Oso Negro Café — Restaurant in Nelson

This used to be my absolute favourite spot. I used to buy their coffee every week religiously and even sent some back home to my family in Europe. After my encounter on Monday, however, I have to say that I will not be coming back here in a hurry—if ever—and I will no longer be buying their coffee every week. The way we were treated was absolutely appalling.

We asked the staff at the counter (who were very nice!) on two different occasions if we could bring our dog with us onto the patio, and both times we were told yes. So when we walked in on Monday, wanting to have one last breakfast before heading out, I was shocked to be approached by a stocky, middle-aged man with glasses who either has severe anger issues or was simply having a very bad day. He came over in a rage and immediately got loud and angry with us. The gist of it was: How dare you walk in here with your dog.

When I explained that we had asked and been told yes, he really lost his temper and spoke to us in a way that was completely unacceptable. If he gets this angry with customers, maybe this isn’t the right job for him. From our point of view, we didn’t do anything wrong. We asked (repeatedly) and were told we could bring our dog. If they have such a massive problem with it, perhaps they should put up a sign—or at least ensure everyone gives the same answer.

Either way, the way this man spoke to us was absolutely disgusting. Needless to say, we left and will not be coming back here again. We walked down the street to a different café where they greeted us warmly and treated us like actual human beings. I don’t think this man should be let loose on customers. I’m sorry to say that I will not be buying Oso Negro...

Update August 2025: I don’t understand the iron grip this place has on Nelson. Better coffee can be found at just about any other café in the region. The beans are roasted past their point, bleeding oils and leaving a sour, resinous taste in the cup. Espresso drinks are consistently bitter and unbalanced.

Food doesn’t redeem it either- you’ll find better breakfast sandwiches around Stanley and Baker. Inside, the atmosphere is a wall of noise that could easily be improved with sound baffles, though maybe management thinks the din adds charm. Staff seem perpetually frazzled.

The one saving grace is the exterior terrace, which is genuinely pleasant.

Below is my review from 4 years ago. — I asked for a traditional cappuccino. They asked if that meant 10oz. Trouble. I said a trad cap is 5oz. They settled on an 8 oz cup since 5oz didn't seem possible for them.

They then asked if it should be a double or a single sort. Normally it would be 1oz espresso, but since they were gonna serve it in an 8oz cup, I opted for a double shot.

What I ended up getting was about 4 oz of bitter over-extracted espresso. It's not a bad roast, they just didn't pull it well. The milk was properly frothed though (for a dry cap) and tasted nice.

Cute place. They must have good food to have this high a rating because their espresso pulls leave much...

I ordered a 16oz breve with an espresso shot ($5.50+0.75), and a breakfast bun on the croissant with banana peppers ($7+$1+$0.25). The cream in the breve added enough sweetness I didn't need to add sugar - very good coffee. I found the light amount of seasoning in the breakfast bun really elevated it beyond something similar I'd make at home, but I'd still find it hard to justify the cost for something that left me relatively hungry still.

The building itself is gorgeous. The wooden beams and columns are beautiful, and an abundance of skylights and windows let in lots of light. I arrived around 10am on a Wednesday and the place was packed full with customers. The seating area inside is rather small, so it was a bit noisy with all the conversations, but not enough that I wouldn't be able to chat with someone next to me. Overall, I enjoyed the atmosphere.

Service was fast and courteous. The servers drop food off at a pre-determined spot and call out the name for the order. I wish the staff called out names louder; I would have missed my order if I weren't...