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Real People. Real Reviews.®
Categories: Coffee & Tea, Sandwiches, Bakeries
426 W Hastings StIntroductory prices!
Try our Original flavor with butter & seasalt for only $1.25!…
Mon-Fri 8 am - 6:30 pm
Sat 10:30 am - 5 pm
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Need a nice cheap quick breakfast before work?
Well then, this is the place. Over the past couple weeks I've come here to try out all varieties of Bonchaz's and every one of them is tasty.
Since I've only come in during the morning before work the lack of seating is never a problem.
Staff are friendly and always quick to serve.
French pressed coffee (my favourite) and a warm banana walnut bon chaz. In my mouth, if there is a heaven, that's where it is.
So, the decor/tables. Yes, they need more seats. They can totally do it too, lots of unused and open space.
I am waiting to use my coupon for the dozen deal so I can treat some friends with them. However, I want to try one of each. Don't care if it makes me a glutton, but they are so airy and light.. need more!
As I was sitting there, I overheard one of the girls making the bon chaz that "Oh man, we could put like chocolate on the banana walnut one!" and inside I was dying, yes please!
Food was delish.
The decor looks like they just moved in 3 days ago and wasn't the most friendly arrangement.
An excellent image to what the experience was like: our table wobbled .
Delicious! I love their vegan sandwich ($3.95) (but I get it with turkey +$1). Also I've tried their banana walnut boncha - delicious. They serve cheap good breakfast on the weekends too. Friendly staff. I nearly gave it 5 stars, but you really have to rock my world to get 5. Maybe after I've tried more things.
Today, I originally came to Bonchaz to use my free Bonchaz gift voucher that I acquired from Eat! Vancouver. I have a bunch of these.
There was a lineup and the ladies in front of me had no tables to sit at. Luckily for me, I noticed just ONE seat available by the door. Nice!
Instead of a Bonchaz bun, I noticed they have a pretty good deal on soup & sandwich combo ($6.50). The choices of soup today were "Curry chicken" (huh? People actually do order this!) and Tomato Basil. I ordered the Tomato basil soup and Smoked Salmon sandwich.
Tomato basil soup was not bad. It was very tart and it tasted very fresh, and it had some celery in it also. Sandwich was so yummy. The bread was really perfect, dense and crispy crust and soft and very air-y insides. Its called "savoury baguette". Inside was a pretty generous amount of smoked salmon, extremely thin slices of cucumber, iceberg lettuce, tomatoes and mayo.
Since I am a carb-a-holic, I still pursued a Bonchaz. I noticed one of the Bonchaz has returned: Chocolate truffle, 70% cocoa. I really wanted to try it. I saw the girl next to me, it looked like there was chocolate sprinkles on top. Unfortunatly she had the last one, so I had the Banana Walnut instead. That has a strong banana flavor. I wonder if its all banana or do they use banana extract also?
Anyways, the only problem I have with Bonchaz is that they always seem kind stingey with their fillings. Also, with all that space in their cafe and only about 5 tables, 2 window seats and a 4 person couch, I think if they arranged it better with more seatings and tables, your customers are more likely to spend more $$$.
With a little decorating and moving of furniture this place could be even more appealing.
Good breakfast
Great cup of coffee
The bread here was amazing!!!
I'm a recovering carbo-loader. Bakeries were my second home. After reading reviews and applying krytonite self-imposed willpower, I incidentally found myself in the area and decided to research into Bonchaz. It was just a duck in and out opportunity, so I made off with a banana walnut and apple cinnamon for sharing.
Because the apple cinnamon bun suffered a tong-dropping incident and was misshapen as a result, it was offered to me for free. The buns are lightly sweet and fluffy soft. The crunchy topping breaks into a sugar crumble as you bite into the bun. And then......I need another visit to continue my research.
