Don't Die Cafe — Restaurant in Vancouver

I really wanted to like this place. Like REALLY wanted to. We saw it on a few IG reels, and I have gamer girls and a gamer husband. I figured if the food was good, this would be a weekly hang for our family.

But the food / food selection is not good (unless you’re a fan of greasy dive bar food, which to be fair, is some people’s jam—no judgment here). If you like pizza and burgers, this might be a good time, but I don’t eat meat, and we thought we were coming for brunch. I was looking forward to the breakfast burritos that are still listed on the menu tab of this Google Maps listing. When we arrived, we learned they don’t offer that anymore. (The gal did apologize. It’s not like she was rude about it or anything.) And since their website was down, we didn’t have a way to know that. So we got the equivalent to a cheese pizza (called phone sticks) and some French toast sticks (called toasty and under “girl dinner,” which I’m still trying not to find offense with and am not sure why that was on offer if no more brunch, but we were (and are) looking for the silver lining). The pizza was greasy but edible. Like dive bar food. The French toast sticks were really, really fried and tasted like elephant ears or something akin to that from a county fair. We also noticed a few ants (not overrun but enough to give me pause) at the counter when we were ordering, and again where the coffee station was. (The drip coffee was delicious, FWIW.)

It looks like this place is a work in progress, so we might try again in a few months if they’re still open, but it’s hard to spend time at a cafe that doesn’t have decent food. I would cheer for a pseudo healthy option like raw veggies with ranch or a cheese plate or more traditional “cafe” food. Again, I want to like this place. They just don’t allow outside food, and my stomach can’t tolerate the dive bar style food they’ve got on menu.

Lastly, the staff wasn’t even aware their website was down. I recommended they just redirect it to the bar site, since they talk about the cafe on that site, and it looks like that’s what they’re doing now. My guess is that they’re just spread too thin and need to decide where to focus. They can’t be everything to everyone. And for now at least, I’m not their ideal customer profile.

If you like gaming, dive bar food, and informal atmosphere, give it a go. This place has potential to be something special, and it’s hard to run a food business. Restaurants need customers.

But if you’re like me, and you have difficulty digesting greasy and fried foods, give this a wait while they work out the kinks and decide what they want to be when they get more...

In the dictionary under the word eclectic and somewhat near the word eccentric you will find my name. And then right beside that, you will find a listing for The Don’t Die Cafe.

It is the epitome of off the wall oddness with a good dash of friendly welcome. The day I went in was a craft day and the place was full of interesting looking people making a variety of stuff, a lot of knitting and crocheting.

Beyond that the place is filled with a variety of electronic games and there appeared to be outlets both regular and usb everywhere. It looks like a gamers paradise which although I’d rather insert a dull pen into my aging eyes than partake, it does look like a blast for who like such things.

I’ll tell you what I do like though, and that is a business that understands its audience. A business that seeks its place in the community and accepts that responsibility to put out the welcome mat and make a safe space for creative folk.

I spent a lot of my youth as an outsider. My interests were not exactly main stream and my brain was what I suppose now they call neurodivergent. I did not understand much of the normal world, but moved freely in other ways. It was always fascinating, but it could be lonely.

What I would have given for a coffee shop like this! I would have lived there!

And then, I suppose I have to review the normal things. I had a chai latte that was perfect and piping hot. The service was very friendly and informative. It felt like someone who wanted to be there. I approve!

It is the kind of place that is pretty off the norm so it deserves the return support of the community. These kinds of things are rare and precious and if people don’t recognize the possibilities then it will move on and a lot of magic will be lost.

It definitely goes on the list for a fun place to meet friends! I’ll bet someone would teach you how...

This place is awesome! They have gaming PC's along the exterior wall. This coffee shop has 80's gaming and movie parifinalia all over the walls, complete with a stern overseer to glower at you on the throne. They have burgers and pizza available next door, at Vault 21, which is connected through an interior doorway. They also have boadgames you can borrow while you partake in the beverage and food choices at Vault 21.

They have cookie muffins they bake on order, so expect to wait 10 minutes or so, but they are so good! Both people, in our party, we're unable to finish them.

The coffee and pumpkin Chai is good. Unfortunately, if you are vegan or gluten free, there is nothing you can eat. They do have almond and oat milk options for teas and coffee beverages. They are tucked away from Mill Plain, so they are difficult to see driving by. They also don't open until 11am, so if you want your go juice at 7am or 8, you are put of luck. For those of us who enjoy sleeping in occasionally, the later opening time is fine by us.

We arrived on a morning when all staff had called in for the day. So one guy was running coffee, the bar and the back kitchen for the first hour. He was so efficient, you wouldn't know he was alone. We let everyone know he was working back there alone in case there were delays, but no one had any issues.

My only regret is not taking...