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Wired Monk
Category: Food Coffee & Tea Coffee & Tea [Edit]
2610 W 4th AveVancouver, BC V6K 1P7
Neighbourhood: Kitsilano
(604) 742-1752
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- Free
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
16 reviews for Wired Monk
16 reviews in English
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Review from Katy H.
2/25/2010
Did you say almond vanilla tea? Yes please!
Wired Monk was a life saver. After four days without WIFI (aka access to work!) I found myself at the Wired Monk. I can't tell you how great it was to sip on a lovely cup of tasty tea and catch up on some work.
There was parking street side, ample room for guests to sit and lounge, and great service to boot! What more could one ask for? Oh - I know... they even play live music some nights! -
Review from Trudi C.
I cycled my way here, and down Trafalgar Street by the side, I accidentally swallowed a lungful of annoying little flies in my path! So I wasn't in the best of moods entering.
My latte was nice enough, tasty to the point of only adding a small drop of honey. Yum!
Nice layout, with a variety of seats. Many of which were taken up with people on laptops - the soft seats had people taking up 2, legs sprawled out on the other. One woman looked like she was casually dressed for bed, and even had what appeared to be slippers on! We're in a public place, this is *not* your living room. So that took off a star for me. Other than that, is a nice, casual place. -
Review from Don B.
2/20/2010 1 Check-in Here
Rooibos tea Americano? Reliable fast Wifi? Easy and convenient free parking streetside? Friendly staff?
I am saved!
Being international and jonesing for a 3G fix (my iPhone data would be $15/meg up here! I feel violated!), I feel like a heroin addict without a bindle (not that I know what that would feel like). Our RV park that we're staying at has the absolute shittiest and least reliable wifi ever. Starbucks makes you pay (seriously?! In this day and age?!).
The Wired Monk is my current oasis of connectivity in a sea of darkness.
And dang if this rooibos Americano isn't pretty freakin' good. Seriously. While I am a total caffeine fiend, sometimes I don't need to be any more cracked out, and usually the only option is decaf. This is a brilliant alternative.
All around, great setting, nice folks, fast wifi, and good drinks.
Word.Listed in: Oh Canada...., Diggin' the 'Couve!
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Review from Crystal H.
Vancouver, BC
Updated - 2/21/2010 2 Check-ins Here
Right in the moment when day turns to night, Wired Monk serves as a space that lets you gear up or wind down, or lets a work-a-holic catch up online.
Perfect for those times when you want tea, beer, live music and wi-fi all at your fingertips.
PS. Much appreciation goes to the spacious and clean potty.Listed in: Vancouver's Coffee Culture: A…, Kitsilano for Sunny Vancouver…, Where's My Wi-Fi? These…, Baby It's Cold Outside, Entertain Me Vancouver!
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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2/22/2009
Acoustic sets sound great in this small space. I've never seen it in the light of day, but by night… Read more »
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Review from Lucie B.
Vancouver, BC
1/25/2010
I'm as addicted to this place as I am to its tasty coffee!
If you wanted to, you could spend your whole day here. Freshly-baked (nutritious yet delicious) muffins in the morning, a wrap in the afternoon, and hearty soup in the evening.
It's wonderful for the workaholics: you can slave away with the free wi-fi every day of the week until closing, except Friday and Saturday evenings, when the live music forces you to get a life. -
Review from Tim L.
8/25/2008
I love this independent coffee house. It offers great tasting coffee, comfy seating, free wi-fi and super friendly staff.
They'll bring your coffee out to you as long as it's not super busy and there's plenty of room to study and work or just hang out and read a book.
It can get pretty busy, but unlike other coffee shops the noise level in this place is never distracting. -
Review from Tim S.
2/14/2010
I was torn between 3 and 4 stars: the Wired Monk is really nice, but just doesn't ring my bell, and I'd feel weird giving 4 stars to a place I don't really plan on returning to. I came in on a gorgeous Sunday afternoon to click through my Google Reader feeds over espresso before the week got into swing.
There's a big "New Management" banner over the door, which always makes me nervous. Maybe there are some changes in the air?
The interior's really nicely appointed. There are a few dead-"this is a franchise"-giveaways, especially the nicely printed menus and promo banners and a vague IKEA air to the furnishings, but I wouldn't hold it against them. There's real hand-painted Olympic decorations on the windows, so it's not like they aren't trying. The Wired Monk is on the southwest corner of 4th & Trafalgar and the layout takes full advantage of its wrap-around windows (not much afternoon sun, though). There are lots of comfy chairs for sitting over low tables, but you probably wouldn't want to use a laptop at them, which I'm sure is intentional.
This isn't someplace I'd come for the coffee. My Americano was okay but not revelatory and there was a thick layer of fines at the bottom of my cup. Check your grinder, guys!
What made my cursor hover over that fourth star is that the sandwiches and beer in the cooler look pretty tasty, other Yelpers tell me there's nightlife, and I've got no complaints about the wifi. I'd have no second thoughts about stopping in if I found myself in the neighborhood and maybe I'll come back at night, but, for now, I think I'll take my buzzed laptopping elsewhere. -
Review from Chloë E.
Vancouver, BC
11/11/2008 1 photo
It's nice to see a unique coffee shop with sticking power--it must be in the Wired Monk's holy formula. Although I was surprised to uncover this coffee shop is actually part a franchise.
