Cafes With Killer Design & Vibes

Vancouver’s coffee culture is as much about aesthetics as it is about artisanal roasts. These seven cafés serve next-level brews in spaces so stylish you’ll want to move in.

1. Revolver (Gastown)

Vibe: Industrial-chic coffee lab where baristas treat each cup like a science experiment. Exposed brick, black steel beams, and a tiny communal table set the mood for serious sipping.
Must Order: The rotating single-origin espresso – they change beans weekly, so no two visits taste alike.
Design Highlight: The wall-mounted “coffee menu” looks like an apothecary’s prescription board.

2. Prototype Coffee (Mount Pleasant)

Vibe: A Scandinavian daydream with blonde wood, clean lines, and sunlight pouring through floor-to-ceiling windows. The kind of place where freelancers camp out for hours.
Must Order: Honey-oat latte – creamy, subtly sweet, and topped with edible flowers.
Design Highlight: The floating pour-over bar feels like a coffee omakase experience.

3. Nemesis Coffee (Great Northern Way)

Vibe: A futuristic greenhouse meets modern art gallery, complete with angular concrete walls and an open kitchen where you can watch pastry chefs at work.
Must Order: Cardamom bun + a flat white – their house-made pastries are as famous as their coffee.
Design Highlight: The geometric skylights flood the space with golden-hour light all day long.

4. Moja Coffee (Commercial Drive)

Vibe: A cozy, wood-paneled nook that feels like your cool aunt’s living room – if your cool aunt was a coffee-roasting savant.
Must Order: Mexican mocha – spicy, chocolatey, and dangerously drinkable.
Design Highlight: The hidden back patio, strung with fairy lights, is one of the city’s best-kept secrets.

5. Le Marché St. George (Fraserhood)

Vibe: A Parisian corner store crossed with a Vancouver hippie collective. Vintage tins line the shelves, and the tiny tables are always packed with artists and Francophiles.
Must Order: Lavender latte with a fresh, flaky croissant.
Design Highlight: The 100-year-old building’s original creaky floors and rustic charm.

6. Timbertrain (Gastown)

Vibe: A moody, train-inspired café with dark wood, leather banquettes, and the smoothest espresso in the city.
Must Order: Gibraltar – a velvety, barista-style cortado.
Design Highlight: The coffee bar’s brass detailing mimics vintage railway cars.

7. Pallet Coffee (Railtown)

Vibe: Airy, beachy, and subtly nautical – like if a West Coast surf shack decided to serve third-wave coffee.
Must Order: Iced vanilla latte with a slice of their lemon polenta cake.
Design Highlight: The white-washed walls and hanging plants give major Cali-Melbourne fusion vibes.