"A Latte for Here Please" Part 8: Elysian

Location reviewed: 
1778 W 5th Ave  Vancouver, BC V6J 1P1
(604) 734-1778

Other location:
590 W Broadway  Vancouver, BC V5Z 1E9
(604) 874-5909


Overall rating for staying in for coffee (poor, fair, good, very good, excellent):

Coffee- Excellent 
(see below)

Food- Very good
(see below)

Space- Very good
(warm and inviting feel, small but cozy)

Table availability- Very good
(may be difficult to get one of the cozy booths, but it is usually not a problem to find a seat)

Seat comfort- Excellent (booths), fair (wooden tables)
(loved the comfy booth that I was able to snag after a half hour of sitting in the considerably less comfortable wooden chair)

Laptop plus-ins- Poor 
(there are NO plug-ins so come fully charged!)

Internet availability- Excellent
(password protected, fast, consistent)

Noise level- Moderate
(lots of people come here for meetings or interviews it seems, so you will likely have people chatting around you)

Attitude towards "perchers"(those who come to sit and work)- Excellent
(very friendly staff at this location, felt welcome to for a few hours)

As the end of my month of research is drawing to a close, I figured that I should try a few places close to home after trekking down to Gastown so often over the past few weeks.  Elysian has 2 locations, one on Broadway which is always very busy due to its prime location, and a less busy location on West 5th that is tucked away between Pine and Burrard.  Due to proximity to my condo and the less traffic, I made my way down to the West 5th location for to put in a solid morning's work.

Although I had never been to the West 5th location before, I had tried the coffee at the Broadway location several times and had always been impressed by the quality.  Fortunately, I found just the same at the West 5th location.  My latte was prepared perfectly, smooth with just the right amount of foam and beautiful latte art.  Certainly one of the better lattes I have had over the past few weeks, rivaling the quality of Revolver (my other favorite).

Elysian also offers a variety of freshly-baked goodies, including muffins, scones, loaves and cookies.  They had just come out of the oven and were sitting on resting racks when I arrived.  They also offer a limited menu of sandwiches.  With the smell of fresh baked goods wafting through my nostrils, I could not resist ordering one of their "Fairview"muffins, made with carrot, raisins and nuts.  It was very moist, and not too sweet, so it made a perfect breakfast.  The muffin top was nice and crispy on the outsides, like every good muffin top ought to be.  The pepitas on top gave a little extra pizzazz.  I was told that this muffin is seasonal and will not be around much longer, so I strongly encourage you to visit soon before they disappear!

After such a pleasant visit to Elysian, I will certainly have this on the top of my list for now on when I need to cozy up with my laptop for a few hours of work.  Quality coffee, fresh and delicious baked good and a warm atmosphere make Elysian on 5th a real standout in the world of Vancouver coffee shops.