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Caffé Brixton
Category: Food Coffee & Tea Coffee & Tea
212 E Georgia StreetVancouver, BC V6A 1Z6
Neighbourhood: Strathcona
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- Free
28 reviews for Caffé Brixton
Review Highlights
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"...am a sucker for exposed brick and clean minimalist spaces." In 2 reviews -
"In any case, I look forward to coming back for brunch." In 8 reviews -
"Fresh food, very unique menu & 49th Parallel beans." In 5 reviews
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28 reviews in English
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Review from Kenneth E.
Vancouver, BC
4/24/2012 6 Check-ins Here
...only if i'm in the mood to be healthy lol. Menu is quite either vegetarian or organic, and hey why not in this day and age.
Quinoa cakes: yes, delicious, w/ some nice arugula salad. nice texture.
vegetarian French onion soup. not as salty as the norm.
carrot cake. fresh, indeed baked well, icing not too sweet.
Definitely chinatown is moving up and getting revitalized, even for a slow monday nite, still busy enough to feel the action.
plenty of parking.
great service too. Her name is Emma. -
Review from Larry L.
5/14/2012 1 Check-in Here
This place is pretty cool. It`s a nice addition to the Strathcona / Chinatown neighbourhood. They have taco specials in the evening too on certain days.
Coming here by myself was probably not the best thing for me, but I had a quick bite and then I was off.
Service was good.
The place looks lovely. It's trendy Chinatown and it's part of the new genesis of this area. I'm liking what I see so far. And to think, my grandfather many years ago owned almost a quarter of this block for less than $5,000 back in the day.Listed in: Mojofoodies -Chinatown
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Review from Curtis R.
Vancouver, BC
I go to Brixton several times a week now using it as a meeting place. Their "Big Salad" is amazing and their cappuccinos (49th Parallel beans) are quite good and very consistent. Have also tried their freshly brewed Chai Tea which was also very good.
If you are looking for a casual haunt to grab a beer, coffee, eat lunch or even grab some dinner, check it out.
The decor isn't my favorite but the food and friendly service make up for it.
They also do the food for the London Pub in front.
Check out this Chinatown/East Georgia haunt.Listed in: Best Coffee & Tea Houses
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Review from Emily-Anne P.
Vancouver, BC
4/1/2012 1 Check-in Here
Nothing like strolling in and being able to sit right down at a funky establishment on a Friday night no problem.
Friends and I were looking for some food and libations and decided to check out Brixton as it was likely to be less busy than anywhere else. We walked in, sat down and got on our way.
The place is nice, it's big and open and they've done a great job restoring it and bringing in a funky east van vibe. They've got a big table in the middle to share and smaller tables around the place, but it's nice. I'm a huge fan of the communal space.
We ordered nachos and a pint of white sangria to share. The nachos were good. They weren't Foundation, but considering how high Foundation sets the nacho bar they were really good. The salsa, however, was the most memorable part.
Our sangria was too sweet. It was good, and the mix of aloe, ginger and lychee was nice but it was all in all too sweet.
Overall (two pitchers of sangria, two ciders, a beer and nachos) our meal was about $60 which split 3 ways is great.
We closed the place down and were around right to the bitter end (they close at 11 fyi) and chatted with the staff as we were leaving. They were all super sweet and I can promise you I'll go back. -
Review from Johnson C.
Vancouver, BC
3/3/2012 4 Check-ins Here
This place isn't bad - good space, music of choice was some real hip-hop and they were playing Transformers on the TV... yes, Transformers... not the movie... G1 Transformers. From this alone, this should have been 5-stars.
But my friend and I came in to grab one quick drink - we grabbed a table and when we tried to order from the bar, the bartender (only person working) told us that she would come to us to take our order. We instantly read this as a play for tip.
Not a big deal, I suppose. But there were long waits between us getting the menu, she coming back to take our order, getting our drinks and finally receiving our bill. I tip for prompt service -- not for the fact that I can't walk over and place my order. Bleh.
