Muffin Break

I tried the Indian Lentil soup today, so delicious!!! I love this little shop and the little woman who runs it.

Don’t let the somewhat outdated look of this place fool you, Muffin Break is a wonderful café/​bakery/​lunch spot! They have easily the best Chai latte I’ve had in Vancouver, made with real tea and spices rather than the weird syrups common at most places. The muffins and baked goodies are made in house and are tasty, reasonably priced, and huge. I particularly love the apple cake, carrot cake, and (gluten free!) brownie. There’s nothing fancy about this baking (i.e. you’re going to get carrot cake, not some weird interpretation of carrot cake) and I consider that a good thing. Finally, the owner is super warm and friendly, the type of person who knows the regulars by name and is always chatting with them.
Just knowing this place exists in a landscape otherwise dominated by cookie cutter, corporate coffee shops and hyper-​designed, hipster cafes makes me unbelievably happy.

Such a pleasant experience! The best turkey sandwich I’ve had in a while, paired with amazing customer service. The lady was so nice, she even came over to fix our wobbly table! I’ll definitely be back.

On a block full of coffee shops, Muffin Break has the best muffins, cakes, sandwiches, and soup.
Very friendly service and a nice atmosphere to get some work done — free wifi for customers too.
They have a good selection of lunch or dinner entrees too, like quiche and samosas.

One upon a time muffins tried to be the new cupcakes, however, it just didn’t happen for whatever reason. I am truthfully surprised that something like this actually still exists and is doing good business. I remember coming here every day back in the day ’cause they had good lunch specials, decent bran muffins, could customer service and decent prices. I am glad to report that all of these still exist. There isn’t much of an ambiance which is to bad. The whole general area could use a character make over.

Here you can get homestyle baked goods that are twice the size on average for the same money which makes your morning break into a meal!
Soup is not bad. If you like peace and quiet this is the place. Two of the walls are glass so you can watch the UBC traffic go by.

Why you should come here: Better food/​drinks than Blenz/​Starbucks.
The place: Quiet lunch break/​coffee place. The woman that owns the place is very nice and makes everything herself. It’s not a place you go to be seen, it’s somewhere you go to get a sandwich, some coffee, and maybe a homemade pastry. Lots of beautiful indoor plants give the restaurant a nice fresh look and smell. (What? The plants smell nice!)
The food: As I said, everything here is made in store. With all of the hype these days about things being homemade I am quite surprised that this place doesn’t have better ratings if you consider the high quality of the food here. (This is the highpoint of the store).
Vegetable Samosas with the in-​house chutney are the best.
Drinks: Chai Latte is the best I’ve ever had.
Service: Fast and friendly, not much else to say.
The only downside to this place is the seating; if it had some nice couches or maybe some little private areas to lounge in and stay a while to read or to chat with a friend I would give it 5 stars. However, the food and *AMAZING* Chai Lattes keep me coming back. A good place to stop on your way to the beach. Their soups are also great for takeout.

Chloe is right– this is definitely big with the silver-​hair scene. And I can see the «old world» charm that would make it so.
Old World Charm #1– If there’s no one at the counter, you ring the bell. (Grandkids probably love to accompany Gran & Gramps and push this bell over and over and over…)
Old World Charm #2– Even if you only order one item, it’s put on a plate, and then put on a tray. Ah, cafeteria style, got to love it.
Old World Charm #3– Bright Bright walls. It’s like Crayola exploded in here. Muffins make me think of soft browns and butter colors– but here we’ve got bright primary colors on the wall. That will wake you up (or perhaps it’s for the visually impaired?)
I stopped in at Muffin Break at 1pm, and there wasn’t much people watching to be done. The other two customers sat in relative silence watching traffic pass. As for the muffin I tried– cinnamon apple. It was big, it was pretty (dusted with powdered sugar), but it was a little bland.
Not quite a «happening place» but definitely a neighborhood establishment.

Muffin Break is the truckstop of West Fourth coffee shops.
It’s very popular with the older locals, who visit regularly for soup and the newspaper. I’ve tried the muffins, but found the apple cinnamon quite dry. The house coffee (I’d guess) arrives pre-​ground, while the cappuccino and hot chocolate are the press-​the-​button-​until-​the-​cup-​is-​2/​3-​full version. The owner is cheerful and sweet. Cafeteria-​style tables, however, don’t make for the greatest atmosphere.
A fantastic location (corner of Alma and Fourth) provides windows on three sides. A good spot to people-​watch or for a low-​cost caffeine jolt. But only if every other place is closed — and that’s a rarity.