Wicked Café

What can I say? I guess I’m still a ‘Wicked’ girl. I’m like a magnet to metal.
I love the Macchiato, a double shot and with a bit of steamed Soy, this was possibly the best Soy Macch. I’ve ever had. It didn’t even need sugar! (I don’t remember it being this good.) The perfect balance of everything. The only problem was, that I was wide awake after my bedtime.
The service is friendly, there’s wireless, and it’s great meeting place a little away from the busy part of downtown, but entertaining enough to keep me coming back.

I just don’t get it.
It could be my palate, but I’ve experienced coffee, specifically Americanos, all over town, and Wicked Café does not stand out as anything special. I’ve tried both the Hornby and W 7^th locations several times.
The espresso is dark, and slightly chocolatey, but the crema is thin, and the flavour is bland. After trying one again yesterday, I forgot all about it halfway through, and discarded it, longing for a fresh one elsewhere. The 12oz size is 2.80, and the 16oz is 3.50. Fairly steep for a simple drink.

Updates! Since I wrote my last review, Wicked and I have been getting along much better: I’ve found more excuses to do some weekend laptopping, the indoor temperature’s moderated, and they’ve stopped closing on arbitrary Sundays. Huzzah!
Big change: as of this week the Clovers are no more. The girls behind the counter say they were getting too cantankerous and expensive to maintain. While it’s true that, as Lauren pointed out, good coffee is good coffee no matter how you brew it, the illusion of choice was always satisfying. ;) My drip cup today was excellent, though, so I’ve no complaints, I guess!
I’ve been given to understand that the sandwich menu’s undergone some considerable upheaval over the last few weeks, so your favorite sandwich might not be there anymore. Everything I’ve had has been good, though.
Wicked downtown ends up being a particularly good place to get some work done on weekends. Wifi’s solid and the shop doesn’t fill up like the ones in Kits and Fairview do, so I don’t feel guilty camping for a few hours. It’s definitely my favorite shop in downtown. Do get the waffles.

Wicked uses one of my favorite North American coffee beans — Intellegentsia. I head over to the Hornby or sometimes the 7^th and Fir location to get my fix. I am a bit of a coffee freak and Wicked certainly doesn’t disappoint both with a great bean and also great execution.
They are as good as the real Intellegentsia locations in LA and Chicago and I rank them right up with the best in Vancouver. Décor is a bit lacking on Fir. The Horby location is a bit better. You go there for the beans not the décor. Fir street location does have great windows though.
The food is quite good. Similar to JJ Bean. Teas are also great.
Overall worth the trip.

I like this place ever since it was 7^th ave? in Vancouver.
I went with 6ppl on Saturday afternoon around 3pm and was delighted to find a seat for everyone. I went to VAG café initially but no such luck it was full. By then I have drank so many cups of coffee but I thought wth, what can 1 more cup of latte can do! Yes, they brew black cat blend from Intelligentsia for their espresso drink (which I drink at home) so it was good, just like how good it is at home… (so it feels like I am paying waaaay more to drink the same coffee???)
But the service was excellent, the cashier was very friendly, gladly made me a new cup when I found a hair in the coffee (yuck). Very nice!
But I quickly realized by 3−4pm there was no food left, and they erased the food board already. Do they run out of their gorgeous famous panini that quick! No left over for the night I guess? maybe that’s why there was not that many ppl in the place when I went in.
I also got a stamp towards a free 11^th or 10^th coffee, she said even tea counts voila.
I will come back!

As I’ve said before, my drink of choice is nearly doomed from the start: the decaf soy latte. I know that caff tastes sooo much better, but the world simply is not prepared to see this redhead hopped up on java. As for the soy milk, well, regular milk just doesn’t like me. I’ve been rejected by lactose. Woe is me!
Well, as I’ve said, it can be hard to find a place that does my boring drink well. Unfortunately my decaf soy latte at Wicked tasted blah-​bland. Lesigh. I miss caffeine.
The staff are lovely and the space itself is clean and warm looking. I was sitting by the door (I live for natural light) so it wasn’t warm in feeling, but dems are the breaks.
I can’t wait for the day when I can drink *real* coffee, sans jitters!

You pay the price for kick ass coffee…
And Wicked really does serve kick ass coffee. Way more expensive than I’d usually shell out for my coffee fix, I heard great things about Wicked Café and had to try it.
The staff — awesome. They love their jobs, they love their customers, they are passionate about their product. The coffee truly does kick some major ass. They make each cup fresh, no massive pot of brewed coffee getting stale waiting for you. Can you swallow the $ 2.70 price for a cup? That’s really the question.
I had their Chicken and Red Pepper Panini. Wow. Excellent. And an eclectic group of patrons to provide some entertainment including some who look like they have just finished trying a difficult case in the courts across the street, others who look like their hippie-​wagon is parked outside with all their worldy posessions. Definitely an interesting place for people watching.
A great experience, albeit more costly than I’d typically like.

