Breaking Bean

Siphoned coffee super cool and delicious. They roast coffee weekly, grind right before serving, and bring it to you with a smile.

I walked by this place on the way to another eatery on December 30, 2015 and book marked it for future reference. Of course what naturally caught my attention was the logo on the store that looked exactly like the font of my favorite TV show Breaking Bad.
Some people treat and want their coffee like meth, therefore, it’s a fitting name and theme.
Firstly the cost of the drinks are way too overpriced for something that is okay, not out of this world but not the worst either. Just not worth the $ 5 price tag. I got a basic tea and went elsewhere around the walk for my latte (reviewed that place). For this reason it is a tourist trap and passers by can find other shops in the area.
The pastries were over priced as well, therefore, skipped this and picked up something on the walk (reviewed that place as well).
Secondly the theme of the place looks like a hoarder’s closet than it does a shop with theme focus.
Friendly customer service. You kind of have to be when you’re in a certain hood that is heavy on the tourist traffic, therefore, they have to represent.

Awesome place for having a cup of Siphon Coffee! Coffee beans were grounded at the time of serving. Watching the Siphon Coffee Maker in action was quite fun. It is not a cheap cup, but it is the kind of coffee that worth the wait to enjoy, plus the service is wonderful here.

Living across the street, many of us locals were super excited to have another option for a quick coffee. As much as I wanted to love this place given its convenience, it has not impressed.
1. A five dollar lattee… seriously?:why do they think they can charge that? When tourists leave, locals have a myriad of options close by: Villagio, take five café and endless cafes on Robson and Alberni streets.
2. Hodgepodge business ideas: what are they trying to be. The décor is an odd mix of Asian, French and ornate meets pseudo function. It’s full of stuff which takes the focus off their main attraction which is pretty cool: the Japanese coffee brewing mechansim.
3. Why am I using small, individual dairy packs for my coffee?! Sorry, but these small details are what I’m paying for for a five dollar coffee. It would be nice to get some fresh cream, almond milk, as options. Total turn off for people wanting some finesse for their daily coffee run.
4. Sweet staff: all the girls are super hard working, polite and clearly essentially now running a restaurant versus a quaint Café. The only saving grace to this confusing business model.
Really wanted to like this place, but alas… A disappointment for the very competitive Vancouver market. Please review your local customer base because otherwise, I think we’re all heading around the corner to the better established Café with a focus on their clientele versus a focus on surviving in this competitive neighbourhood.

The food here looks good though the croissant with a wiener inside was incongruous — are we at Sonic? The service was very good from the helpful staff, as was the coffee which was all I had. However this place is so small that I had trouble finding a place to stand while waiting for my coffee. And I was the only one standing! Prices are on the high side but that is par for the course given the neighbourhood. The Bay Shore Inn is right down the street.

Great coffee, excellent customer service and perfect location, it’s steps away from the beautiful sea wall area.

Came here because of the name (I love the show) & the proximity to my hotel. I ordered an almond latte and my daughter got the raspberry vanilla tea. Both were awesome. The atmosphere is cool because you can watch how they make the drinks. It’s some sort of Japanese process that looks like chemistry. We were fascinated watching it. The locals obviously like it as well because 2 couples came in while we were there and the barista knew them and there drink order.
We didn’t order food so I can’t say anything about that but I highly recommend the drinks and the experience.

With limited time in Vancouver, we decided to be spontaneous (giving us a surprise) and pick the first breakfast place we saw. Also being without cellular reception made things harder to find places to eat, only limited to the Internet through wifi. And unfortunately for this place, I have been spoiled with other amazing foods that made the meal dis-​satisfying.
Their tea is decent, ordered the hibiscus tea, but it would be better if they allowed us to seep our own tea. They seeped the tea too dark for my taste. We ordered the smoke salmon crêpe and the ham/​cheese crêpe, which were both okay/​edible. I was not wowed by it, but filled my appetite, ready for the day.
This café has free wifi but that’s the only positive thing from the place. Not so cheap food, for a disappointed meal. Disappointing place that I would not go back, even if I stayed next door to the café.