Matchstick Coffee Roasters

This is what coffee should taste like.
Matchstick gives other coffee chains a run for their money. The coffee here is very thick and has a great flavour to it. Amazingly ethnic coffee’s to choose from, and all in a very lovely ambiance. Time comes to a stall when I sit here with my coffee, a book and an occassional scone.

This location is huge.
I was in the area on a Sunday morning at 8am and was very thankful that they open at 7am. Not sure if they’re ever busy at 7am normally, but on the Sunday it was completely empty and gave me a chance to look at the empty store. I noticed at this location also had a couple handles for beer, and with the seating capacity, this would be a great spot for a couple drinks and a chat. I was seriously impressed by how many people could fit into this café.
A very different café compared to their other location, which is probably ¼th the size. Coffee itself is tasty as usual, nothing to complain although I didn’t try the espresso here.

the Best dirty chai ever and the savory was quite something. Can’t wait to go back to Vancouver to try more of that place.

Great coffee from local roasters. The highlight is their baked good selection with an option for brunch. Great big space for doing work, although, no option for charging your laptops or phones.

On my second visit I ordered the toast & walnut butter with my latte. I got a generous serving of their fresh, dense bread, toasted with walnut butter and topped with walnut halves. I think this is going to become a weekly habit. The latte was outstanding (again).

Bel espace lumineux à la décoration épurée. Très agréable! Le Capuccino fait plaisir! :)
Les Baristas sont cool.
Le hic: pas mal de petites mouches, un peu partout, notamment qui se baladent sur les pâtisseries au comptoir. Bön c’est pas des mouches à caca mais ça reste gênant!

Want your coffee weak with a side of smugness? You’ve come to the right place! First, the staff here try to be hipster cool but are just flat out rude and cold. So cold in fact that you think they aren’t even alive! Second, ordering just regular coffee is quite a production. The girl weighs everything out on a scale and prepares the pour-​over coffee in some science flask. It takes forever and the best part, is you get to pay over $ 3 for it! The coffee was super weak and was absolutely gross, I couldn’t finish it. Maybe I’m just a French-​press kinda guy, but truly disappointing experience.

Wasn’t expecting anything mind-​blowing from this place but to our pleasant surprise, it was!!! We stopped by to get an afternoon pick me up after having lunch down the street at Phnom Penh. We got a coffee and the elderberry tea. What’s good with that Elderberry Tea though? Mind you, I got it iced and unsweetened so doesn’t sound like anything special right? WRONG! It was naturally fragrant, not overly floral, a tad fruity, and slightly sweet (naturally). I’ve never tasted anything quite like it and frankly, now I’m obsessed! I gotta find those tea leaves somewhere!!! We also tried the oatmeal cookie and the vegan scone. That VEGAN scone doe… how do you make it so freakin delicious!!! It had spelt, mixed berries, and chocolate. Holy crap was it delicious! It has been a few days and I’m still dreaming and drooling over the scones. In all seriousness though, this is a cool spot to catch breakfast or an afternoon pick me up. It’s bright, spacious, good music, good people, and they have wi-​fi! Loved every moment in here!

I had a decaf Americano. It was unique & very delicious tasting. Perfectly roasted.
The space was Open, well designed.
Lots of seating /​tables available. (Front lounge seating, several huge natural tree communal tables and smaller tables for 2.
The negatives: The music was cranked and they charge .75¢ for sparkling water on tap — that other local coffee shops offer freely (Elysian coffee, Birds & the Beets and Timbertrain Roasters)
On this visit, The service was professional but i wouldn’t say very friendly. That happens. That won’t stop me from going back again.
The quality of the coffee and the exceptionally designed /​open space will probably bring me back.

Great atmosphere and delicious pastries. Must try the cinnamon stick and kale and roasted potato scone.

Great coffee, terrible attitudes by the staff. Barista angst straight from the late ‘90s.
Thanks, Scowly Blonde behind the counter, for the memorable morning experience by not giving me the correct change and forgetting to hand over the muffin I politely ordered.

A nice clean feel-​good hipster coffee place in the heart of Chinatown.
Parking is available around the park to the E, or on Gore to the N.
The place is quite spacious, with plenty of wood and drywall. The only thing that seemed out of place was the set of antlers on the wall. Maybe it’s just me, but it seemed a bit tacky. Most of the seats are arranged along long tables made of irregular stumps of trees.
The coffees are all pressed to order. I had the Karimikui Espresso. It did taste like orange and papaya. Just like wine, I don’t understand where these flavours come from. With that said, it was pleasant. So pleasant that I didn’t need cream or sugar.

I saw these reviewed on the front page of Unilocal on May 4^th and put it on my list as part of my 100 coffee shops in 52 weeks challenge.
The décor is similar to the other branch, wood and simple. LOTS of seating for met to work on my zine.
No specialty coffees as they like to concentrate on the bean.
They’re open until 9 pm which is amazing. It makes it easier for me to come here either before seeing my best friend and the record store or on the way to a show down at the stadium when I need that extra buzz to get me through the show.
Staff are amazing. Prices are as expected for the bean.
Not much in terms of pastry other than a few pieces here and there. Mostly coffee.

