Artistry Cafe — Restaurant in Vancouver

I loved the vibe here. The style of decoration is a little old-fashioned (not outdated, just an older aesthetic) with beautiful, interesting artwork covering the walls, a nice fireplace, and plants in the windows. It felt like my grandparents’ living room. The barista was very nice too, which made it a welcoming atmosphere. I got a tofu sandwich, a brownie, and an iced matcha latte. The sandwich had slices of tofu, slaw, spinach, and soft cheese (I think it was melted cheese, maybe it was a spread) on fig sourdough. I liked that it was something a little different and healthful, and it was delicious (especially the bread), but it had been made in advance and the dressing had really soaked into the bread. The edges of the brownie were a little dry, but the middle was so good - it was fudgy but not overly rich. The matcha latte was very clumpy and the flavour was so-so, though the weak flavour is probably not because they used low-quality matcha but because it wasn’t fully incorporated. I would not get this again. My total was $21 which is comparable to what I’d pay for a similar meal at chain coffee shops like Blenz or Artigiano. While there are certainly better coffee shops for food, this one was better than the competition at the price point. The food had that wholesome homemade quality that the big chains lack. But ultimately the atmosphere here is so comfortable that I’d choose it over a lot of places with objectively better food, which for me is...

I went there at 6:45 pm and they were about to close. The barista said if I want anything from their espresso machine, he's gonna turn it off in a minute so I have to tell him quickly what I want. When he said that, I did not hear exactly what he said as I was closer to the door and it was busy outside. So, he got frustrated and repeated his words louder in a very condescending way. I just wanted a small Americano. I wasn't familiar with their cup sizes and the way he was treating me made me super nervous and uncomfortable that I could not even respond to him properly. He kept asking for the bean type and when I didn't reply, he made a big sigh infront of everyone out of frustration and slammed the cup he had in his hand on the counter. He was very rude and disrespectful. He humiliated me in front of everyone in the coffeehouse. I can't believe a person in a 'customer service' position would ever treat a customer like that. He might have had a bad day or he might have been super tired and didn't have patience to deal with me, but that has nothing to do with me. I'm still a customer and deserve respect. Forget about the customer, I'm a 'human' and deserve respect. This was so sad. I live just by the coffeehouse, but this was the last time I ever walk into that place. I will never ever walk into that...

I’m a bit shocked by some of the negative reviews about Artistry, which place unreasonable expectations on this homey and quaint local coffee shop. I have seen some self-described “coffee snobs” complaining about the appearance of the cafe and quality of the coffee. I’m quite a particular coffee drinker as well, and precisely one of the reasons I love Artistry is the absence of such snobbishness, while still delivering great coffee. I frequently come to have a coffee and work, and always feel very welcome to stay for as long as I want, unlike other some specialty coffee shops nearby.

I’ve sampled their espresso in all forms, from espresso to Americano to cappuccino, and always found it very satisfying! I have been drinking more espresso lately, and find that most coffees I have tried nearby taste horrible in this form, with the exception of Artistry and Cafe Lokal.

I was even more partial to Artistry before they raised their prices slightly, but the price to quality ratio is still one of the best. Do yourself a favour and give them a try before judging based on...