Next time I'll go plain. I'm not sure about the matcha tea filling. And I don't like apple walnut. I suspect the plain will be best, probably called "original". I can make that kind of "French press" coffee at home, and I can make better coffee at home too.
Is this real brioche? I'd like to know from someone French.
I was lucky enough to try their speciality banana walnut pastry at Eat Vancouver so I already knew what was waiting behind the glass door.
Very relaxing feel, smells heavenly and who can turn their nose up at Mexican style brioche.....only in Vancouver!
Guess they were in a generous mood at the tradeshow giving me 4 free bonchaz vouchers, so I cashed them in baby! The hollow leg that is my boyfriend devours sweets so got him 2 banana walnut and 2 apple cinnamon. Wonder how long they will last.
Unfortunately the counter girl burnt her arm taking them out of the oven and I felt bad for her until she showed me the 4 other scars on her arm. Yikes!
Not something I would indulge in too often but a treat none the less!
We all know good tasting equals high calorie count!
Life is so unfair!
Yummy in my tummy. Coming here the yelping office hours was an absolute brilliant idea. I was early, which is not a new thing for me, so I got a chance to check out the place before my fellow Yelpers joined me.
Upon walking in I was greeted by the lady behind the counter. She figured out right away that I was a newbie to the Bonchaz club so she offered me a piece of the banana walnut bonchaz. Now I know that this can not be the healthiest thing to eat but boy was it fricken fantastic. From the chalk picture on the wall, a bonchaz is a sweet bun, hand stuffed, with a coffee and icing crust. Yummy Yummy. After the first try I just HAD to get a full one. If I had less self control I would have bought a dozen to take home. Alas I was good and just had the one.
Now for the coffee. From the advertising, Bonchaz uses Ethical Bean coffee which I use at home, so I knew it would be delicious. What I loved was that it was done in a bodum (French press). I had forgotten that I seriously enjoy my coffee that way. More yum in my tum.
The decor is nice and simple. It has an open and airy feeling which seems to get lost in a lot of other cafes, like Starbucks. Needless to say I will be passing the details of this place to anyone that will listen.
HEY ANYONE, ARE YOU OUT THERE? YOU NEED TO CHECK OUT BONCHAZ.
Listed in: 4* (just a little something…, Food, food & more food!, Caffeinate me! (and a little…
Kaylie Says:
Upon entry to the bakery I wasn't surprised in the lack of originality in the decor because it just opened. I was reluctant to order a sandwich from a new restaurant full of smiling new employees that were just learning the ropes, but to my delight the employees knew about their explicitly vegan sandwich. That's right.... it's called a vegan sandwich! Not a vegetarian sandwich or veggie sandwich, but vegan sandwich! Wow!
Still my skeptical self didn't believe that this vegan sandwich would be much better than anything else I've had in the area, but hey the price was right.
First to come out was the soup and honestly soup is only good if it's homemade. Truthfully I can't make a bad critique about a soup that was pre-packaged and heated up that morning. I knew what I was ordering and I was getting what I paid for. So with that being said, the soup was flavoured with too many crappy herbs and wasn't that warm, but hey it was good to dip my sandwich into.
The sandwich was much bigger than I expected and was presented nicely. For $3.95 you can't beat this sandwich! Yes simple, but the hummus and bread were superb and well combined. The bread was an herb baguette that tasted as it had just come out of the oven. I could probably eat a whole baguette by myself and feel no remorse for doing so.
Bon Chaz is perfect for a cheap sandwich and a french press. I will more than likely return for not only the sandwich, but the cheap french press coffee and the bread! I can only imagine the entertaining possibilities with the help of that baguette.
Malloreigh says:
I've just started attending SFU, whose downtown campus is across the street from Bon Chaz, so I'm pretty excited to have this in the area. For less than $5 I can have a filling and delicious vegan sandwich and I don't have to fight to make sure I don't get cheese and mayo on it every single time. Getting a sandwich as a vegan is usually a huge pain in the ass and usually it just involves them taking everything tasty off of their veggie sandwich and then charging you an arm and a leg... so to get such a delicious and big sandwich at Bon Chaz for so cheap was awesome.