Born out of the Fraserhood and East Vancouver’s vibrant coffee culture, the second Matchstick Coffee Roasters location has become a quick fixture on East Georgia and is just as hip and bustling as the first.
Matchstick offers the same «specialty roastery» qualities and serious coffee vibe we’ve come to know. Inside, the café is outfitted throughout with a stark white interior and clean wood finishes.
I love the creative ways all these local cafes use to incorporate hanging lights into their spaces and atmosphere on the whole.
Matchstick also makes a killer Americano (one of the better ones in the city) with a reliably well-​brewed composition to it.
Their diverse selection of single-​origin pour overs, carefully made espresso drinks, and more than decent selection of baked good (including three different kinds of croissants) are also unsurprisingly winning.
And if you are interested and looking for a different kind of buzz, be sure grab one of the local beers available on tap.

Another great little hipster coffee shop.
Matchstick has a very relaxed atmosphere, which I like, and is one of the newer style of coffee shops that cares deeply about the coffee you drink and has many ways to prepare it for you. I grabbed a decaf Americano and it was certainly one of the better ones that I’ve had.
The seating isn’t super comfy, and has a West Coast industrial style design to it, but was great for a fairly quick meeting. It’s a great sized place, leaving you lots of options for spots to have a private chat without feeling like you’re crowded in on top of everyone. That said, it can probably get pretty packed in there, I’d imagine!
Definitely somewhere I’d come to again for a meeting, or even to do a little work — I just wouldn’t feel comfortable staying for a long period of time.

The epitome of coffee snobbery can be found here. It’s also always packed with hipsters, and overpriced for what it is.
Seriously, when did ordering a hot drink become such an ordeal?
Now we have to treat the barista as some kind of an artist philosopher, and make witty small talk and act so cool.
Their coffee setup looks like a drug lab. I didn’t realize coffee had become a science experiment until I saw this place and Revolver.
Call me a philistine if you wish, but I don’t need my coffee to make a statement about who I am. I just want it to taste good, and be served in a time efficient manner.
Give me JJ Bean any day. In fact, give me Tim Hortons over this! I would gladly drink their ashtray flavoured coffee surrounded by every day, normal people than go to Matchstick and see/​be seen by a bunch of snobs.

I am more of a tea snob than a java snob but you are going to want to check this place out to satisfy your caffeine cravings. My husband and I shared granola with yogurt which was delish, he had a cornbread muffin and I had the earl grey lemon poppy seed muffin. We both chose different varies of java each with a unique profile. I am not sure if they roast the beans themselves or just curate the best from each region? Ether way it is working for them. Our bill was $ 22 with a tip.
My favorite thing about this shop is the ambiance. It is filled with hipsters but not the stinky kind :) A great place for a java with friends or a quick breakfast on a rainy Sunday!!!

disclaimer: I’m a coffee snob
I’m a regular here… but that may soon change if their baristas don’t improve.
(Actually, it’s just one barista in particular that’s been there for the last three visits…)
For my last last visit, the barista was making an espresso shot for a customer. When he was transferring the drink to the counter he spilled half of it.
He then wiped the plate and he just handed the drink to the customer as if nothing happened.
I couldn’t believe it…
He should’ve given her another drink. At the very least, he should’ve wiped her cup and not just the plate.
It wasn’t my drink, but it still ticked me off.
I went there again today and the same barista was there. I had a bad feeling.
I ordered a latte to go and it was the bad… I’ve probably had over couple dozen lattes at matchstick over the last couple years, and this was by far the worst.
It just tasted like milk.
He didn’t do a proper job pulling the espresso shot.
He also did a very poor job pouring the milk. He literally poured the milk straight into the cup.
no wrist action, no fancy latte art, nothing.
Ugh.
C’mon matchstick, you can do better than that!
I’m downgrading you guys to a 2.5 for now…

Matchstick more like crooked dick, everyone has their panties in a twist. I’ve seen smarter baristas at Mc Café. The smell of cedar and moth balls in the air with a whisp of broke strathcona scenesters will really un oak your morning. No plug ins to charge your lap tops, they shoe you out faster than a whore house. This place is mooch proof and was hotter than a hoochie choochie inside. Sweating while drinking my coffee and watching my battery plummet really had me shook. Boutique coffee to the point of unethical they use elephant foreskins as filters. I’ll be staying true to my roots and heading across thy street to the twixton.
Amen,
Baby Jesus

The coffee is okay. Unfortunately no gluten free eats at all, and I happened to be quite hungry. Inside is bright and spacious and the pieces of wood they’ve used for the tables are gorgeous! Great contrasting red metal chairs against the concrete floors and walls. I much prefer the first location due to it’s proximity to Gluten Free Epicurean, I just can’t imagine why they don’t carry any of their goods here.
In this area, I’d recommend Finch’s just a few blocks away for a more charming experience. Sorry Matchstick but I still love ya.

Really nice coffee house. Coffee is good and the atmosphere is really trendy. Love the way they make the coffee. So cool. Really love the space. Clean and open. Food looks good and coffee is decent