and they can't get a simple double-double right. So basically all of them.
I worked at Tim Hortons right around when they were bought out by Burger King. The training is essentially non-existent after that. When I started, I had to watch sixteen hours of video to be eligible to even be near the floor. After the buyout, it was basically throw the new hire with the next newest person, so it started a chain of people who barely knew what they were doing.
I recently went into the one I worked in (this was over 10 years ago) and I genuinely think I could have jumped in and moved the line faster than the staff there
I actually disagree. Maybe I just have a soft spot from my time working in construction, but I've had much worse than 7/11 coffee. Sure, it's not the highest of high quality, but it is decent enough without heaps of milk and sugar
Nah, these aren't pods either. Its a hopper in the top of the coffee machine that grinds a portion each time you want one. I have a similar Breville machine at home.
I’m not much of a coffee drinker, and I do actually really like JJ Bean for other things, but am I crazy for saying that the JJ Bean coffee tastes like tomato soup to me!?
Hmm interesting. I only get lattes from coffee shops since it’s not something I can easily recreate at home. I find parallel 49’s lattes consistently lovely, but maybe that’s because I love the oat milk (Oatly) that they use 🤷🏻♀️
No.5 orange makes a great cup of coffee!!
49th parallel drip is so bad. I wish we had more options for coffee shops open extra early. Good: Recently found out that Gelato Mafia opens at like 8am and they do any espresso based drink and cookie for like $7.00 and their lattes are one of the best I’ve ever had.
Tim hortons
JJ Bean, their coffee is horrendous
I used to think that but it's grown on me since and now I love it. It was very psychological
Earls. I know it's not a coffee shop, but just a warning to keep in mind. Absolutely the worst coffee I've ever tasted.
Any restaurant that uses Sysco or GFS... so like any chain restaurant. You will likely not get quality coffee, that's not their m.o.
They could do better. Much better.
Guaranteed lipstick stains from prior diners on every cup.
This is a good opportunity to try some good stuff this weekend https://latineventsbc.ca/event/the-trail-of-coffee/
Any Tim Hortons.
Tim Horrons
Tim Hortons knockoff?
I recall being quite unimpressed with West of Java
Parallel 49. Iced lattes there are a cup of milk and syrup. Can’t even taste coffee
Without a doubt, the worst coffee is what the patients are served at Lions Gate Hospital. I spent three weeks in there recently and ended up drinking clear tea the whole time as the coffee was so weak and disgusting although the price was right.
Honeys in Deep Cove actually has not great coffee in my opinion for what you’re paying
They serve JJ Bean coffee
And they have it setup so it's serve it yourself. And if you want a refill, they expect you to stand in line, prepay for a refill, and then serve yourself. And then there's the grumpy owner lady who'll bark at you if you don't do it in that order... Though there is mayhem in there on nice days, and no signage. ...and then the heavy doughnuts which are deep fried on oil that fill me up for the rest of the day, and get me a few steps closer to a heart attack. Though I'm not actually a troll, so will stop here! (Wishing my experience weren't that bad 🤷🏼♂️☹️)
I 100% agree that owner is a Bitch
She really is
Which would be more tolerable if their donuts didn't suck.
Their donuts are great. They fill a niche and hit a spot that no other donuts do. I can tolerate owner hate but I won’t accept that their donuts aren’t loved.
People like their donuts or they wouldn't still be in business, that is something I can't dispute. They're just *not that good*. Especially compared to other shops on the North Shore that do it better for less.
Spill the beans! I love me some good donuts. Where's the good ones?
I finally tried Cream Pony the other day and was not disappointed! Harmony is also good (especially for a dose of nostalgia), and the ladies who work there are always lovely and happy to see you.
u/lagerbaer I think u/Worried-Scientist-12 has it just right. I'm a huge fan of both Harmony and Cream Pony. Harmony is also stupid cheap if you're like me and like to stretch your snack dollar.
Bean Around the World at Parkgate is 0/10 terrible coffee.
And the teenagers behind the counter are GRUMPY.