The evening open mics create a great community feel. On my last evening there, the eclectic mix of a chipper host, violinist chiming in from the floor and a wide range of performers melded into a sweet mix. From indie pop songs to spoken word and really new guitarists playing the song their teacher taught them last week, the Wired Monk does deliver on serving up something for all tastes and talents. The owners are also very passionate about what they do.
As a professional hot chocolate drinker though, Wired Monk loses a star for a less than fantastic version. But maybe it was just an off-night.Listed in: No Starbucks here: Cafés and…
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Review from Noa G.
Vancouver, BC
8/29/2008 2 photos
I'm headed to one of my favourite neighbourhood joints -- the Wired Monk -- tonight for a CD release party, so I thought I'd do up a little review on the place today.
Basically, this coffee shop is like Jekyll and Hyde -- in a good way. During the day it's airy and filled with natural light -- the perfect place to read the paper, listen to your iPod, and sip on a ginormous cup of coffee. Curl up with a book on the couch by the fireplace, or click away at your laptop at a table near the window, taking advantage of the free wi-fi access. Monk's offers a wide variety of organic and free-trade coffee, as well as a loose-leaf tea menu from around the world, including exotic Jasmine Dragon Tears, Egyptian chamomile, Brazilian Yerba Mate, and the special "holy" house blend.
But beware! When the sun sets, the Wired Monk becomes a night spot with a hot live music scene. Curtains usually go up at 8:30 p.m. Local musicians impress the crowd, trying to make their mark, while amateur singer-songwriters take to the stage bravely on open-mic nights. Best of all, the Wired Monk is fully licensed, you can also sit back and enjoy a glass of wine or a pint.Listed in: Coffee Crazy
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Review from Megan S.
11/25/2008 1 photo
A great meeting place- it's a big cafe, and you can always find a seat. Well during the day that is. At night they have local music- flamenco, R&B, accoustic, open mic, you name it. I haven't made it at night (yet),
so I'm not sure how crowded it gets.
I've come here a few times in the late morning, and after a few hours on their free wi-fi, found that I needed some lunch. The tuscan monk on the ciabatta bread is wonderful! I love the flavors of the basil and provolone. The coffees are robust and organic. -
Review from Suzanne F.
12/8/2010
I often go looking for places to study, and in my search found the Wired Monk. It was initially quite inviting, the lighting, music and ambiance all to my taste. So why the three stars, you ask?
Two things. Firstly, the entire shop had this strange aroma. I'm not sure what is was, or if its a normal things, but I couldn't get the smell out of my nose. Secondly, the state of the electric plugs. My laptop is incredibly reliant on being hooked up, and the wired monk has three seats (that I could find) that were close to outlets, all three were taken, and all three were at the bar, which is not at all conducive to studying.
So overall, though the coffee was good, I will not be going back. -
Review from Cora E.
1/19/2011
My sister and I decided to take a random jaunt up to Canada, and were surprised to find that none of our electronics received any form of signal here. Silly us, we hadn't taken seriously the "international" aspect of crossing the border. We've squatted in a lot of places for wireless while here, but Wired Monk is amongst our favorites. There's plenty of seating, a few outlets by the fireplace to charge your devices, strong wifi, and a good selection of food and drinks. I had the vegan stew and, despite my usual refusal to eat anything in which meat isn't a main ingredient, it was actually quite delicious. My sister had the sconewiche, and both of us agreed that it was awesome. It's not the coziest café in the world, but it's comfortable enough and it meets all your wifi needs.
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Review from Tina H.
12/25/2009 ROTD 4/30/2010
I really like this place. The people are usually quite friendly. The London fog is good (especially when this one chick makes it whose name starts with an E, I forget). They have free Wifi. They have a coffee/tea/latte/etc. card so if you buy a certain number you can get the next one free (I like those). The food is pretty good. The seats aren't the coziest but there's enough space for everyone. The tables are small and circular so if you have a lot of stuff probably not the best place to go to do work. I usually go here even though I live closer to Calhoun's because it's less crowded here and the food and drinks are better. Also the service is friendly. Lately this has been my study spot.
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Review from Monica M.
Vancouver, BC
8/25/2010
The Wired Monk is the most laid back, welcoming and user-friendly coffee joint this side of the Burrard bridge (perhaps even in the entire Westside)! There is something here for everyone and the food is fresh, changes daily, healthy and very creative. The new "red" drinks (made with Roiboos tea instead of coffee) are my fav. I'm not sure what's more addictive: the delicious bevvies or the free WiFi! There is always a gentle flow of people at the Monk and the joint has a trendy, chit chatty vibe. I love this local, community hot spot!
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Review from Lindsay y.
Vancouver, BC
10/22/2010
I found this on yelp and deicded to give it a go as a place to escape from campus for a bit. Im a big fan of going to coffee shops on 4th and wanted something fun and out of the way from crowds. This spot was great! They make a lot of their own mix drinks which was really fun and internet access and a friendly staff! Great spot :)
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Review from Ali L.
Montréal, QC
9/20/2009
Three stars because the open mics and occasional band you find at Wired Monk are are cool - and this is a nice laid back place to get coffee or a glass of wine. By day, most customers are working away on laptops (there's free WiFi.) Unfortunately, the coffee is only so-so.
