Second Cup

I have to give credit where credit is due. I have had the opportunity to visit every Second Cup in Edmonton and surrounding areas, and this particular store surpasses them all. I love the coffee, and the Flat Whites are the best in town including Starbucks. At Starbucks, I have to ask the Barista to add an extra shot of espresso just so I can get that coffee taste, which gets very expensive.
This Second Cup location has an extremely relaxing atmosphere and I always feel welcome. The staff is great, the owner is extemely polite, a lot of fun and always asks for feedback. He never misses the opportunity to stop by and say hello.
It was a great idea to partner with the Italian Bakery as the food and pastries are fabulous!
This location is extremely well-​managed and clean!
I look around sometimes and notice people constantly bringing their own food to the store,…but they purchase a tea. This is unacceptable. Would you bring your own steak to Earl’s? How sad that the owner has to deal with this on a daily basis.
In any case, my favourite place to relax and drink ‘the’ best Flat White! Did I mention the baking is divine?

I really like this location. When I lived nearby, I would always stop in on Sunday mornings to get a tea and a muffin. Now, I stop in when I am going to River Valley Health.
The staff is very friendly. The hot chocolate is delicious. The pastries/​baked goods are amazing. It was the right move for Second Cup to partner with the Italian bakery! I also really enjoy the new rewards program. It took a shorter time than Starbucks to earn a free beverage!

Surprisingly this second cup location was not busy during the lunch hour unlike the health science campus Starbucks or the Tim hortons in the Katz building. It’s also fairly quiet which makes it pretty conducive to studying or reading a book. Seems pretty tidy & organized with décor that doesn’t scream tacky.
This company even offer fresh pastries from their new partnership with a local Italian bakery which are huge & delicious… love the croissants… my waistline also hates you too btw.
Atmosphere is nice & cozy but with enough space to not feel overcrowded either. The staff are friendly & wait times are not long.
Prices are comparable to Starbucks and you can use phone app to pay/​earn points.
Also love this time of the season because of their holiday tea blend… Can’t get that stuff anywhere!

I used to be a regular here, and would go buy coffee & food from here often, as I liked to go here to study as the staff was always friendly, and there is always a place to sit. Lots of people go here to study on a regular basis.
Today, (a stat holiday) the manager decided to tell customers (who had already paid and were sitting down) was saying «Have you bought anything in a while? Is anyone joining you? it’s just that we have a promotion going on today and I don’t want to deter paying customers»
This was unacceptable! WE ARE paying customers, in fact, we are your regulars. People aren’t going to be deterred from buying coffee because there isn’t anywhere to sit, they just won’t sit there, they will take their coffee to go.
So incredibly rude to speak to your already paying customers & regulars, not to mention you probably just scared off a ton of new ones with your greedy attitude.
I will never be going back here to do my regular weekly study. At least at the Starbucks down the street the manager isn’t greedy and doesn’t ask you to leave.

This place is down the street from my house and open much later than other local coffee shops, so you would think I’d be here all the time. Sadly, I have yet to have a coffee I enjoy from here — either espresso-​based or drip. I got a tea latte once and that was fine, but everything else I have ordered has tasted awful! I would much rather walk to Leva, Transcend, or Starbucks than frequent this Second Cup again.

My recent trip to Second Cup was very pleasant. I think it was the owner who was there, I was greeted upon entering and engaged in a polite conversation. He incorporated some up-​selling in our conversation but it wasn’t all too pushy, and my coffee and snack were ready quickly.
Today was the only time I have had that type of experience. Any other time I have visited (when the owner was not there) the service was slow and the barristas erratic. I don’t go to this location during peak times so waiting 15 minutes for a espresso based drink when there was only one order ahead of mine was not expected. I have also been made to wait for baristas to finish their conversation before ordering. The service here can be so unpredictable.
I really want to like this Second Cup location due to its convenience. However, the irregular service prompts me to travel further for my coffee purchases. The only thing that saves this place from getting 2 stars is the service I had today… I wish I could get service like that every time.

The new Second Cup in the University Terrace building on 112^th Street is an excellent location for people who live in this corridor of residences. While there’s a Steeps Tea around the bend on Whyte, and a Tim Hortons a block up towards the University, Second Cup’s presence will give control the crowds well during peak hours.
There’s not much to say about a Second Cup apart from location and timing. Tim Hortons still remains the only 24 hour coffee shop in that area and I was so hoping for this Second Cup to somehow break the stalemate. There are several coffee choices in this area, including Leva, Good Earth and Kopio’s, some of which have similar hours. I don’t see a reason to come here often unless you’re someone who’s very fond of Second Cup.

Although I have never spent time staying in at this Second Cup location, it is my favorite Second Cup location around the University for taking coffee to go. The staffs are very pleasant and accommodating and I’ve never had to wait in a line (although I might just be lucky at avoiding peak times).
The space inside is fairly small, but cozy. It might be somewhat uncomfortable if this place ever gets busy, even with people lining up for take outs. The tables are small, but solid for work (being near the University there are many students who study here). There is one large table (or two tables combined) which, if my memory serves, seats six. I imagine they setup a few tables outside in the summer (there is space) but I’ve only ever been during the winter.

Very nice café.
They have lots of seating, padded chairs, comfy chairs, fireplace, pastries, decent music (even muzak of New Order!).
I’ve been here twice this week — did I mention free — fast WIFI? The Coffee is very good.
I’ll come back again!

Well my friend and I came in here for a quick lunch and a coffee. We ended up leaving with a couple of Christmas gifts for other friends, had a great cup of coffee and lunch.
They have really good sandwiches here and wraps, we both had the roast beef and Asiago, with garlic. The garlic was no way overpowering, in fact I could barley taste it. The sandwich came in a Ciabatta bun, and was very good. Hit the spot and went down well with the Venice coffee. If you stop in before Christmas, they have alot of great gift ideas, and gift baskets and cookies etc. If you need a quick gift in a hurry and have no time to go to the mall, Second Cup has some nice ideas for gift giving.

The staff here is great. If you come here when the manager is not around, it’s enjoyable. But the manager here has taken it upon himself to be a some sort of vigilante. Signs with «rules» to follow (i.e. no outside food [i understand this], no personal WATER bottles because they now sell it in a cup for you], no feet on the furniture, etc etc). Signs that are not in any other coffee shop I have been in, and certainly not other Second Cups. In the Second Cup in Oliver Square, a man was literally drinking a Second Cup coffee and eating Chinese takeout, with his feet up on another chair, in peace.
If you are caught violating his rules (and you will be, because he walks around in quite a disturbing way checking out what everyone is doing), you aren’t politely asked to stop. Well, you think you are being politely asked to stop until he continues to talk and you realize he is being absolutely condescending. Which is unnecessary, really, because due to the location, he should know that everyone in his shop is educated seeing as it is on a university campus.
I overheard him asking a girl «if she can read?» because the sign states «no personal water bottles». And when the girl asked «Can you give me the explanation?» he said «Well, you see, this is a store. And how stores make money is by selling products». I would get this if maybe she didn’t also have a coffee and a pastry with her purchased at Second cup, but she did in fact.
Also, I asked a barista working why I couldn’t tip with my debit (because at other Second Cups, you definitely can). The response was «It’s too much paperwork for my boss». So there you go.
Anyways — I strongly dislike him. It deters me from going, along with others. Which is too bad, because it’s a great location and an awesome place to study. Luckily there is also Good Earth, Kopio, and a couple Starbucks to make up for it.
****EDITED TO ADD, 05/​05/​12**** My friend was in 2 days ago and says the tip function has been added. So that’s a positive!