We come here several times for panini and cappuccino. Their paninis are really good and quite a generous portion. It is definitely authentic Italian cafe place where you can grab gelato ice cream also. Tried a few flavours of gelato and they are good. It is one of the places we normally go to when we are in the mood for paninis.
Very very different. This owner definitely knows how to attract a crowd. The restaurant is beautiful inside. What a great place for date night, or even just lunch. The sandwiches are large. The desserts just wonderful. Really have to try the cakes. It's so light and delicious. The espresso wow nicely done. A must for vancouver at our little Italy haven.
It is a place I always take visitors to. The coffee is good (especially the affogotto). However, coffee and snacks are over priced. A specialty coffee and a snack for two is $20-ish. That's why this place is a now&then rather than a regular visit. The interior design is interesting and entertaining (but truly is over-the-top). There are too many cool things (full suit of armour and fountain) stuffed into the space. Better placement or a bigger space would balance out the decor. In a nut shell: fun, interesting, good coffee ...over priced.
I love this Italian cafe- this is the real and what a coffee shop on Commercial Drive should be.
Charming Italian owners - great coffee- great Italian pastries. They are always so welcoming and warm. Treat you like family.
Always a great experience.
Wonderful atmosphere - warm friendly service-the best cappuccinos and lattes. Awesome desserts. Especially the almond square. Great people!
Never miss a visit when in town
Always impressed with the friendly family oriented atmosphere! Starting with a smiling gent who patiently takes your order and makes sure to follow any dietary need you have. Suggestions for various sandwiches and its many toppings makes it a meat mecca! A full Italian deli with fine meats, cheeses, gelato, desserts and coffee s to savor!
The Cafe is open early in the morning till late in the evening. The always clean and spacious setting allows you to eat and comfortably without feeling cramped. Love the Artwork of Italian saints on the walls and ceilings! The large water fountain in the Cafe makes for a very pleasant and serene experience. It is a joy to always come to Cafe Calabria.
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Posted on April 9, 2015 by mag_mei When my friend said we would be going to a cafe for ice cream I didn’t expect much. A cafe doesn’t usually specialize in my favourite frozen dessert, and a cafe on commercial drive wouldn’t be anything special. Or so I thought. I came for the ice cream and will be back for the setting. From the exterior I didn’t expect much. The flashy giant ice cream cone told us we were at the right place, but not to what we would be getting inside. But through those doors was a wonderland. I swivelled my head around trying to take capture all that stood before me. It is pretty obvious when its someone’s first time here: the look of surprise in their eyes, the rotating of their neck to take it all in, and the flashing of their camera to keep a note of it all. My description will not do this place justice, even before you read it I suggest you check it our for yourself. There was so much to see, some of it was clutter, most of it themed, an assault of stuff. It was heavy with a traditional Italian look and feel. The music, the people, and the decor. Italian flags, faux marble statues, running fountains, fresco ceilings, red and white checkered table cloths on tables, and jars of preserved vegetable and dried pasta set the tone. The counter to the left spanned the entire cafe. It was divided by sections, each counter with its own menu. You head to what you want and place your order using its specific menu above, but when it comes to making a payment, it is all done up front. All above was tiled roofing with real shingles and real bricks. They helped to differentiate between the separated sections. Closest to the door was their coffee bar, where artisan coffee and gourmet teas would be brewed and steeped. And where homemade pastries and warm cookies would be served.
Little Italy. I've never written a review before but I feel compelled to do so after visiting Caffe Calabria. When I entered I was immediately transported back to Italy. There are beautiful statues everywhere, running water fountains and the ceilings are painted like the Sistine Chapel. I ordered a cappuccino and a biscotti...delissio! I also enjoyed a cup of lemon gelato, just like the gelato I had in Rome. The gentleman who served me was polite and helpful. I will definitely be back!
Great food..fun atmosphere ..has a working fountain inside..
Coffee and biscotti. Had two americanos, and a fine chocolate coated biscotti - excellent.