But will give this place another shot - it's pretty quiet so you can have a conversation. And one can comfortably order beer ($14/pitcher for Blood Alley Bitter; more selection by the bottle) or coffee - so it's not a bad hangout.
... but you'll have to excuse the pretentious poetry on the bathroom walls... yup, you guessed it, it's kinda hipster-y.
Free WiFi.Listed in: A Compendium of Fine…, East Van Life
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Review from Anthony C.
Vancouver, BC
3/7/2012
Maybe the immediate access to infinite information has spoiled me on things like fixed menus, but I do enjoy having many choices. If only that I can pretend to look adventurous and then stick with my usual. Such is the pitfall of the Brixton Caffe. That being said, there are many positive things I'd be heartless to fault them on like:
- painfully kind and polite staff
- slices of quiche that could easily serve three
- non-stop cartoons on television
- that sweet video game table I've never had the chance to sit at
- a little something called Taco Tuesdays
Brixton is my new local cafe of choice since we moved our office from The Drive to Strathcona/Chinatown. They serve 49th Parallel Coffee, which isn't the worst... but as I can now confidently order a macchiato, I feel I'm entitled to say that I've had better. But all of this is not the true charm of the Brixton Caffe.
Picture this: it's a cold, rainy day in Vancouver. I know I have at least 97% of you with me right now. You're trudging down West Pender on your way to work. If it was sunny, you'd be all, "could this day get any better?!", but instead you're burying your head into your coat. The usual sights and sounds of the walk aren't doing anything for you. Where once laughter was found in a biker yelling at a bus to get the hell out of his way, now there's just raindrops on your headphones. And of course, today you decided that wearing boots was stupid because it's the beginning of March, and you moved from the east coast where a fine layer of ice still permeates anything living, and you're all, "weather be damned, I'm looking nice today".
And then you're all, "man, I hate wet socks".
Well, take all of this into account. Swirl those colours and paint a portrait in your minds of this morning commute. Then, imagine walking into Brixton with your glasses speckled by the rain, your nose running like Usain Bolt, and your head on the verge of a severe caffeine withdrawal type headache.
Take the time to let the damp sink into your jeans as you watch the barista not only grab a fresh croissant from the display after you order it - but it warm it the hell up for you. Did I ask for my flaky piece of bakery love to be warmed? Nope. Did it help brighten my day slightly? You damn right. -
Review from Simon K.
Coming for lunch in the Chinatown area, and stumbling on Georgia and Main is this place. It wasn't planned, as Phnom Penh was packed to the point the doors were going to blow off the place, and walking by noticing such a charming, brick showing, place like this, me and my friend decided to just sit ourselves here, also due to the fact we paid for parking, and didn't want to move too far from the car!
We ordered off the lunch menu, some sandwichs that come with a side (either a salad or a soup) to about a bit more than $7. I didn't notice, but they serve all day breakfast, so I felt I missed out, but my stomach was satisfied with the sandwich that I was about to eat. It's a roomy place, not much on decor, but in some way it gave off a very clean impression. The white walls inside, the dark wooden chairs and dark wooken booth seats along the side of the wall, gave this place a quiet vibe. Somewhere you can have some intellectual conversation, or just a place to sit and read the paper, or your laptop while having some good food.
I can definitely say I would come back to this neck of town to eat here, as the sandwich was tasty, full, and thick, and leaving me still full a few hours after while I'm writing this review. It is a destination type of place with good food, and alcohol, and for me it was a welcome change as I was with a friend that I have not seen in awhile and to be able to speak, and not needing to raise my voice, or be distracted by anything else, loud music, television, noisy crowd, and just the back drop of being in the alleys and trenches of Chinatown is a different sort of vibe and feel.
I hope to try their breakfast options next time, I'll be back! -
Review from Kathleen L.