The soup was another $2.50 on top of the sandwich - still a pretty good deal. They've said that they always have a vegan soup, which is great. Kaylie and I shared a French press, as well, which gave us two decent-sized cups of freshly brewed coffee for $1.75. That's pretty much cheaper than making my own coffee at home.
The staff was friendly and helpful, and while the decor is lacking, I expect them to fill out as time goes on. The place is huge and they have a bookshelf as well as some board games available for customers to enjoy - we played a game of Scrabble while we ate and drank coffee, and never once felt pressured to clear out. I'll be back.
What in the world is a bonchaz you might be wondering? It's a donut.
The little house of Bonchaz smells like Canada's Wonderland, an amusement park for those who've never been (so funnel cake). They're baked fresh and you can see the uncooked dough sitting around on baking sheets. I ordered two, one after the other. Not bad but not great, but for some reason addictive. Not much filling in both of mine, and neither of them tasted as good as the samples I've had of them on the counter or at the farmers' market. Am I eating it wrong?
They serve coffee in short fat French presses. SO cute. Nonetheless, I probably won't be back. I was a bit disappointed, but maybe because I was expecting more than I should've been.
Note to self: must order multiples of these and then scarf them all when no one is looking. Nom, nom, nom. The crunchy, crumbly, yet pillowy topping, the airy "bun" make the stuff food dreams are made of.
Coffee in your own personal french press (if you're staying) and free wi-fi seals the deal. Get those buns baking Bonchaz, you've just met your match.
Listed in: Caffeinate me Vancouver!, Where's My Wi-Fi?, Bread-fully Yours Vancouver, Vancouver's Best Meeting Spots, Eats on the Cheaps
I go here regularly. The soups are great, the service is friendly and fast, and the prices are very reasonable.
Delicious, warm brioche in several flavours. Unfortunately for my figure, it's located just a couple blocks from school.
The interior of the cafe is a bit stark and could maybe use a few more tables - it was full when I visited. Staff was warm and welcoming -- super friendly and helpful.
I had popped in for a quick lunch and ordered the original bun while also trying the bacon/mushroom soup. I considered ordering a sandwich but was put off by the menu board which listed it as a 'meat' sandwich. Meat? That's kinda a wide open area with many possibilities. The menu board just didn't make the sandwiches seem enticing, so I opted not to risk it.
The bun had its crunchy top and tender, soft brioche interior. I could easily eat a dozen of these!
The soup was creamy without being too rich -- the soup comes in a tall mug and the serving is large for the price. It warmed me up and also filled me up!
Will be back to try more buns and may possibly explore their mystery sandwiches ;-)
Since I like all forms of baked goods, | was excited to take a nice walk from Yaletown only to find it's closed on Sundays. Today, I braved wind and rain to be rewarded with a warm tasty little treat.
They have original (salt and butter, $1.25), banana walnut (1.75), and chocolate but they have new flavours on the way including green tea. I liked the Original. They give out samples too.
What is a Bonchaz? others have given good description: it's a bun with a crispy top with lite buttery, doughy inside. They bake them continuously in small ovens to keep fresh and warm, but I'm not sure how if they'd be as good if you dont eat it there right away.
I can't say I'd drive half way across the city for them like I would a Cinnamon bun (Grounds for Coffee) but if I was in the area, I'd drop in again for something different.
Can I say Chinese Pineapple bun mixed with a Donut!!!!
Yes yes, the crumbly topping with a hot gooey centre, fresh out of the oven. I don't think the original has the centred goodness, but if you get banana walnut - you will be satisfied. My first bite into the Bon Chaz oozes out with hot smoke as you see banana filling inside. Don't wait for it to cool down.. I think it will just ruin your experience.