Intelligentsia beans, yummy teas, free wi-​fi… but that’s not why I’m getting vocal again about one of my favourite coffee shops…
The chicken and red pepper panini! Oh my word! The half sammie would have been satisfying enough, but the full order was soooo gratifying! I have no idea what the cheese combo was, but it’s ooey gooeyness, the moisture of the bread, and the flavour of the chicken has led me to believe that Wicked is worth more than 5 stars. Let’s just say that this update is here to showcase the TEN full stars I’m giving them!

I travel nearly every week and the first rule of order is to find a good local coffee house, not only to caffeinate myself with some damn good coffee but to also support the local shops who know how to do coffee right.
Wicked Café hit the spot perfectly. My latte was smooth, well-​balanced and the perfect temperature. I also had a breakfast panini, which looked more like a thick slice of toast with a tiny sliver of egg and a tiny sliver of tomato inside. It wasn’t bad but I like my paninis pressed and flattened. It was a good enough meal but I wouldn’t go in just for the sandwiches… I’m sure better ones can be had elsewhere but if you’re already there and you’re hungry it’s fine.
The ambiance was nice… simple, modern and clean. I loved that they had free Wi-​Fi seeing as how I’m from Cali and Wi-​Fi is the only way to avoid the financial drain from the int’l data plan when you need to check email, maps, etc.
If you’re in the area and are a coffee snob such as myself, hit Wicked up. I didn’t get a chance to try Coo Coo unfortunately so I can’t compare it. I did check out Caffè Artigiano, which has no Wi-​Fi (lame) but does have good coffee and more of a food selection (if you really, really love mayo, that is).

My bf & I just got back from traveling around Alaska & Canada for 3 weeks, and let me tell you — we had a lot of coffee. A LOT of coffee. A lot of it was rather mediocre, but the mochas we had a Wicked Café were some of *the* best we had. Perfectly steamed milk, full-​flavored, roasty-​tasting espresso, & a near-​perfect amount of chocolate — YUM. Also, bonus points that the receipt actually stated the address as 861 Horny Street. :)

$ 4 for 16oz drip coffee? Really? I’m sorry this is ridiculous.

Good music, great staff, comfortable atmosphere.
I am not a coffee fan, but I have it on good authority that it’s great here. I can say that their muffins are delicious, and the cookies too!
Don’t go to the nearby big guys, please. Wicked really is — wicked.

Based on just coming in for a sandwich, this café is just okay. Actually, I wanted soup too, which is on the menu board, but was informed they don’t have it. And chalkboard erasers cost what again?
The panini, all melty cheese and chicken, made a lovely lunch for a cold day, even if it looked a little lonely on the plate. The staff seemed a little spacey, but what the hey? I hear they can work a coffee machine. And since Wicked Café had no papers to read, I amused myself reading a promotional pamphlet about the café’s high-​falutin’ coffee philosophy. Oops, I meant ethical, organic, fair-​trade, and now seasonal coffee philosophy. (Muttering to self: Sheesh. This agri-​porn for foodies with guilty consciences is officially getting out of hand.)
For those of you who judge a food-​service operation by their bathrooms, this was kind of filthy and lacks mirrors and coat hooks.

Their menu is not super big, but there 5 choices of panini sure look awesome. no fret — if there is none in the display case. it doesn’t mean they are out, they’ll just make you one! getting it done FRESH :)
My chicken panini was hot and cheesy. and the bread was flatly pressed, unlike the bread pun that is still typically kind of «round». am I making any sense?
The coffee tastes different, in a good way. I always like to taste unique beans from different shops and there is an obvious aroma to their beans. I like :)
When I think of this place — I think of witchcraft and creepy stuff. but it is very warming like the good witch in the musical !
Their chalkboard styles are funky and water glasses with help-​yourself pitchers are easy for all!

