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Caffe Fantastico
- Hours:
Mon-Wed, Fri-Sun 7 am - 7 pm
Thu 7 am - 10 pm
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- Free
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
12 reviews for Caffe Fantastico
Review Highlights
12 reviews in English
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Review from Amanda J.
Victoria, BC
12/31/2011
I have just found my new Victoria hangout spot... Friendly baristas (what?! So different than when I lived in Seattle!), AMAZING coffee (Africanos are my new favorite things ever), free WiFi, good ambiance, funky artwork. Only a teeny small beef - I wish they had more tables to work at. I'm so glad this place exists.
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Review from Josie K.
Surrey, BC
1/9/2012
Always try to get here when I visit Victoria as it is the best expresso in town. I like to also take their beans home with me and enjoy.. Good spot.
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Review from Casey K.
Victoria, BC
7/10/2009
So here's my criteria for a coffee shop: quality of drip coffee, comfortable/interesting environment, good service and prices.
I find Cafe Fantastico's coffee to be the best in the city. They roast their own beans and do a damn fine job of it too. The shop might be too crowded and busy for some but if you want to sit inside and have some patience it's a cool environment, great for people watching. The place has real character. They just upgraded the patio furniture too I see so sitting outside is nice, although unfortunately the busy/noisey Quadra street is right beside. They stock great local baked goods too like Mount Royal Bagels and House Bread.
So yeah. Great coffee, unique and proudly local...oh right and it's cheap too! Very cheap drip coffee for the quality and discounted refills! Only thing holding it back are the physical limitations. Luckily we now have another one in Dockside Green if we just want the coffee without the same culture. -
Review from Sara W.
Victoria, BC
4/17/2009
I've been here a few times, and I found the espresso quality to be pretty inconsistent. At best, their espresso is very good (not amazing, but definitely better than average), but the last time I was there, I was unfortunate enough to be served a sour, almost watery latté that made me wonder whether the barista actually knew what he was doing.
Also: Do not order a chai latté here. It's just a single tea bag dangling in some steamed milk, and frankly, that just doesn't cut it for me.
I'd still say it's the best option for a decent coffee in Cook Street Village though. -
Review from Holly M.
Victoria, BC
1/9/2011
They have the best mochas & friendly staff
They use chocolate milk for the mocha & Bernard
Callaebaut chocolate shavings on top YUM! -
Review from Beth C.
Victoria, BC
Updated - 5/11/2010
I stand corrected - the Kings Rd. location does now (or perhaps always did, and I assumed, because of the Cook St. Village location) have debit capabilities. Hurrah!
My gentleman friend and I stopped in for Americanos on the weekend during Quadra Village day on Saturday, and it was delicious and friendly as always. Really amazingly good espresso. Makes me happy.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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5/3/2010
I LOVE Fantastico's coffee. They make the best Americano I've ever tasted, with real cream in cold… Read more »
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Review from Tobias K.
BC
12/19/2009
As stated in other reviews I like coffee. Now, my problem with Fantastico is the burnt smell inside - I know it is the roaster but other shops dont smell like burnt wood inside do they?
The coffee is good but the staff at grimy looking, kinda not a "clean and fresh" vibe in there. I have nothing against hippies but when my barista is reeking like B.O and patchouli oil and wearing a belly shirt - one must think twice and make the call on whether or not it is worth it......
Great coffee, fairly quick service and pricing is competitive. -
Review from danna m.
Victoria, BC
perfection. simply perfection.
it is the best spot to find a great americano, little latte, or $1 drip coffee - ya that's right!! A small drip is only $1 - AND it's like liquid gold!
PS: i'm in love with one of the baristas... hee hee. -
Review from Ron O.
Victoria, BC
1/17/2010
I mostly buy whole beans --either green to roast myself or Fantastico's Causeway Blend. . They are very skilled roasters but sometime I find they try to slip me a 1/2 lb that's past its prime. I've had a few espresso based drinks here too - a few caps, but mostly americanos. Quality varyies between great to acceptable depending on the skill behind the machine. Little of the 'tude you get at some other, more expensive places (yes, Discovey I'm looking at you).
Comment from David A. of Caffe Fantastico 2/10/2010
Thanks for the kind words Ron . If you ever receive a drink… More » -
Review from Brad W.
Victoria, BC
11/19/2008
The espresso here is generally perfect every time. They don't really have anything else though, just a few cookies, but there are plenty of other places to find something to eat within a few blocks.
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Review from A E.
Victoria, BC
Updated - 3/31/2010
This place is consistently FANTASTIC. I have never had a bad cup of coffee here, the people are fun to watch, the art changes frequently and is entertaining, the baristas are nothing short of drink-making experts, the furniture is fun and full of character... I could go on but before I bore you with a long list I must say something about the roaster.
Watching through the door to their roasting room, I could see a clean cut, slightly retro-styled man of about thirty in front of the coffee roaster. He wore a pair of ear muffs to protect him from the noise and he was bent over the roaster's dispenser, scrutinizing output with a bright light. Taking beans out, smelling them, separating them etc. It made me feel almost as if the $15 a pound I pay for espresso there is too little! I had been told that their roaster was meticulous, but this was beyond what I had imagined.
Lastly, they have some Jamaican Blue Mountain peaberry beans for about $50 a pound. I haven't tried it, but it's good to know that fancy stuff is available. (fyi, coffee beans are usually two halves but about 5% of them are not. These rounder berries, called peaberry, are selected more carefully and supposedly roast more evenly because they roll around better. Jamaican Blue Mountain also happens to be a particularly fine bean.)1 Previous Review: Show all »
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11/4/2009
Among the best third wave coffee shops in Victoria. I buy their Causeway (espresso) roast on a… Read more »
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Review from Summer C.
Victoria, BC
2/8/2010
If you know what a great "crema" is and you speak of coffee the way a wine snob rattles off crap about wine, then you are likely to fall head over heels for the joe's at Cafe Fantastico. There are three locations I know of: 1) Cook Street Village (urban boheme hipsters atmosphere that lacks good seating for riveting conversation). 2) Kings St. @ Quadra Village (very hip and seedy "I can hang in my jammies sans makeup and fit in" cool, with great magazines to boot!) and 3) My fave - their newest location on Dockside Green ( right next to a "Renaissance" bakery, with parking and lots of great seating). All three Cafe Fantastico's are somewhat set back, with the newest Dockside location being a hidden gem worth discovering! Let's just put it this way, if Starbucks is the "Jennifer Aniston" of coffee houses (all American, love-able and consistent) then I would have to liken Cafe Fantastico as being the "Scarlett Johansen" of Coffee Houses (approachable but mysterious and oh so sultry). I highly recommend trying their cafe mocha's and their Africano's - half latte, half Americano. The mocha's are not sticky sweet so you can enjoy the earthy marriage of dark roast coffee and peppery cocoa. My great coffee litmus test is this: If I can drink a whole cup without adding sugar, it's perfecto. A smooth smokey boldness with a creamy-caramel over-note; neither winy nor acidic, Cafe Fantastico gets five stars for their coffee mastery. The atmosphere? Let's just say that I have seen swish business types sip their coffees amongst neo-hippie types and feel just at home. Bring cash or credit because they don't accept debit (to my knowledge).