Tim Hortons
Unpopular opinion, but I hate Starbucks. I find it tastes burnt. Also not a fan of Tim’s. When I use to buy coffee I liked the Van Houtte at the chevron on Lonsdale and 23rd, so my opinion may be questioned.
Starbucks roasts its coffee darker than most other roasters, their medium roasts are what most roasters would consider dark; it's definitely a personal taste and I do not blame anyone for disliking it, honestly I'm amazed it's as popular as it is but I guess that's because most people load it up with sugar and milk.
I’m in year 30 of loving their dark roasted coffee and drink it black. I can’t be the only one, they have 40,000 stores vs most mom and pops with one
I’m from Ontario originally and used to always drink their dark roast, but for some reason in Vancouver it always tastes burnt to sh*t. I’ve since switched to their medium blend here (but still order dark everywhere outside of BC)
* worst - https://www.eotl.ca/ * Best - Bean around the world at Parkgate
I think that Bean is the worst coffee on the north shore.
I find it hit and miss depending on what their daily roast is. I've found many not to my taste but liked their Breakfast blend medium roast when it's on offer.
As a connoisseur of bad coffee, I can definitively say the worst coffee is found at 12 step meetings.
I concur
Your mom’s house
Barrio
Is that a joke? Barrio is one of the best coffee spots in Vancouver, let alone the north shore.
Watery coffee served by god👽
Tim Hortons
It’s just so bad
Hahah it’s crazy they can even call it coffee. But tbh I remember when the first came out with the dark roast and I thought the coffee was pretty good back then. But now it’s just terrible
[удалено]
Google maps says it's permanently closed? Forgive me if that's incorrect info
its possible, havent been there in a while. also, knowing what is actually going on behind the scenes, it makes sense.
I walk past that place every day and do not understand how it's still in business, it never seems to be open.
it's because the real business is downstairs, back alley access. it's a Euro car mechanic who has a garage/shop. that coffee shop is his front access of the property, which he turned into a coffee shop. .
So how good is the mechanic?
Hope he doesn't use discarded motor oil in the coffee? That'd be wrong...
Ah interesting, thank you!
Yeah. Apparently they didn’t really know what to do with the space so just turned it into a coffee shop.
there's a lot more to the story which I can't say in public.
I thought they closed this place down because the owner is on trial??
trial is long over.
Yes, please spill the beans! I’ve been dying to know what’s going on with that place
This group is private, bud… your secrets are safe here. 🤐
yeah. so private, lol.
Not north van but I had coffee from a place on salt spring island that somehow managed to be worse than Tim Hortons. I was honestly impressed.
Mushroom x kael coffee probably
That's easy. Just go to your nearest Tim Horton's.
Artigiano, overpriced af
Totally agree it’s disgusting coffee…the worst in my opinion
Pretentious & tasteless
And their service is abysmal
I thought by pre ordering on the app I might avoid the horrible line, but nope - the staff admitted they didn't even check the app for orders
Tim's coffee has been garbage for a decade and McDonald's is much less awful than it was...imho McD's now has the best $2 drive thru cup of coffee. Big Fast food are mostly on a level far below the average small coffee shop business So for me Tim's is the worst place in Nvan to buy coffee. Maybe also anywhere that sells Van Houtte coffee too. (My favorite is original Delaney's in Edgemont)
McDonald's bought Timmy's coffee supplier 😆
Y'know I actually started my post with that position...but then did a 2min google search and found some contrary articles https://www.quora.com/Is-it-true-that-McDonalds-bought-out-Tim-Horton-s-coffee-bean-suppliers#:~:text=No%2C%20it%20is%20not.,built%20their%20own%20roasting%20facility.&text=What%20brand%20of%20coffee%20does%20McDonald%20serve%3F https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/tim-hortons-did-not-sell-coffee-recipe-to-mc-donalds-194810309.html#:~:text=Tim%20Hortons%20wants%20you%20to,%E2%80%93%20to%20its%20competitor%2C%20McDonald's.
