Buon Amici’s – The Black Stilt Coffee Lounge – 2% Jazz – Bubby Roses – Habit Coffee and Culture – Sounds like Coffee – Discovery Coffee – and others.
Wherever you find your coffee and friendship or companionship… well, that is your best place. It is the best place… for you.
In the last 10 days or so we have had the fun exercise of polling our readers (and many people who have never seen this website before…) on where the Best cafe is in Victoria B.C. Canada.
It has been a fun, but largely pointless exercise… because the reality is: The great cafe is truly in the eye of the beholder. Some Examples:
(a.) Bubby Roses 2 Cafe – Andrea and I sat at Bubby Roses Bakery a few days ago while I spooned their Vegetarian chili into my tummy and shared some wonderful croissants.
At the next table was a very sweet looking young girl with crazy red hair sitting cross-legged in one of the chairs – and she was hand-writing a letter to her lover (and future husband) – Yes, I am naturally curious and yes, I have impeccable vision. He was somewhere far away – but she had this curious smile that would spontaneously appear when she checked out some of the people walking by. At some point a male friend appeared, asking her where her man was – she explained – and they sooned walked off down the Cook street sidewalk – hand in hand…
(b.) B.A.‘s – While at Buon Amici’s on Friday I talk with owner-creator Derek Lucas as he describes, in great detail, his model for the perfect cafe – his passion is measured in megawatts – his ideas flash pass me like a meteor shower. His clientele are urban professionals and all appear to be enjoying their environment.
(c.) The Drumroaster – At the Drumroaster Cafe South of Duncan (my pick for Island’s best cafe [maybe the next poll]) on Saturday Geir Oglend describes the latest and greatest pieces of new equipment for the leading edge cafe. Geir and his wife Pat run one of the few totally Mom and Pop third-wave places on Vancouver Island (and arguably British Columbia too) that is All Family oriented that produces coffee and espresso based drinks as good as they can possibly be – and the food is as good as it can possibly be as well. Bubby Roses, obsessed with every minute detail leader, Mark Engels, comes up with edibles that rival Geir’s – but they are neck and neck.
(d.) The Black Stilt Coffee Lounge is an interesting blend of fine design, eco-friendly deployment with an adult-oriented menu (they have a liquor license) – The coffee is good too. The staff are highly motivated, effusive, friendly and very professional. Half of the guests, tonight, were stationed behind lap-tops – surfing, texting, messaging and face-booking – some were even talking to each other. The space is warm – and even if you are alone, you feel like you are at home.
(e.) Habit Coffee and Culture is home to hipsters, scene-makers, artists, observers, hangers-on and wanna-bee’s – And yes, I am all of those things… especially that last one! If you are a hip chick or sick dude, you suck back your espresso at Habit – you might even find time to work on your sneer or perfect that utterly disinterested look.
So. Long story short. Buon Amici and Black Stilt may have cornered the market on the votes – but the reality is… The best cafe in Victoria B.C. Canada is the cafe you are sitting in right now. You know it better than I do.
But thanks for participating!