Blenz Coffee

Great place to have a hot cup of coffee. Efficient, friendly and prompt service. Giving starbucks a run for its money!

Yes service is slow here, so I usually just order a drip coffee. Coffee is not consistent, it’s either not hot enough, old or the cup is not filled full enough. However, when the coffee is made right it’s pretty good. I’d come here more often if the quality was more consistent and the service was a bit faster. Other than that it’s nice quiet place to relax, store is bright and clean.

The most slowest location I’ve ever been to. The mocha taste like shiiiit. They talk in their Filipino language and they don’t even acknowledge when other people are around. Very unprofessional

Came by for some coffee. This place is open ²⁴⁄₇.
Parking is available in the nice large strip mall lot surrounding the building.
The interior is a bit cramped for this location because of the «jigsaw» layout, but this means that the outdoor patio space is larger as a result. Not complaining at all.
Staff were friendly.
My iced coffee tasted a bit burnt (I’ve noticed this for Blenz in general). Maybe that’s the trademark of the chain.

Wow the service here was really slow. Long line up of people wanting a drink, two people working behind the counter but there was no efficiency. People were waiting in line longer than they should’ve been. I got a little frustrated and left. I went to my appointment in the area and then came back 40 minutes later and the line up was longer with the same inefficient staff. I did order matcha latte on ice but after all the wait my mood soured the moment.

My first post. This is a great place to catch-​up with friends or to study. However, the coffee is not the best in town. (sorry​.im a star fan) but the service here is excellent. The owner is great and the staff are friendly. The internet is spotty, they need to get a new internet provider. Sometimes it is packed especially at night and morning but it thins out near afternoon and after 2am.
Pro:24 hr, great service
Cons:spotty internet, crowded at times
Undecided: coffee decent
Please give my feedback on my post. Thanks

There are only a handful of places that are open on Christmas day, and luckily enough this was one of them. Coming with the ‘Nomnivore’ and needing a place to just sit around, we dodged the green mermaid (as it seems like most of Richmond was surrounding these places) and decided to go to a quieter plaza for that cup of black brew and she reminded me of this place in Blundell Plaza.
Pulling up to this place you realize there is a ton of parking, even if you are one of those Richmond Nightmares in terms of putting your car in a stopped position, you shouldn’t (never say never) have a problem leaving your car here… hopefully. When you look around this place, it’s your normal coffee shop flare, some tables lying around, some bar like seating facing the edges to the windows around this place, and a nice little area with some chic leather like couches… which usually are taken up if you want to lounge in here.
The coffee bar area is located right in the center of this place, right when you enter the doorway… just walk straight, and we eventually ordered: Americano and a shot of expresso, and while we waited I took up seating near a window. We had to go pick up our prepared java’s and we sat, while people watching before taking the first sip.
She mentioned that my coffee had a burnt like smell… thank goodness the taste was nothing like what she smelled, as the americano went down quite smooth. Her expresso was ok, as we eventually saw the Christmas rush of people, and a lineup ensue after we plopped our behinds in our chairs. If you have to find some peace and quiet. stay off the No. 3… and come here, and know this place is also open 24 hours, we hung around for almost an hour before we vacated our seats. nice and toasty for the next people who were eyeing whatever spot they could find on this day.
It’s not your hipster coffee. at the same time. for those who need to dodge the green mermaid status symbol… this will do!

A decent place to hang out and have coffee…
However, if you are here at the wrong time, you would mistaken this place as a college library. The nerve of those kids…
Other than that, the baristas are nice and skilled at crafting overpriced drinks. Enjoy!