Vancouver, BC
11/5/2011
This place is a favourite of mine. The decor is minimalistic and thus, quite attractive to me. Wood chairs and paneling makes me swoon. The coffee, 49th Parallel, is lovingly made. The beer selection is great with local craft beers well represented and the pricing is affordable. Compared to the hole that is the London Pub next door, this place is a dream. The thing is, the place is always pretty empty. So don't go there looking for a loud party place. The service is usually....how do you say it....rather apathetic. The smiles are scarce. That being said, I love the food, drinks and decor so I can handle the young hipster waitresses.
Also, high points for having a printed out crossword puzzle to do over breakfast with a friend or loved one.Listed in: The Coffee List, Strathcona Haunts
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Review from Vivian W.
Vancouver, BC
12/22/2011
This place is a new favourite! Most importantly to me, Caffee Brixton is a quiet little cafe/bar where conversations can actually occur without too much effort! No more shouting over other people's voices and loud TVs blaring sports games. It also doesn't hurt they have a great diverse drink menu (haven't tried the food yet) including delicious sangria, hot chocolate and craft beer.
Fingers crossed they keep the atmosphere that way. I can't wait to go back and nurse a pint or two of cider with a group of friends. -
Review from Sarah O.
11/15/2011
Cozy, intimate and warm little place right behind the London Pub. Came on a quiet Sunday night for late dinner and some wine. Ordered a few appies and vegetarian french onion soup: tasted excellent. The decor is minimal but very cute- and exposed brick walls get me every time. They have poetry taped in the bathroom wall, but it looked a bit ghetto sans frame. Nevertheless, I can't hate on a place that encourages pensive thoughts while sitting in the loo- poetry in motion.
Note to self: Must come back for midday tea. -
Review from Hootie J.
Vancouver, BC
12/23/2011 1 Check-in Here
All day breakfast. As long as you don't mind selecting from 4 items you will love it
I had the scrambled egg on croissant with bacon $4.99 tasty but that was it (other breakfast items quiche, cold cereal)
it is self serve, trendy slow (one staff out front)
probably a hit with the Hipsters mostly empty while we were there -
Review from Melissa E.
Vancouver, BC
11/13/2011
You know, ya, ok, whatevs.
We were supposed to be hitting up Phnom Penh for some chicken wings but they were closed for the week. Sadness. So we wandered down to Brixton for some brunch. They have a limited menu, croissant sandwiches, granola/yoghurt, baked goods. I got the Belgian waffles which was good but sooooo teeny tiny!! I felt like I needed teeny tiny utensils to eat it.
Coffees were solid. I dunno, it was fine. But nothing really more than that. -
Review from geoff a.
11/9/2011
I went to this cute cafe for the first time on a Tuesday night. Maybe it's the good selection of beer, but it feel like more than just a cafe.
It's in a nice heritage building and I always love brick and wooden fixtures!
It was very quiet without much atmosphere, but a great place to go to have some drinks and a good conversation or use their free wi-fi. They have a small menu with several items good for sharing tapas style. I enjoyed their roast garlic and brie spread served a mini mason jar with warm bread.
I've heard good things about their brunch, so I'll be checking that out soon. -
Review from Heather A.
Vancouver, BC
7/13/2011 1 Check-in Here
The waitress was having "one of those days," but despite the a-ok service, we had a great experience. Food was good, coffee was fine, the bf and I had a fun time.
We'll be back for brunch again. -
Review from Jesse T.
Vancouver, BC
When the waffles arrived .... they looked disappointingly tiny .... so predisposed am I to massive breakfasts.
But the taste! The TASTE!
The best waffles I've ever had, dense and complex.
The Brixton Cafe was a delicious surprise and I highly recommend a visit. -
Review from Rebecca C.
Vancouver, BC
8/28/2011
There was a 45-minute wait at Phnom Penh, so my friend and I went here for our girls' night out. The food was great -- I love that fact that most of their items are vegetarian or fish-based, which really works for the way I like to eat. We had salmon tacos, quinoa cakes and tomato salad. Everything was enjoyable and healthy. The sake sangria was AMAZING.
