Ristretto Coffee House — Restaurant in Prince George

The east Indian lady (I'm east Indian myself so this review is not racist. I just don't know her name) at the cash counter on Friday, October 20th, was the most rude and unprofessional person I have ever encountered in service industry. My Husband and I visited PG for a few days and stopped at this place for breakfast before I headed back to Vancouver. She took almost 15 mins to take the simplest order. Seemed like her mind was somewhere else. Had to repeat my order so many times because she was mixing up the to go items with dine in items. The vegan sandwiches, two mochas, a scone and a cinnamon bun (about $50). The sandwiches we ordered came freezing cold. They were not grilled or toasted. Only gas station sandwiches come that cold. There was a huge queue so I could not ho back and ask for a replacement (if I did, I'm sure she would refuse). I just ate half of my freezing cold sandwich with freezing cold veggies and went to the cash counter when the queue cleared to ask for a take out box. I told the lady that it was super cold. Instead of being courteous and aplogize she said in a very rude tone "if you have ever had sandwiches before, they all come cold. Sandwiches are meant to be cold. Why did not you ask us to toast it??" I told her it was my first time at this place so I did not know they do not toast or grill them and she never asked if I wanted it toasted. Its her job to ask how I wanted it when sge knows toasting is an option. It was not mentioned as an on the menu. I also told her this is not the first time I had a sandwich. Usually they are either room temprature or toasted unless its a gas station. I said thank you and left to my table. She came to our table and argued that sandwiches are supposed to be cold. Coming to my table only to reach me what sandwiches are, was uncalled for and very rude. I asked her what made her come back to me when we already finished the conversation at the counter. She said (rudely) "okay, forget it" and left. Instead of apologizing or offering a new sandwich, she invested time in an argument. Never going back to this place in my life. Worst employees. I do not recommend this cafe if you are looking for a place with courteous employees. Coffee was...

I could tell from the walk-up to the door it was going to be a pleasant experience, and thoroughly impressed. From the well-proportioned decently priced food selections, to quality oldies music (played from a personal playlist, not the radio), to the careful attention to decorative detail, there was so much to enjoy about being here at Ristretto Coffee House.

My girlfriend and I decided to go out for lunch and treat ourselves to a light meal. A cold sandwich and a warm drink is what we ended up settling our minds on, which hit the spot perfectly this February 13th. Actually, we ordered specialized drinks for the “holiday” - hers, the Rose Latte, mine was the Mint To Be , a white chocolate and mint mocha. They make their own special in-house syrups for flavour shots for the many drinks they have up to choose from. We ordered both of the vegan sandwiches , (not the breakfast sandwich, though funnily enough we might return to try it because we liked our stay that much) and obviously apparent they put lots of care into all they do. The food was flavourful and sat well in my stomach because of the choice in healthy ingredients.

The service was just what I’d hoped from a corner cafe, greeted us with warmth at the til , ordered our stuff and was gently called for when our food/drinks were ready. I liked how the drinks are made in view so that I was also able to thank the lady who made our drinks as well. All in all a great time for anyone who enjoys that hidden gem kinda place, but shhh don’t tell...

Edit: Over the last few months the quality of this place has seriously declined. Sometimes the beverages and food are delicious, and other times they are made incorrectly (ie: forgotten tea bag in my TEA; not decaf when ordered; regular milk instead of oat milk) or are borderline inedible. Customer service doesn't seem as consistent either (staff not knowing about items, giving wrong items, etc.). I want to love this place as much as I used to, but I just don't. There have been too many times where I have wasted money and been given an item made incorrectly.

Fantastic beverages, food, and sweet treats! This is my favourite coffee house downtown to visit for a mid-day pick-me-up. My only complaint is the hours are not as friendly for somebody who works a standard 8-4 job. Being open 8-2 means I cannot stop by before work or on my afternoon coffee break, so I have to take my business elsewhere. I am not bashing the quality of food or the atmosphere - I LOVE this place, but I do think that slightly expanded business hours (such as 7:45-2:30) could better cater to the downtown...