I came back a couple days later and got carrot giner soup for $1.95. Thick and full of flavour, I was happily warmed up as it soothed my sore throat.
As I walked by today, they now offer a soup and sandwich combo for $6.95. If you want to enjoy your meal in time, there are chairs and tables in a long open space... feels like something else can occupy it as it seems a little bare.
Samples are available - just ask!
Listed in: I Love Apple Pie :), Bo Lo Bao and Cha Chan Teng
Pretty amazing brioches!! A cute little space within the financial district, this is a perfect place to grab a brioche, or sit down and enjoy their sandwich+soup, and they also offer French pressed teas and organic teas.
Bonchaz are a hyrbid of a Mexican bun (conchas) and brioches (French buns.)
Brioches are freshly baked'; the sweet aroma fills the place. There are 3 choices of brioches-plain-$1.25, French truffle, and banana walnut-$1.75 each. I order a French truffle one. (They are soon to have a matcha green tea flavour!!)
The bun is warm, and topped with a soft crispy crust. One bite into this, and OMG, soft slightly sweet texture, and the crust just melts in your mouth. The French truffle filling is just melted, and sooo delicious!!
Simply amazing. Perfect for a snack, or a lazy afternoon muching on Bonchaz all day.
Bon buns! Their specialty is Mexican buns - I can't say I've had an authentic Mexican bun, but whatever this is it's good. It really is similar to a Chinese Pineapple bun, except with fillings. The top crust is supposed to be coffee flavoured, but I didn't detect any of that.
Fresh out of the oven, the Chocolate truffle bun is delicious - dark chocolate oozing inside. It's worth waiting for a fresh batch to be baked up. Although, taking out and reheating back at home works too. Wasn't too crazy about the original or banana walnut flavours.
A few quality control issues, they overbaked a few of them with an unappetizing char. Overall though, I wish them the best of luck - and am super excited to go back when they have the green tea flavour.
Listed in: Restaurants worth a second…
I went there to check out choices for lunch yesterday after my partner had told me about this place. It's failry new. As I was checking out the menu, a few customers came in with their free sample cards. Where did mine go? :)
The server behind the counter offered me a small sample when he learnt that it was my first time in the restaurant. The cafe offers brioches freshly baked on site. Of the 3 choices on the menu, I bought butter with sea salt and banana walnut. Both were served right out of the oven. The butter with sea salt was light and airy with a sweet crusty topping. I like the sweetness with a hint of salt. The banana walnut has walnut pieces sprinkled on top with a banana cream filling. $3 for both of them and that was a satisfying lunch.
Next time ... vanilla ice cream!!!
Alrite, its got a nice fun sign and automatically makes you feel that you are in a fun place that serves fantastic baked goods. So its good, but not fantastic. However its new and different, and its super close to where I live. So if im looking for a quick thing to munch on, I stop by. The fact that they offer free samples is pretty awesome. They are out of truffle, so you wont get to try their truffle bun, its their best one. I think they are getting some soon.
crazy cheap, criminally tasty, and dangerously close to work. i could go through a dozen by myself in a day, easy. their soups are tasty and fresh too. i want to try their french press coffee next... i hope they have some sort of loyalty reward card or something, because i will be coming here a LOT in the near future.
their brioches are REALLY GOOD. i would go just for that. my French bf tried it too and he says they taste very authentic.
it seems like it is a new cafe and I really hope they can make it. I'm sick of the waves and blenz just down the street ! To compete with these bigger chains, they probably have to start offering a more varied menu...and stick with it, so people who go there once and like it can return to get the same thing! maybe more chairs and tables to make the place look more professional and be open later? cleaner windows and signs with hours posted on them? have a few organic or exotic products to attract those environmental professionals who work next door? I normally like to work after hours at cafes down the street, and would definitely consider Bon Chaz if their wifi is strong enough - an after dinner brioche would be such a treat!
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