Like others have said, it was surprisingly quiet here, with only a couple of other diners in the restaurant. In any case, I look forward to coming back for brunch. -
Review from Jason M.
Vancouver, BC
1/1/2012
This is my new favorite brunch hangout. The food is excellent, coffee top notch, staff friendly, and room is stunning yet still casual and comfy. They even have some gluten free options, and a high chair for when I'm taking care of my young son. I live just off the heart of Commercial Drive but have to travel here to get all these things, which is kind of sad (come on Commercial can we try something new!) but this place rocks.
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Review from Sarah D.
8/5/2011
One Sunday afternoon my S.O. and I were taking a casual stroll through Strathcona. As we turned up Georgia St we found the usual Chinatown suspects: Chinese restaurant, Chinese butcher shop, Asian grocery store, Chinese herb market, Cafe Brixton. Wait.... whaaaaat? We were both taken aback as we peered into the trendy little hangout spot. What is *this* place doing here, and why didn't we know about it sooner? Although we had recently eaten, we gazed at the giant menus posted near the front door and promised ourselves we'd journey back for dinner. The prices were mostly around $10-12 per entree, and we secretly hoped that we'd found our new hangout HQ.
We returned for dinner and found the place nearly empty. We sat at a table that was actually an old arcade machine, and amused ourselves playing classic super-pixelated video games. Their dinner menu was quite sparse, but in the end we both decided to give their poutine a whirl (you can never go wrong with poutine!). Now, I have to say that their poutine was pretty good, especially considering it's not exactly traditional. Instead of fries, they use cubes of potatoes, like what you'd find served with a nice breakfast. Also, they use miso gravy, which I actually really enjoyed.
Based on my first experience, I'm giving them 3 stars since their evening menu wasn't exactly inspiring, and the emptiness of the place was a little awkward. I think they would do well to have some live music going on in the evenings. Their brunch menu, however, looked FABulous. I'll have to go back and give it a try, as I can imagine this place would be just hoppin' on weekend mornings. Overall a nice, unexpected addition to the Chinatown area. -
Review from Jay M.
Vancouver, BC
1/20/2011
I was working in the area and decided to drop in for a quick look at the menu and the new space at The Brixton.
The room is great, it felt like I stepped back in time with the decor they have selected.... Fresh food, very unique menu & 49th Parallel beans....
I unfortunately didn't get anything to eat but highly anticipate the weekend brunch rush the very friendly staff member told me about!
Cant wait to write another review once I have taken in the menu!!! -
Review from Casey L.
Vancouver, BC
7/17/2011
Saturday night. Every place we dropped by had a forty minute wait. This thirsty group of five was running out of options.
Then, out of nowhere, we came across the Brixton Cafe, and it was almost too good to be true. Amazing interior? Check. Promising menu? Definitely. Even as we were standing outside wondering if we should go in, a stranger walking by gave us a shining endorsement. "You should do it!" she said. "I come here for brunch all the time, and it's awesome!"
The only thing that held us back was the fact that, at seven o'clock on a Saturday evening, the Brixton was dead. A single two-top sat in the window. But we were sick of walking around looking for somewhere to seat us in under half an hour. We'd been at it all evening. At least here we could be seated right away.
I should note: we truly wanted to love this place. Maybe with time, we'll grow to love it.
The edibles were great. We ordered a pitcher of the sake sangria (white wine, sake, oranges, lemongrass, aloe, and something else delicious), and it was incredible. Citrus-y, sweet, fresh - in all seriousness, it was hands down the best sangria I've ever had. We also ordered the cheese special - blue cheese, camembert, and gouda - and it was so good. The bread was fresh and hot with a nice crust.
I feel terrible for what I'm about to say. But for a place that was totally empty (the two-top left just after we sat down, and another couple came in as we were paying the bill), the service was as slow as it would have been if the restaurant was fuller. It took twenty minutes for the sangria to arrive. It was obviously made to order, and was so good that all was forgiven, but there didn't seem to be any reason for it to take so long to get to our table. It took another fifteen minutes to get the cheese plate. We asked for our bill; it didn't come for ten minutes.