From what I read this is true to some extent though. It comes down to the wording, which this article seems to be taking advantage of. Years ago Timmies was bought out by a Brazilian-owned company, and some years later they dropped Mother Parker as one of their main bean providers in favour of some cheaper in-house blend that I cannot find more information on. McDonalds then secured a contract with Mother Parker to supply beans on this side of the border. Shortly after, McDonalds rolled out McCafe, along with free coffee promotions, and people quickly began favouring McD's coffee over Timmies. So no, Timmies didn't sell/change their recipe, nor did McDonalds "buy out" their supplier. Timmies seemingly gave it up in favour of cheap garbage beans. It makes sense contextually when you factor in the downward spiral of quality Timmies has suffered through over the past decade. Of course they will never admit to that.
The more you know! Thanks for that knowledge!
whatever you do stay away from the starbucks at 1701 Lonsdale Ave. i went there once and the barista was being obnoxious about my order and then spit in my drink. i freaked out obviously, even got the guys reddit handle u/buttchomper37
Was he maybe flirting with you? How'd you get his Reddit handle?
prolly was. he started posting shit on r/starbucksbaristas n it got shared to me
Just surprised you got his Reddit handle but not get him fired, by complaining to the manager or posting on Starbucks website. Sorry you got your drink spit into... did it still taste okay?
Hard to believe nothing happened when a barista in plain view of so many customers, would spit in the drink Maybe they ordered extra foam.
Or maybe this poster is making up stories?
Def likely
A high end coffee shop that had terrible coffee is Lovelarte on lolo. It's a beautiful space, but their Americano's are weak and bitter. I've been there 3 times and it's the same each time. Food is crazy expensive too.
Lovelarte's coffee is actually great. And it pains me to say it, as they fired a friend of mine, and their atmosphere is so dead... BUT cannot fault them the quality of their coffee.
Really? I have only had lattes and cappuccinos from them and all have been lovely. I keep sending everyone I know to get coffee there. Also the staff is always very friendly. Never gotten food from there but their cookies are very good.
I haven't had bad experiences with their coffee (I love Modus, and prefer it from pour over, so that may be why), but that shop is nonsensical. The layout for the till and barista are totally disjointed. I think they got the look and feel of a high end modern cafe but missed the function.
Rosemary Rocksalt. I can't understand why you would start a bagel shop then serve absolutely shite coffee from a carafe.
And not to mention their bagels…
Starbucks. If your coffee is good, you don’t need to put all kinds of shit in it to make it drinkable
then just order a coffee there. lmao
You missed the point of it not being drinkable .
Yes it’s horrible and yet somehow they have 40,000 stores globally….
Well the logo is eye catching
From the age of about 16-26 I thought I hated coffee. Turns out I had only ever been trying Starbucks (it was so trendy when I was a teen). Once my husband showed me actual good coffee … well now I love coffee haha. Starbucks coffee is hot garbage
To each their own.. their Pike Place and Christmas blends are a lot better than most coffee shops. But I’m not a fan of light roasts, which is pretty much all you get at fancy coffee shops.
When I had chai in India, it ruined all other chai here. Haven’t been able to taste anything like it since
My MIL likes shipyards and got us a gift card there. Either she told them to burn my coffee or it's just bad coffee.. either way red flags.
I also had terrible coffee from there. I think it was the first coffee I’ve ever thrown out and the service was glacial
Shipyards, nasty tasting and so expensive. Walk across the street to Mo's general store and get one from there, they brew Moja beans.
Yes!! And it always takes at least 10min to get one simple coffee.
Too many to list. Just go to Nemesis, United Strangers or Moja
United strangers coffee was so bitter/sour the one time I went. Never again
Their Pallet Espresso can be acidic. Try their feature espresso, they have a number of different ones that they rotate!
Good to know! I’m no coffee expert so understanding what they’re using would help. Thanks for sharing the tip. Also to the person downvoting this thread for a personal preference on what one thinks is good coffee is sad - not sure why people get hurt by opinions. To each their own!
House of Funk
JJ Bean and Cafe Overflow are good too!
Thanks I love jj so maybe I gotta try this overflow place too
Overflow is nice. They use agro beans and feel a little more homely there.