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Fantastic! If you want an absolutely authentic espresso or Italian coffee drink you need look no further. The service has always been friendly and the coffee has been consistently good since I started coming here years ago. I've toured tha backroad a of Italy and I am also a coffee geek hobbyist and this is where I come for the best Italian coffee in town. Quite frankly I am amazed and disappointed at some of the negative reviews here. I am not a big spender and these guys treat me like I am blowing the big bucks. When Italian friends visit from out of town they are impressed with the entire experience and surprised that "real" coffee just like home is served here. The pano is are the best that I've had locally too.
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I've been visiting Cafe Calabria for years. To all the whiners that don't like the idea that the prices aren't posted... Go to some corporate place or franchise for the mediocre crap that they serve. Ditto the ones that think that you should be able to eat food from other places in a restaurant. Really... These guys have great coffee, honest pricing and fabulous cafe food. Still the best in town after all these years.
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Tasty pastries. What a surprise to see how many people are slagging this place because of psycho service! I'm not disputing that, just saying I've never been treated rudely during the times I've stopped in. Maybe that's because I mainly go there for take-away pastries.
If you walk all the way to the back, past the indoor tables and gelato and the cold cuts, Caffe Calabria has a display case where they keep the tiramisu and St. Honore cakes. (The latter is a French standard, sort of like a cake made from profiteroles.) The pieces are big and the flavour is marvelous! (I think they get them from the Fratelli Bakery a few doors down.) The only problem I've encountered is my disappointment when I've gotten there too late in the day and they've been sold out.
As for having coffee at the tables outside, why would anyone want to do that? It's Commercial Drive, fer Crissakes! Only once did my wife and I buy cappucinos at Calabria. They were sub-par, but after living in Australia, the land of great "flat whites," we bag almost all North American coffee. My wife got panhandled three times for smokes while we were sitting and sipping outside. I enjoy the tattooed East Van vibe on Commercial, but only as long as I'm moving. If you stop on The Drive, you attract leeches. Maybe the indigenous wildlife is what made the Calabria staff so surly.
I have been here three times. Each time has been a treat. Staff polite and friendly. Very Italian. Food good. Coffee good..each time. I cannot understand the "impolite" comment! Perhaps those individuals were standoffish with the staff. This is a little piece of Italy. Get with the picture!
This place is an interesting experience. Inside, it is an over-the-top Italian cliche visual bonanza. I have only had good coffee experiences here, and the deserts are very nice. The only warning is that if you order food, the people seem to just pick a price out of the air, not really giving you a bill. So add it up yourself too. But go there at least once to see it.
It is an Italian Caffee (Duh). For the people who have commented negatively about the Caffee let me tell you: This is an Italian Caffee and the decor inside is of an Italian Caffee (statues, cheesie Photos of Celebs) that is what makes the place unique. The coffee is excellent and so are the pastries. As for the people who attend it, they are the owners or relatives and they are all very nice people. Who in their right mind would bring outside food to eat in there and think it is right, lots of places forbid outside food in their premisses. For coffee on Commercial is the only place I go because I feel at home.
Character of The Drive. Calabria is always busy I have never seen it empty or without people sitting outside although I am sure it happens occasionally.
Going back a year later I had both a Americano and a 8oz Dry Cappuccino and both were decent I also had a biscotti that hit the spot
This is the best cup of coffee I ever had. Very creamy and strong. I wondered if there was anything to do with their Italian coffee or their Italian way of making coffee? My friend liked the Mango Gelato and I had a few
Passepartout-Too-Too
+4.5
Other than being very sweet, it was nothing like cotton candy. It was indescribable. It was fabulous. It was rich, and luscious; it was the Jennifer Lawrence of gelato.
Last summer, almost a year ago I ask Gio Corsi to help me review a famous cafe and attraction on The Drive. Cafe Calabria. Gio Corsi might be 98% Chimp, but 100% authentic Italian. You might know Gio Corsi from some of his other rolls on the Internet. He
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