February's Cafe: Commercial Street Cafe

Commercial Street in Vancouver, BC, is not to be confused with its bigger, meaner cousin Commercial Drive, which has many great cafes and is known as Vancouver's Little Italy. I'm not sure if Commercial Street is known for anything. They're right next to each other. Heading south past Broadway, the Skytrain station, and the great Rio Theatre, "the Drive" soon becomes the Victoria Diversion. If you take a sharp right at that juncture, you're on "the Street." Actually, for a street totaling two city blocks, there are like three cafes here, and Commercial Street Cafe is probably the best.

What works: CSC feels like you're inside a house, instead of a prefab shoebox made of concrete and metal (like so many cafes in modern dwellings). There are two rooms—the narrower coffee bar and the larger, open general seating area. They're cozy but not kitschy. They bake their goods in-house, which means you have incredible aromas wafting about, and in the big room, their bakery operation is on display. For seating, you have options for private tables, a big communal table, and a communal couch area. It's good to have choices. They have a section with kids' books and toys, which I count as a positive, as it welcomes families, allows parents to converse, and gives kids an alternative to a screen. The music situation is interesting because the speakers are only in the narrow room, so you can base your room choice on whether you like the music (I chose the big room, which I'm glad I did because they started playing Snow Patrol. My noise-cancelling headphones and Sun Ra took care of the rest).

What doesn't work as well: The wall decor could use some love. The art isn't offensive, but it feels overwhelmed by the otherwise empty walls. The muffin was tasty, but a tad dry, though this won't dissuade me from returning and trying other goods (many of which looked delicious). The view is of a faceless, gray-and-green building, which would actually be its own kind of beautiful, but there's a row of Rogers bikes (the Nike bikes of Canada) in front of it. Somehow, this adds a corporate bleakness to the image. However, I can look at my own beautiful bike locked out front and make sure no one steals it, which is convenient. I should say the cafe is also on a corner (which I love), meaning other seating offers different views.

Final thoughts: I love the homey feel, the big open space, and the big windows. They also have a water station, which is appreciated. The Americano was a tad harsh, but knowing they have Timbertrain, it'll be worth another shot. Most of all, the location is just a solid winner. It's tucked away in a neighborhood, but not far from the bustling Drive. The Skytrain passes through the trees at the street's end, giving you the feel that you're plugged into the city but not so much in the pit of it. And the employees/owners were kind and amiable, which goes a long way.

4.3 / 5