* Free entertainment *
Had an hour to kill before an appointment and popped in for a cup of tea and some free wifi.
What greeted me was quite the assortment of interesting characters sitting at the tables around me:
Table 1 — Two twenty something guys dressed like real estate agent types chatting about some deal or another. They seemed like the type that may have had an «interesting» younger life with a gang lifestyle and then cleaned up and are trying to make good. All of a sudden another guy their age dressed in an all green jumpsuit, gold chain, a sideways baseball cap, and very white sneakers came in to chat with them. He looked like something out of a bad 1980’s stereotype suburban gang banger. He even used words from the 1980’s. I had to try hard not to laugh. But the entire café was turning around staring at the guy because he was so loud. When he left the two real estate types said to each other, «Yeah, he really needs to straighten his **** out. We are too old for that ****.» I smirked silently.
Table 2 — A man and woman in their late twenties were chatting. The guy was putting on the moves like he was in a pick up bar late at night. She was clearly signaling that she thought the moves were cheesy. But as he continued for about 30 minutes he slowly started to wear her down, she started to change her body language, eventually started to laugh and make body contact and they ended up leaving together. Go figure!
Table 3 — A woman in her thirties working diligently on her laptop wearing headphones. I thought she was in the joyful place of not listening to the world around her at all and missing all the entertainment. But after table 1 and 2 left she turned and said, «Youth.»
The tea was a nice white jasmine tea, the wifi was a strong signal, and the entertainment from people watching was priceless.

Seattle’s got Starbucks, San Francisco has Peet’s, and Vancouver has Blenz on every single block. These are clearly not the hidden gems of any city and you need to keep walking to get a better cup a joe.
Walk right past the usual suspects and head towards this little café that serves up a tasty vanilla soy latte of in a stylish laid back atmosphere. Ambiant house music drowns out the chit chat of your fellow patrons and neutral lighting allows you to focus on your screen… or talking to actual people if that’s your thing.
The paninis make a great quick lunch and are perfectly toasty albeit a bit messy.
One word of warning: Beware the beautiful pink silk cushions on the benches. They are cute and comfy but they are slippery and cause you to lurch forward as you try to seat yourself on the bench… whoopsee!

When it comes to a cuppa joe, Intelligensia does me good every time. Yeah sure, the newfangled Clover single brews make for a fancy experience, but a good café cannot rest on quality coffee alone.
The magic of Wicked is in the ambiance. Simple but modern and bright, friendly tunes fill the air as yumminess fills your body. The baristas have just the right amount of quirk.
Lunching here meant grilled paninis without a greasy olive oil slather, balanced meat to cheese to sauce ratio. An eye on the healthy always wins me over. Who doesn’t like tasty in a pretty package?!
Ideal for breakfast catch ups, midday meetings and snackage, though not for lapptopping as plugs are elusive.

I’ve been really hesitant about writing a review for this place considering all it’s fine scores.
From the first time I had it at café near kits beach,
I have enjoyed Intelligentsia coffee. I would go before work to grab a cup.
The only gripe i had about this place was the price of regular cup of coffee which I know they do one at a time. $ 2.75 is a bit much considering I can make a fabulous one at home.
I had the Tanzania blend. It was a lovely full bodied coffee but i felt that it had a slight hesitance in its brewing. I found it felt short of its flavour. Does this make sense to you? It’s like a good idea that is just about there but just falls short. I did enjoy drinking it but every sip I took I couldn’t help but have that response to the taste that was enveloping my mouth.
I would want to try this place again. It won’t replace my usual coffee haunt but i would definitely try it again or at least buy some coffee from them and just make it at home.

I like the feel of this place. It’s kind of a long narrow space, with lighting along the wall. The tables are arranged in a long row to mimic the space of the building.
I’ve only had a latte here, so far. It matched up to other lattes. It was good, had nice velvety foam on top. It seems like a happening lunch place. I arrived at 1:30, and it was about 70% full, and cleared considerably during the hour I was there.

I think I’ve found a slice of coffee-​heaven pie on Hornby Street. I dropped into Wicked Café, which is downtown but still is out-​of-​the-​way, for lunch and an afternoon refuel.
They brew Intelligensia coffee here by the cup. It is one of the better coffees I’ve had recently, although it still had that final powdery gulp like with a French press coffee. The cream/​sugar stand was impeccably clean and stocked. And thanks to the beautifully printed info brochures on the tables I finally ‘got’ what Intelligensia coffee is all about.
I tried the brie, prosciutto, and fig sandwich. Grilled to a perfect crisp, the sweet earthy figs were the perfect chutney to the subtle brie and hearty ham. At $ 8 it’s a fancy-​priced sandwich but the quality justifies it. Service was friendly and accommodating. I loved that the gal actually told me how long the sandwich would be on the grill, rather than playing the game of «is it ready yet?» looks.
Will probably be back for breakfast tomorrow. Then lunch again. And why not have an afternoon snack of melty shortbread & choco-​caramel bars? This could get out of hand…