Our server later told us that the reason it had taken so long was because she didn't know how to use the computer, and neither did the bartender - they'd had to go find someone in the back to come out and show them how to print out our bill. "It's my first day today," she said. "I've never waited tables before. You're my very second customers ever." Fair enough - I'm cool with rookie mistakes, and working your first shift all alone is awful. But she clearly was not ready to handle it on her own, even with just a single table per hour. On our way out the door, I noticed that the table by the window (from the two guys who left after we came in, easily forty minutes ago) still wasn't cleared.
"I hope you come back," the server called after us. She said it with a smile but her voice was sad. I hope we do too. Maybe brunch is the sweet spot for this place. -
Review from Angus M.
Vancouver, BC
10/22/2011
Perfect place for drinking great coffee and reading a book on a rainy Vancouver afternoon. Or as the afternoon wears on, order lunch and check out their great selection of beers. I'm partial to high ceilings, huge windows so maybe I'm biased, but I love coming here.
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Review from fred e.
West Vancouver, BC
12/3/2010
I also went by the other day when I did the coffee tour of Vancouver. I think I was in on their 2nd day of business. Extremely hot looking building/cafe. Makes me feel like I'm in Chelsea in Manhattan. I felt as if I wasn't even in Vancouver.
Didn't have much food but their coffee was spot on. Was much better than Everything Cafe just a couple blocks away.
I look forward to many great mornings here drinking coffee and reading books. Oh, and the coffee was spot on. -
Review from sarah r.
Vancouver, BC
6/10/2011
I am a sucker for exposed brick and clean minimalist spaces. It reminds me of Stumptown in PDX. I just drink my coffee, do the crossword (which they provide you xerox copies for free), scribble a few lists for the day and I am on my way. Also, the coffee is rather good. I believe it is 49th Parallel Beans.
Listed in: Eastvan, Strathcona Reviews!
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Review from Faye S.
Vancouver, BC
9/14/2011
delicious and amazingly affordable!
i love the burning incense
i love the old wooden decore
so gastown! -
Review from Daniel L.
12/2/2010 1 photo
Old red brick Vancouver special heritage building with a old world feel cafe just opened on the Main st corner of Chinatown. Part of the London Pub... The Brixton is serving 49th Parallel coffee, and fresh french baguettes filled with euro fillings... Whats cool about this place is how they are using heavy thick distressed looking wooden tables and chairs to match the feel of the old brick walls and open 15ft beam ceiling...
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Review from Colene C.
I'm in love with the decor! I feel like I'm in a totally different time and place. It's spacious with exposed brick and old magazine racks holding back issues of Architectural Digest magazine (score!). I haven't tried the brunch (yet), but I did sample the coffee and sweets and they hit the spot. This is one of those places you can hunker down and stay awhile and play a game of cribbage with a friend for an afternoon (like I did!).
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Review from Trevor M.
Vancouver, BC
4/25/2011
Went here for brunch on Easter weekend '11. I love the decor and colours chosen for the place. Like other reviewers said it does have a Manhattan feel to it. Imagine Meat packing district or the East Village. The food was great also. I had the hash, it had some sort of barbecue flavour to it which was very nice. My wife had a vegetarian dish which was delicious but the tour de force was the waffles, YUM! The coffee is spot on, they serve 49th parallel coffee and I think I recognize the coffee guy from the 49th cafe. Will be back.
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Review from EmilyAnn J.
Vancouver, BC
12/3/2010
Stumbled upon this place first few days they were open. This has got to be the best place in town to get 49th Parallel coffee- huge and tastefully designed space in a beautiful old brick building on Main&Georgia nxt to the new London Pub. The staff are genuinely friendly and relaxed and play great music. The coffee (and the warm chewy chocolate chip cookie) was to die for. Feels like your in Europe or NYC. Definitely worth the walk over.
