BG Urban Cafe

Cute little café place. I like it because the people working here are so nice! They also have a large selection of eats, desserts and of course drinks. Personally I’ve never tried any of the blended drinks or fruity drinks but their coffee based drinks are pretty good! Can’t go wrong with an iced coffee.
Lots of items to choose from. I always get the chocolate cake. Super moist and decadent not too sweet. I know most of the stuff they have is frozen, but hey, my guilty pleasure is McCain’s Chocolate Cake, what can I say… and the cheesecake is good too!
The sandwich with the chips in it really cool, I forget the name but I know that it was pretty good and filling! True the pricing is a bit steep, but you get to sit and relax with clean washrooms etc. Rent isn’t cheap in Downtown. Free Wifi as well so you can pound away at some work if needed which you enjoy your meal.

I was drawn in with the sign for Bubble Tea.
It’s one of those places you go up to the counter to order. They have a selection of salads, wraps, sandwiches, and deserts under glass, with hot items listed on boards behind.
Many items looked appealing!
The entire restraint was clean and bright. The lady who helped me was really nice and friendly.
I ordered a Lychee slush with half pearls, half coconut jelly. I also go a pre-​made
«Tuna Crunch» sandwich which oddly appealed to me.
i sat at a empty table in the seating area. Lots of newspapers to read as I waited — which was not long.
The bubble tea on first sip had no flavor, but it got better with time.
The pearls seemed to be a bit soggy too. But it was decent.
I’d go back to give it another shot based on the bubble tea– just to see if it got better.

el peor café que he tomado en mi vida.

I’ve had take-​out lunch from here twice and am pretty sure I won’t return unless it’s for a quick snack (see end of my review).
First lunch: Turkey Santa Fe wrap with chicken noodle soup. The wrap came with a side of sour cream & salsa — the salsa is a touch too salty (but then again I’ve really cut salt out of my diet so I really notice even if something is «normal salty»). The wrap was pretty stuffed with turkey-​goodness & the soup was good — not super — but good for a take-​out lunch. Overall I’d give that lunch a 3 out of 5.
Today for lunch: pepperoni/​cheese calzone & fruit salad. (Insert sigh) Well today’s lunch was not so good. While the calzone looked promising (big & full yumminess!), and the idea of a fruit salad enticing, I was rather disappointed once I got back to work to eat the lunch. The calzone was mostly bread with a touch of pepperoni (maybe 2 bites of it total?) and a tiny bit of mozza (where’s all the cheese?!) The fruit salad (yes I know it’s winter & melons & pineapple are likely not in season), but it was tasted like it had been sitting around for quite some time. Today’s lunch rated a mere 1.5 out of 5. Thank goodness I have mixed-​nuts to snack on.
I must add, though, that this café has AWESOME Cinnamon Knots (aka Cinnamon Buns) that they offer for $ 3.49 with a coffee.

yummy just what a hungry person on the move is looking for! great food. very reasonably priced. yummy and filling. i got the grilled chicken curry rap which comes with rice and manho sauce to dip it in. perfect! cant wait to try more
2^nd visit and bought a friend this time. got the caneloni yummy

Had a nice hot panini and a smile. The place was clean, the service was quick and the price was moderate. I’ll drop in again!

I decided to pop in here wanted something cheap and light to eat. It looked nice on the outside and the furniture looked sleak but the illusion is ruined the moment you get to the back. I ordered some spinach ravioli and to my horror I watched them take something from the display and micro wave it, but I was hungry and I didn’t want to seem like a snob, maybe it would taste okay anyways… I grudgingly paid $ 8.00 for the dish and now, after seeing it was minuscule and lifeless. I sat down to eat it. The ravioli was tasteless and rubbery, it was topped with cheese that had now become molten. I can’t help but wonder what it would have been like if I had paid the extra $ 3.00 for chicken. Lining the walls are pictures of fresh ingredients and hearty meals that mock you are you eat your microwaved crap.

Atmosphere: This place really is comfortable to sit at. leather seats, nice small and quiet area. really a good place to study for exams and such.
Food: The food actually isnt that bad too… but its ruined by the poor drinks they make/​offer. not the cheapest of food and i still say its not worth the price u pay. but i guess it appeals to some people because of the choice they have. Like the Rice pudding, SURPRISINGLY good (3.00 $). Panini’s and breads go for about 8 $, so definately not the cheapest for a small café.
Drinks: Horrible…3 times ive been here, 3 times ive been disappointed. Last visit, i ordered a Matcha latte since it is prolly my favourite drink at any other coffee shops. This places ruined a bit of my favourite drink a little… I ordered a house size matcha latte extra hot. When i got it… yea it looked fine… but i see no steam, but i didnt let that bother me. I sat down, and took a sip of it… needless to say more. i took it back and asked for a remake. The whole cup was basically match powder… made my mouth all dry and nasty. 2^nd time around… it was a bit hotter, but the milk was steamed to a point where HALF my cup was foam… yes…5 $ for a cup of foam. so i took it back… YET AGAIN… 3^rd time i thought was the charm… yet again…½ foam and this time, it had a bonus of matcha powder… yet again…
Verdict: ²⁄₅ … good atmosphere, decent food, bad drinks, pricey for a coffee shop…

At first glance, I thought I was walking into a trendy independently-​owned coffee shop located perfectly (for people watching) along Granville and across from Pac Centre. While chatting with the barrista, he mentioned it was like a BG Coffee Shop beta project.
Cool idea, but at the moment, it won’t fly. The wifi didn’t work (which they said they had and why I bought a coffee in the first place) and food price points just aren’t competitive — not sure who would pay $ 8.99 for a sandwich when there’s cheaper better options in the ‘hood like a Japadog or Babylon shwarma.
Two suggestions: free wifi (with unlimited use) and a warmer atmosphere set by music

Not sure if this is some kind of an offshoot of the franchise or the entire chain is undergoing an image change — but all the signs said it was ‘BG Urban Café’ with no references to ‘Bread Garden’ — like how «Kentucky Fried Chicken» turned into «KFC». However, being named ‘BG’, I don’t think of Bread Garden — shouldn’t this café by owned/​run by the brothers Gibb? Or associated with the Battlestar Galatica canon? «BG? Oh ya — wasn’t this Lil Wayne’s Cash Money crew when he was 12?»
Wandered into here as my coffee mate wanted to go ‘somewhere new’ and it was the first joint that we found on Granville that wasn’t a Blenz or Starbucks. Like most coffee joints downtown, it was full of Asian student squatters (so I assume there’s WiFi) — the café is narrow and space is limited — with a long bar space stretching near the entire length of the restaurant. I think they should have spend a bit more time on renovations as the tiled floors were noticeably grimy.
Like most Bread Gardens, it’s chockful of pastries and snacks. I had my large Americano ‘for here’ and it came in a paper cup. I think they only have medium-​sized mugs. My Americano in a word — ‘Meh’. It was pretty weak and forgetful.
BG could have been saved by the fact that it’s one of the few places that serve beer and coffee (like Calhoun’s) — but ugh, Stella Artois only. I often quote my Belgian buddy on this: «Stella is the Budweiser of Belgium».
Despite the rebranding — Bread Garden still has the same image in my mind — mediocre coffee and overpriced baked goods.

Good use of narrow space. The front half is the seating area, and the display and barista area is along one wall in the back.

This is the first Bread Garden «Urban Café» I’ve come across, so I was surprised to see a Bread Garden offering beer. They also have 2 TVs — including one in front of couch-​like seating.
It’s a shame that their website seems geared toward people who want a franchise, not the average customer.
The food is normal good.