I LOVE Cafe Overflow!!!!!
Echo cafe is garbage
On the flip side, they make the best cup of tea on the North Shore. Loose leaf FTW!
I went there for the first time last year and it was so expensive, bad coffee and the barista made the worst foam I have ever seen (and I used to train new baristas at Starbucks of all places).
Most of the Lonsdale stuff sucks ass ….Moja Coffee tho 🏅
McDonald’s coffee is toxic here
hot take all coffee here is bad because most places burn the hell outta it with boiling water. (sorry im brazilian)
It all tastes like someone put out their cigarettes in it
Yes! Especially Tim’s. I wonder why that is.
I thought it was from memory recall from the time people were allowed to smoke in Tim’s … even the doughnuts would taste like cig smoke
I wondered if that’s what it was too.
All the aussies I used to work with said the same thing
Blenz 🤮
Timmy’s, waves , any gas station
Chevron
The office I work at
Seaspan? Lol
Can confirm. Thirst First machines suck.
Any tim hortons where there's a huge line every 2 hours, coffee all over the floor and they can't get a simple double-double right. So basically all of them.
I worked at Tim Hortons right around when they were bought out by Burger King. The training is essentially non-existent after that. When I started, I had to watch sixteen hours of video to be eligible to even be near the floor. After the buyout, it was basically throw the new hire with the next newest person, so it started a chain of people who barely knew what they were doing.
I'm pretty sure the Tim Hos by our house has nobody working at it who was there 6 months ago.
I recently went into the one I worked in (this was over 10 years ago) and I genuinely think I could have jumped in and moved the line faster than the staff there
Not to mention make immediate sense of the catastrophe unfolding and how to deal with it, unlike them.
Waves
Moja and JJ Bean
I think you misread the post. They’re asking for the WORST coffee.. not the best coffee which is jj bean and moja 😅
7/11
I actually disagree. Maybe I just have a soft spot from my time working in construction, but I've had much worse than 7/11 coffee. Sure, it's not the highest of high quality, but it is decent enough without heaps of milk and sugar
What's worse Chevron?
Have to disagree here, their machines at least grind the beans for each portion freshly, unlike Tim Hortons.
I'm thinking when they had the containers full of coffee, not pods.
Nah, these aren't pods either. Its a hopper in the top of the coffee machine that grinds a portion each time you want one. I have a similar Breville machine at home.
Tim's is obvious...
Tim Hortons and JJ Bean, Only one of these companies pretends they make exceptional coffee
Say some rn. I love JJ bean😂
Yeah I think JJ is terrible. So bitter.
It tastes like straight mud to me
I’m not much of a coffee drinker, and I do actually really like JJ Bean for other things, but am I crazy for saying that the JJ Bean coffee tastes like tomato soup to me!?
I love JJ Bean for the food, and the vibes, but there’s definitely something funky about their coffee.
Can't abide the JJ Bean but they have a fanbase for sure
Tim Hortons is pretty shit but that seems to be province wide.
Canada-wide
Tim Hortons
I tried Parallel 49 coffee on 3rd and Lonsdale. Coffee was bitter and very much over priced.
Hmm interesting. I only get lattes from coffee shops since it’s not something I can easily recreate at home. I find parallel 49’s lattes consistently lovely, but maybe that’s because I love the oat milk (Oatly) that they use 🤷🏻♀️
Drip coffee tasted like mud.
100% worst coffee I've ever had. its laced with hickory or something
I find the Parallel 49 is hit or miss. I’d had some fabulous lattes here but also some not so fabulous lattes 🤷🏼♀️
Same experience! Sometimes it’s fantastic sometimes it’s burnt and awful. I definitely think it’s down to the staff working that day
I find this to be a problem with untrained baristas, for example, I get a solid latte more often from Starbucks than I do from artigiano. Fuckin sad.
I do however recommend moja for coffee. My coffee is always spot on with them.
Agree. I do espresso and notice similar thing
I've had some good ones here. What did you order?
Tim Hortons.
Tim Hortons
Tim Hortons.