Caffe Artigiano — Restaurant in Vancouver

There were red flags, but I chose to ignore them. Bad mistake.

When we arrived, there was a line right to the door. It took about 10 minutes before we got to the front of the line. Red flag #1. There were three tables available, all of them dirty. Red flag #2. We took the table that was the least dirty, but that's like saying he's the nicest guy in prison.

We tried to order the "Two Rivers Pepperoni Pizza Bagel" for our daughter, and the "Pepperoni & Italian Sausage Breakfast Wrap" for myself. The cashier just stared at my wife like she had a third eye. The cashier had never heard of these items, and had to call a co-worker over for help. Red flag #3.

My wife showed them the Caffe Artigiano online menu on her phone. The cashier grabs the phone out of my wife's hand without asking to have a closer look. Seriously? You don't just grab someone's personal belongings without at least asking, especially with COVID, am I right? Red flag #4.

We were seated, and one-by-one, we were called up to pick up our orders as they were being fulfilled. First, the croissant and "Ham & Cheese Breakfast Wrap" in lieu of the "Two Rivers Pepperoni Pizza Bagel" and "Pepperoni & Italian Sausage Breakfast Wrap" which they didn't carry, despite being featured on the on-line menu. My wife had to go back up to ask for a Cranberry Oatmeal cookie which was missing. Then, when she was called up to pick up her "Truffle Mushroom Breakfast Wrap", she was offered the Oatmeal cookie which she already got. It didn't seem like the restaurant had an efficient system of fulfilling orders.

Seated, and already eating our food, one of the cashiers made a B-line to our table and accused us of taking a Truffle Mushroom Breakfast Wrap that we had not paid for. Red flag #5. Not only had we paid for it, but her co-worker had called us up by name to pick it up. The cashier went back to the counter to try to figure out the mess. My wife went up to three of the staff huddled around the cash register to tell them that it was rude for them to accuse her of stealing food. They did not even make eye contact or offer any acknowledgement or apology. The three staff sheepishly just went about their business, as if my wife was invisible.

So, my take-away from my first and last visit to Caffe Artigiano: Very slow service. Messy. Poorly maintained and outdated corporate website. Staff have bad manners. Very poor customer service. They accuse people for their mistake(s).

By the way, the food was okay, but not worth the...

I recently visited this local gem in Kerrisdale, which I frequent for business meetings. Usually, I come here for a coffee and a small pastry, but today I was in need of beans and decided to buy a bag. To my surprise, the cashier informed me that purchasing a bag of beans came with a free drink! Naturally, I asked for a flat white. However, the barista (Nicole) kindly let me and the new cashier know that the policy was only for drip coffee. I offered to pay, but their exceptional customer service shone through as they waived the charge and made an exception.

This is what service should be — accommodating, friendly, and above all, generous. Nicole made me feel like I was part of the Artigiano community. I’ll definitely be back, not just for my regular coffee, but to pick up more bags of their amazing beans. Highly recommend this spot if you’re...

I only had their drip coffee, which I thought was okay. Will try something else when I go there next. Also, maybe I went there during peak hours, but the place seemed understaffed to me.

I say this because when I got there, the people who'd sat at my table before me had left their mugs & plates, and in the end I had to remove them myself because the two workers behind the counter were completely occupied with orders & such.

Something else that screamed understaffed was the sizable wet spot that remained on the floor for a long time. Sure, the CAUTION sign was placed in it, but the water covered a large part of the floor and was in the way, and therefore, hard to avoid. It was a slip hazard, especially for the much...