Brewed Cafe & Pub — Restaurant in Vancouver

When I saw the difference in size between the excellent grilled cheese sandwich that I had and the excellent although gluten free sandwich my potential business partner had I didn’t know whether I was on some YouTube prank show or whether I had fallen into the wrong side of a telescope. How do you sit across from someone you are treating to something special and it looks like it comes out of a joke box? You have my sandwich, and then the mini me sandwich! It would have been even more embarrassing if it hadn’t looked so ridiculous as to have been funny. She mentioned the place down the street gives two because the loaves are so much smaller. Well I have to say, it’s a bad look. The Chai was good, but it was just lukewarm. I suppose I could have gone back inside and asked to have it warmed up, but first impressions count. And my impression here is that they’re hip and they’re downtown and that’s enough. Stop and look at what you’re doing. Make that chai hot. Make those portions equal. Go the extra mile.

So here is my edit and response… Thank you for responding to my review, although it kind of goes to prove my point. Regarding the chai… One does not sit down and gulp ones chai all at one go. So making it warm is kind of pointless. I don’t rush to my table and drink it all at once. I want to sit and savor it. By the time I got that to the table. It was just warm by the time I’ve had a few sips. It was lukewarm, no one likes lukewarm chai. By the time I had talked to my friend for a few minutes it was cold, and cold chai is disgusting. I learned to make chai from a North African governess in 1973 and have been making it ever since. One does not sit down and gulp their beverage boiling hot, but rather waits for it to reach the proper temperature. Exactly like any fine tea. And concerning the ridiculous size difference of the gluten free bread. Instead of saying you get that it looks stupid but that’s the choice you make, you could say you hear the customer and are continuing to seek a better answer. But what you do is just say, we’re great. But that plate is still an embarrassment for someone taking out a prospective business partner and doesn’t reflect well on your business. Whatever...

Check you're not getting ripped off $$$ when you order here.

I came in for the first time this morning and went to order a 12oz golden milk latte, which was listed on their menu as $4.50. I asked if it could be made with non-dairy milk, and told no problem. Then the cashier told me my total was $7.50. When I asked why the price was so different from the menu, she said it was because the non-dairy alternative was an additional cost.

$2.00 surcharge for oat milk? Absolutely ridiculous, and not mentioned by the cashier or on the menu. I asked to drop the modification then, as the price was too steep for me.

The cashier said she changed it back, and told me my total was $5.50. Why was it a dollar higher, I asked? She wasn't sure. She told me the menus were brand new but that the price was what the POS was indicating, so she couldn't do anything about it. No, there was nobody who could give me a different price that was accurate to what the menu showed.

So I paid the $5.50 in cash. She handed me my change and told me bye. I asked if I could please have my receipt. When she handed me my receipt, there was a $0.75 charge for milk.

What in the world?!

I told her my receipt showed I was charged incorrectly, it displayed a charge for the drink, and a milk addition. She argued with me for a while, and then finally offered to refund my $0.75 charge.

I do not know if this a cashier skimming from the top, or genuinely a mistake in their POS or menu, but it was a really icky feeling interaction. Pretty much guarantees I have no interest in recommending this place to anyone, despite the fact the vibe was cute.

After writing this all up, I realize I was shorted an additional quarter (charged $5.50 instead of $4.50, refunded $0.75) which was probably me getting charged $0.25 extra despite paying in cash. If this sort of grift is happening with every customer, that's a pretty big issue. I recommend this business look into the issue and correct it if they value...

Honestly, this place could probably stand to be renamed "Rude" instead of "Brewed". I was in Vancouver on a business trip, and walked to Brewed from my hotel for coffee in the morning before starting a busy day. I ordered a hot cappuccino and bagel, they gave me a number and I found a place to stand and wait for my order... The place is kind of small. The woman who took my order was friendly enough and asked if my order was to go or not. I specifically said it was to go. I took my place to wait, and the barista placed a cappuccino with no lid that looked like it was about to overflow on the counter and barked, "cappuccino". Since I had asked for mine to go, and also ordered a bagel (which was not with the cappuccino) I assumed that this must be someone else's order and decided to wait until my number was called. The barista then glares directly at me and says, "cappuccino, number 8, hello!" I was honestly so surprised by her rudeness, but went up to get my drink. When I got up to the counter she again barks at me, "is there a problem?" Again, this whole exchange caught me so off guard that I just asked if I could have a lid, not wanting to feed into whatever she was trying to start. She motioned to some that were on the counter. Now, since the hot beverage was already overflowing, you can imagine how difficult and messy it was trying to put the lid on my already specified "to go" order. Coffee inevitably spilled out and made a complete mess. Not wanting to further upset the barista, I spotted some napkins on top of the espresso maker and attempted to clean up the cup, but there was no trash bin anywhere for the now soiled napkins. Why on earth would a cafe set up customers to have to go...