Tartine Bread & Pies — Restaurant in Vancouver

[Update]

I was very disappointed with the response I received from this café regarding my feedback. Instead of taking responsibility for the issues I raised, they deflected with excuses that were both unprofessional and unconvincing. While my concern about the cup used is secondary, my primary issue lies with the quality of their cortado.

A proper cortado is a balanced espresso-based drink, typically served in a small glass or cup, with a 1:1 ratio of espresso to steamed milk. It should have a smooth, velvety texture, allowing the richness of the espresso to shine through while being mellowed by the milk. Unfortunately, what I received was far from that. The drink was poorly prepared, with an unbalanced flavor that completely missed the mark.

Additionally, the café was not busy at the time, so there was no reason to run out of proper mugs or glasses. The staff, unfortunately, spent most of their time standing around gossiping rather than focusing on their work. From my seat, I could hear all their conversations, which only highlighted their lack of professionalism. This inattentiveness extended to how they prepared the drinks, which felt rushed and careless.

Overall, the experience was disappointing, and the lack of accountability and attention to detail from the staff left a poor impression. A café should prioritize quality and professionalism—sadly, this one did not.

How is this cortado?!?! I don’t taste any espresso. It is lukewarm warm. Who serves a cortado in a mug like this?!?!? This is definitely the worst cortado I have ever had. I’m sitting at the cafe now and looking at them making other coffee. They are busy. They are not short on staff. What is...

Tartine has a whole array of sweet and savoury baked goods, not just pies, plus drinks and sandwiches. It's a little cramped inside because they've filled the space with a lot of seating. There is also outdoor seating which was very nice on a good weather day. Lots of tables looked like they could use a wipe down. I had: Roasted beets sandwich: Really good! Very fresh ciabatta. Nice earthy, wholesome flavour. I especially loved the goat cheese spread. Coconut cream pie: Too much whipped cream! The mountain of whipped cream looked nice but the plain whipped cream overpowered the coconut custard filling that should have been the main attraction. I liked the custard and the crispy crust, but had to scrape off a lot of the whipped cream. Sparkling passionfruit iced tea: This is a summer seasonal drink. I think it had some special name that I don't remember. Really refreshing with just the right balance of passionfruit flavour and good iced tea. Just okay service. Some staff members seemed more approachable than others. They call out orders, but there's not really any room inside to stand while you're waiting, so I had to stay outside but hover around the door so I could hear my name. It would help if they just brought the food out to you. The sandwich preparation wasn't ridiculously slow but wasn't...

I've had slices of cake from True Confections many times in the past, so I was pleased to see I could arrange pick up of a whole cake from their sister location on Beach. It happened to be walking distance to our dinner reservations. I ordered online a week in advance. It said pick up by 6pm, so I put in the notes I'd be there closer to 6pm. On the the day of pick up, I tried calling multiple times between 12pm to 2pm only getting message they missed my call and to call back later. By the time I finally got through at 4pm and told they close at 5pm. At no point did someone call seeing the note on my ordering indicated "pick up closer to 6pm". I told them their website indicates closing on Saturday is 7pm. True Confections website indicates pick up by 6pm. Their response was sorry but cleaning crew will be there until 5pm. I was coming by transit and had to rush out the door to get to the store before they officially closed. Cake was for birthday dinner. What good would it have been to me if I couldn't get to the store by closing? Disappointed with the lack of communication and poor customer service. If I had known they closed at 5pm, I would have paid $20 for delivery instead. I carried the cake with me for 2 hours...