I used to come here quite a bit. It was always a nice place to catch up with a friend over a hot mug of hot cocoa or a cappuccino. I’ve cut my visits down to once a week now, because of the change in ambiance since they became 24hours, free-​wireless, and morphed into an extension of Kwantlen College study hall.
The bad
WARNING: don’t go on a weeknight after 7 pm. The place is overrun with café-​rats. When I was a teen in the nineties, bored teenagers aka mallrats (guilty!) would roam Richmond Centre without really buying anything but just to see and be seen in that angsty, pimply promenade. With the advent of social networking via Internet, a new species has evolved. Café rats are pretty much the same thing, except they’re older (18 – 21) and trawl the net rather than the mall. You’ll see them in their element at Blenz, nursing a long-​cold/​empty cup for 3 hours as they pretend to study, textbooks piled all around, but the browser window is on facebook. C’mon. You can «fake study» at home. I can’t go to YOUR house for my Blenz Latte and banana bread.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind if you’re a college student studying in a café. That’s cool; we’re cool. I did the same thing back in my UBC days. What I do mind is when the place is packed, and each student takes up two tables and 3 chairs because they feel they need space for their cell phone, laptop, backpack, fake-​LV purse, jacket, and laptop bag. A little etiquette would be nice. If you see people needing a seat, offer them a seat if you’ve got one to spare. I’ve actually stood in line for a coffee and seen a couple take up 2 tables and 4 chairs filled with their belongings as they glanced up once in a while and deliberately ignored the several people looking at them pointedly as they needed seats. I guess these particular students think chairs were designed to hold bags, not human derrieres. And no they weren’t saving the seats for anyone else. This type of scenario happens EVERY school night, so, best to avoid this time if you don’t want to get ill-​tempered. It always puzzled me that Blenz management doesn’t mind this, especially when patrons end up leaving without buying anything because of all these school-​supplies-​filled chairs.
With that warning, I would still advise a visit if you’re in the neighbourhood. A good time to go is on weekends, especially in the late mornings. The place is quiet and there’s lots of room, and it’s a nice atmosphere with a cozy community feel to it as people of all ages pop in on their morning walk with the dog or the grandkids.
The good:
The café. Surrounded by mostly glass walls, it’s filled with natural light. They offer specialty teas including the type that have a flower bloom in the teapot once you’ve filled it with water. Neato!
The staff. I don’t know what it is but they have GREAT staff at this Blenz. Unpretentious, genuinely friendly and they don’t take themselves too seriously. Always a nice vibe with them!
The coffee. Blenz Coffee is never over roasted. I love Starbucks too, but often it hurts my tummy and tastes a little burnt sometimes.
Recommendations:
–Dark Belgian hot cocoa:
Made with real pieces of Belgian chocolate, so rich and thick and delectable. Deadly good! They also make it in regular milk chocolate as well as a white chocolate version.
–Caramel Macchiato
To die for as well. I have a certain weakness for caramel. They do it beautifully here!
–London Fog Latte
Soothing, blend of Earl Grey and steamed milk, very nicely done, perfect for fall weather especially
–Mango Rooibos
This decaf tea with a touch of honey is great when you’re feeling a little under the weather
–Vanilla Steamed Soymilk
For the lactose intolerant like myself, if you don’t have Lactaid handy, get a steamed soymilk with a shot of vanilla (there are sugar-​free versions of their syrups too) and a sprinkling of cinnamon
Summer Drink:
Iced Peach Green tea with honey. Refreshing and tasty without being too sweet.
Eats:
Their cinnamon buns are pretty good, so long as they are warmed up enough to ensure you don’t get chewy/​tough spots. Banana loaf is always moist and tender. Excellent warmed up with a slathering of butter
They usually have several types of pastries and sandwiches available. They get their baked goods from a bakery somewhere off site and their stock changes from day-​to-​day. Samosas and sausage rolls are also a couple of mainstays. Sandwiches are good enough, but do you really want to pay six dollars for a day-​old sandwich when Subway is just a few steps away???
There’s always a good stack of newspapers and pseudo-​newspapers like the Metro and 24. They carry the National Post and the Globe and mail along with the Sun and the Province as well.
All in all, still a nice café, just not on school nights!

Back in my school days, I used to come here to study and finish my papers when the library closed. This place was the last resort for my last minute cramming sessions. Located within the Garden City Shopping Center, this place is close to my house so I can take a short walk here. There is ample parking within the parking lot as well.
This place is small, it only has 4 tables or so, and about another 10 seats by the windows, with the bar type seating. I like this place because it’s open 24 hours, and it has free wi-​fi!
Drinks wise, they have a large selection of your regular coffee shop drinks, loose leaf teas, and smoothies! My usuals are the Chai Latte, Hot White Chocolate (they use real chocolate-​this is essentially dessert in a cup!), and a Matcha smoothie, or a blueberry smoothie. For the smoothies, you have your choice of making it with ice cream or yogurt.
Also available are snack bars, cookies, tarts, and sometimes, they have slices of cake!
Service is usually good, drinks are usually made well, and the people there are nice about not kicking you out for staying too long.