Blue Chip Cafe — Restaurant in Electoral Area A

Update Feb 2025: This place has gone way downhill. After they've moved to a new location, I can see they've done cost cutting in a lot of places and increased the prices. Their London Fog for example now uses a cheaper Four O'Clock brand tea bags instead of the Two Leaves and a Bud brand which was superior. They also only use one tea bag in a large cup of London Fog, it's just not enough to impart flavour. I ordered a large LF and I thought I was drinking warmed milk. Just terrible.

--------------Below was my previous review-------- Been here countless times during my study at UBC, since when they were in the old SUB. Their London Fog is one of the best on campus. They are known for their cookies but other baked goods are quite delectable too. Sandwiches are delicious (especially the turkey brie cranberry sandwich) and reasonably priced. However I do feel that things have changed for the worse after my last several visits, here are some of the things I noticed:

Pricing strategy for some drinks is just not right. I don't know if it's intentional or someone's math is off, but according to the menu (picture attached) for london fog and chai latte the large 20 oz cup offers less value ($4.75/ 20 oz = $0.238/oz) than the medium 16 oz cup ($3.65/ 16 oz = $0.228/oz). Assuming the volume of each cup size written on the menu is correct, I'd advise anyone reading this and want to get london fog or chai latte NOT to upsize to large and just get medium.

Inconsistent drink quality - some workers there don't seem to follow the standard recipe, if there is any, for certain drinks. E.g. when I order milk-based drinks such as lattes extra hot sometimes it comes out just lukewarm. Also when I order london fogs, the level of sweetness varies quite a lot from cup to cup. Clearly the amount of syrup they use is inconsistent. I see that they use syrup pumps, maybe instruct workers to use certain number of pumps?

Their mango pudding now has a layer of pandan on top instead of coconut milk. I did not enjoy it as much as when it had coconut milk, I think the pandan was lacking that grassy fragrance (and I like pandan) and also did not go well with the mango flavour. I think the coconut milk complemented the mango much better. Obviously this is a very personal observation as taste can be subjective. But I do wonder how many mango puddings they sell compared to when it had coconut milk.

At the end of the day I still like this place so I will rate...

Known for their freshly baked cookies, it’s also a decent all-around cafe, although quality is a mixed bag ranging from okay to great depending on what you order. The great: most cookies, bagels and bagel sandwiches, date square, butter mochi, muffins and loaves. The okay: pre-made sandwiches and wraps, sugar cookies and vegan cookie, dessert bars besides the date square, and tiramisu. The coffee is more variable but generally pretty good, and I think the matcha latte is actually one of the best on campus (or at least the smoothest). Do not order an iced London fog/turmeric fog though - they tell you they can make it, but you will get a cold tea bag in watery milk, not a properly steeped iced tea latte. The students who work there are usually pretty friendly and the speed of service is reasonable even though the line gets long at lunchtime when school is in session. Like other AMS-owned outlets, you can not only bring your own drink cup but also bring your own food containers and save $.25 per item. They recently moved across the Nest to a bigger space with more seating. With the move, they now offer for-here mugs for hot drinks, but you have to be kind of aggressive if you want one - you have to say you want your drink for here, in a mug, and probably repeat yourself, otherwise they will probably ignore you, I guess because they’re not used to...

Had a negative interaction with a female barista this afternoon who gave me some very unnecessary attitude. I went to the pickup counter to ask for some more hot water for my tea that I purchased from this same location (had their cup and everything so it's not like she could have thought I was not a customer.) I was met with an angry stare and she said "I know you're on crutches but could you line up next time, like just try" in a very condescending and irritated tone. (Yes, on crutches but that doesn't really matter that is not the reason I didn't line up). The point here is I have never been to any coffee shop that requires you to line up and then ask the cashier for more hot water - which is free. I always just ask the barista and it's never been an issue. As a paying customer I really should not be met with this poor level of customer service. Is it that hard to fill a cup with water that you needed to make that remark so rudely? Put out a hot water dispenser and I will gladly do it myself next time if it's such an inconvenience. I visit this location frequently and always leave a tip because I know the workers are students just like myself, but perhaps this will change if customer service continues to be poor. This place is pricey and staff often seem annoyed so I suggest hitting up another coffee shop...