Giovane Caffè — Restaurant in Vancouver

I'm pretty impressed with this Italian coffee shop! I have been a few times now and so far tried the panino verdura, pistachio tart, amalfi cake, espresso shakerato, marocchino, and latte. The bread for the panino was very fresh and the choice of filling was nice - there are plenty of generic veggie panini out there with the same assortment of roasted vegetables thrown on, but this one was memorable! They have a few vegetarian panini so I'm looking forward to trying them all. The two baked goods I tried were very nice too, particularly the amalfi cake, which has a unique texture with a little bit of a crispy exterior. Their decaf espresso is excellent! The first drink I tried it in was the shakerato and I was really impressed by how sweet and smooth each sip was. The marocchino is a great drink if you like chocolate but don't want the sweetness of a mocha. The more concentrated drinks are definitely better to highlight the espresso! The drinks come with a little meringue bite when you dine in. I always save mine for later, but they're delicious! This is a high end coffee shop and you will pay high end prices, but I don't think anything's obscenely expensive. The sandwiches are $12-14, drinks $3.5-6. It's worth it. The baristas are all very professional. I find the vibe is a little bit corporate and sterile... it's located in the lobby of a fancy office building. But the seats are pretty comfortable and everywhere gets a clear window view. There are two "rooms", one is more of a work area and the other is the "conversation room" - but I see laptops in the conversation room and conversation in the work room, so I don't know if it really matters...

This may sound weird, but Giovane held a special place in my heart. I came here for coffee or breakfast almost every single day for the past 3 years, and I have nothing but praises for the quality of food, friendliness of the staff, and the overall class of the cafe. When the pandemic first started, I obviously didn't return for a while. But when I did come back finally, I realized that the ownership has change. Giovane right now is not what it used to be. All the great food it used to have, is gone. Full breakfast bowls, made to order pizzas and amazing sandwiches turned into grab and go yogurt cups and overpriced simple sandwiches. Yes, Givane was on the pricier end before, but I understood its price as the quality of food was incredible. They used to have a high quality steak breakfast bowl filled with cheese and gnudi for $25. I don't know how the current management can justify charging $17 now for a crossaint with literally a piece of ham in the middle. The specialty sweets old Giovane used to have are also gone. Including their sugar bun which was beloved by locals. The place is literally just a shell of its former self after the ownership change. I have nothing against the staff and they were super friendly when I visited, but please bring back the old ownership or at least some of its more popular items before this place loses its charm. If I wanted Pasta, I would go to trattoria or the actual Ask for Luigi instead of here. There is nothing special about...

Giovane is our ‘go to’ in this area. We’re here at least 3/4 times a week given they open quite late relative to other coffee shops downtown (huge plus). It’s located in the beautiful Fairmont Pacific Rim hotel so the overall atmosphere is modern and high end. You do feel transported somewhere else (I wouldn’t say Italy necessarily haha but definitely not in Vancouver).

Our coffees are usually always great and I love they add a crispy amaretti as a little accompaniment.

The cakes / desserts selection could be improved with some fresh options (I know they are not part of the hotel, but perhaps a partnership with their Pastry Chef may be beneficial). I also found the prices to be a bit high for how small they are (a pretty tiny slice of Amalfi Cake costs over $5)… and this is coming from someone who loves overpaying for dessert! 😁

We also regularly try their savoury options (they usually only have paninis left in the evenings) and they have all been tasty and flavourful (even when slightly crispy). For transparency’s sake, these too will set you back over $15 (and the portions are again on the smaller side).

Service is generally consistent and all in, it’s a strong option downtown that we love coming...