The Colombian - Parkallen — Restaurant in Edmonton

It is ironic that briefly after I published a very positive review of "The Columbian Coffee Bar" on Google, pointing out to the staff polite, almost "old-fashioned" attitude, I was extremely inconsiderately treated by the manager, Sonya. When I finished my coffee, she followed me outside and without any preliminary questions accused me of "yelling at a staff member" who apparently mispronounced my name and I, apparently also, reacted in a very rude way. The truth is that indeed, the young lady in question anglicised my name, which I do not like, but I'd never ever "yell" at someone for that! Why? Let's get real here. In Canada we have so many nations, so many languages, that shouting at someone because they did not pronounce your name properly would be, to put it simply, idiotic and extremely impolite. On the contrary, I WHISPERED good-naturedly to her how to pronounce my name, exactly in order to avoid any misunderstanding and interruption in service. Obviously, that person has very thin skin and, resorting to lies, in her bloodcurdling story reported to her manager, she portrayed me as a brutal fellow who raised his voice and "yelled" at her. She impugned my integrity and instead of being questioned, she was believed right from the outset. No good at all. But what I find scandalous is not the very silly accusation by a young and totally immature "princess" of a barista, but the manager's assumption that I did what the princess accused me of. If you ask the other staff members without the very rude manager being present, they would tell you how nice I am, giving - it is true - excessive tips and not infrequently treating them with healthy pastries from the amazing "Buns 'n' Roses" bakery, or ice cream from the "Annie Rue" next door, not to mention nice gifts (Japanese figurines) I always give to new members of the Parkallen location staff. I have dozens of witnesses of my very polite, friendly and supportive attitude. The manager's accusation is truly insensitive, inconsiderate, inexcusable. Despite my politeness, which she herself experienced on many an occasion, she chose to believe her worker without questioning her. She even said that there were "a couple" of people who witnessed my horrible behaviour, yet when I asked who was the other person she said she "didn't remember". I find this behaviour pathetic. Certainly not the way you treat a loyal and uniquely supportive patron. Enough said. They won't see me...

I was very excited to go here as I am a big fan of the Colombian in Glenora and Bonniedoon. The inside is a little lacking in both space and coziness. It felt very cramped inside and you have to walk through to get to a gravelly patio to sit if there are already a few people sitting inside. I am sure they will continue to make the patio more appealing, though I am curious to see how they will manage our many cold days! The staff and coffee quality was the usual 5 stars so my removal of star is for the lacklustre seating situation and to be honest, I don’t love that they opened up almost next door to a very small local floral shop and cafe that was already there (The Birch Garden). It seems in somewhat poor taste (maybe I am missing some backstory here?) and there are many neighborhoods in Edmonton that lack good local coffee. I will continue to visit the other Columbians though as they are top tier for coffee shops...

Wake up, walk in and smell the coffee... and the fresh pastries, including columbian guava croissants, moist scones, delectable cookies and muffins. bring them home or enjoy them on their delightful outdoor patio space. alongside more familiar beverages this is establishment offers pour overs a type of coffee that was not familiar with but I was so happy to be acquainted with. Made in such a way so that the underlying flavor notes of the coffee are truly brought to the forefront in a way I thought only tea could really accomplish... quite astounding. service atmosphere ambience was perfect, need I say more?... or perhaps less rereading this I can see I'm gushing so hard it may be mistakenly believed that I'm some sort of shill for this joint. But alas I was happy they took my...