Sam's Place Coffee — Restaurant in Winnipeg

Nice spot for a quiet coffee, but not quite what I expected.

Before visiting this coffee shop, I was drawn in by photos showcasing live music and a cozy, book-filled ambiance, which set high expectations. However, upon arrival, I realized those images are from several years ago, so the vibe inside was a bit different - more chill and quiet than I anticipated. This was my oversight for not checking more recent reviews.

Atmosphere: The shop offers a peaceful environment. Some people were working on laptops, so it's a decent spot for that. However, it felt a bit too quiet for my personal taste. There was no background music playing during the first 20 minutes. When music did play, it was brief(less than 5 minutes) and intermittently stopped. I think it would be better if they either played music consistently or did not at all. The intermittent music felt a bit odd and disrupted the otherwise quiet atmosphere.

Seating & Service: Between the seating and ordering areas, there's a small section selling cute stuff, resembling a gift shop, which is a unique touch, but doesn't significantly impact the overall experience. The service is mostly self-serve: you order at the counter, pick up your drinks, and return cups to the right spot after use. So I kinda don’t know what I’m tipping for lol, even though it’s not a big amount of tip for a coffee. While the staff is friendly, there's minimal interaction beyond ordering and borrowing a restroom key.

Food: We tried the Banana Cream Pie Latte, which was really good. The Taro Latte, however, was less impressive. Both drinks were generously sized, which was a pleasant surprise. We also had a chocolate croissant. Sadly, this didn't hit the mark. It was served cold, not crispy, and the layers were uneven.

If you're in downtown and need a quiet place to recharge or get some work done, this cafe works. However, if you're looking for a lively atmosphere or a place to socialize, this might not be the...

Was on a long and bone chilling Winnipeg winter walk, must've been 700 metres at this point.. Needed heating up as 6 layers of clothes was still no match for the winds from Portage and Main. My handy pocket Google Maps device pointed out Sam's as the closest coffee shop to me... my goodness only another 200 metres. What a relief! I make my way there, I use the wrong entrance and the amazingly friendly security guard comes and greats me and gives me a quick run down how to get inside. I bid him farewell and ordered a Mocha and Cinnamon bun upon arrival.. the cinnamon bun was giant and I cannot finish it all, the mocha to die for! The friendly barista behind the till is a pure delight. The long journey seems a distant memory now. 14/10....

Never mind.....Removed the stars again as it is so inconsistent!!! We had several bad experiences again so had to remove stars & the good review. The worst complaint being that one night we went to see a young lady entertaining there, and two fellows who work there were yelling trying to talk over the music ( apparently their conversation was more important than their customers!!! They also charged a friend for 3 visitors even though they were only staying for less than half and hour, then a lady grabbed some dishes off every table & noisily threw them onto her cart during the next set rather than in between...so we couldn't properly enjoy the show anyway! They wouldn't let me remove all the stars, or...