Coffee Review – Melriches Coffeehouse
Related entries in Coffee ReviewsMelriches Coffeehouse
Arieanna gives it *** (3/4 stars)
Coffee 70%
Atmosphere 77%
Service 70%
It was an ugly and rainy day here in Vancouver. My mom is visiting from Toronto for only a short time, so we decided to go out anyway. After doing some shopping at Urban Fare and around Yaletown, we headed to Melriches for coffee and a nice lunch.
At first, I was very pleased. It was a nice place with good seating, nice servers, and even a little bar area. I stuck with the drip coffee today, having a nice dark Cuban drip. I am not sure of their supplier, but I did enjoy the brew, saying something nice about their machines.
For lunch, we both had omelettes. I opted for the “healty” option listed, which was grilled veggies. Nice spinach, peppers and stuff. My mom had ham & cheese. One of the best omlettes I’ve had – I didn’t even need to ruin it with ketchup.
So, I walked out quite happy and pleased with my experience at Melriches. Until about a half hour later when my “fat-o-meter” stomach told me I had done something bad. After a couple hours of suffering, that “yummy” omelette had become my enemy. I am not sure of the source of the fat – maybe oil in grilling the veggies and some cream &/or butter in the eggs (hence its yumminess), but it’s not an experience I plan on again. So, if I venture back to Melriches I will stick to coffee and pastries.
Pros
Nice drip coffee
Good food selection – all day breakfast
Bar with tv area
Very open feeling in the layout
FatPort wireless
Cons
Far from healthy food – cut the fat!
Not the cheapest lunch food
Address: 1043 Mainland Street, Vancouver
Location: Mainland & Nelson, Yaletown
January 23rd, 2005 at 11:24 pm
LOVE Melriches, but not the one in Yaletown. They actually have another location on Davie Street, around the SuperValu.
The Davie Street location is bustling and fun with nice wood tables. A totally different atmosphere. Not as big a menu, but they do the favourites. They make THE BEST veggie burger. Haven’t noticed much of a “fat-o-meter” but I’ve never gotten an omelette there. I have noticed a love for the mayo, though.
Melriches’ coffee is from Bean Around the World, a local roaster. I like them – used to live at the location on Cornwall when I lived in Kits. I was at their Main & 20th location on the weekend – worth a visit.
July 22nd, 2007 at 12:22 pm
Worst service every. The empolyees are jerks.
Foods ok; coffee is ok; try Starbucks down the street
September 18th, 2007 at 9:21 am
Hmmm… Yeah, I’m kinda with Don on the Yaletown location. I sometimes phone order the breakfast sandwich for pickup but more often than not, they will have given my sandwich away to the next person to ask for one so I have to wait for them to make mine. Well I could have waited but didn’t really want to. That’s why I phoned the order in, isn’t it? I try phone ordering again about once a month just to see if they can manage to pull off the one order successfully. They are 0 for 4 so far this summer. Message received. I’ll go away.
January 13th, 2008 at 6:24 pm
As usual, Melriches on Davie provides utterly terrible and rude customer service.
One time, one of the counter women became visibly when I asked of a decaf. She asked me how many shots I wanted and I politely replied that I wasn’t sure what she meant. I assumed that decaf was brewed along with regular coffee, instead of it being prepared as an Americano. She asked me again how many shots I wanted. I asked her how many would go into a decaf, she simply said: “It’s up to you”. I just wanted a decaf, not a special customized drink. I asked again, still in a very polite manner: “How many shots would go into a decaf?” She still wouldn’t just tell me how many shots go into a plain decaf. (In other places where decaf is prepared like an Americano, nobody ever asks how many shots are needed. It is just made to taste like a regularly brewed decaf.). My partner, having watched the non productive exchange between me and the counter person, intervened and asked how many shots were needed to make a decaf that tasted like a regularly brewed decaf. The employee turned her eyes and said with an obviously sarcastic voice: “I’ll just add two shots.” She then turned around, visibly upset, and started slamming things around and started making the decaf Americano. My partner said: “The attitude is not appreciated.” The employee dropped the cup and told the other counter person that she would be going for a break. So, the other employee finished preparing the decaf. This was a while ago and I swore to myself I’d never go back to Melriches ever again. Well, today was my friend’s birthday. He asked me to meet him at the Davie shop. I decided to go to give it an honest try and to indulge my friend. So, at about 1:10 pm on January 13, 2008, I was standing close to the counter, when one of the employees, a short woman with straight blond hair and a pony tail, put out her hand to motion us to get out of the way, so she could get through. She had an expression in her face that made her look surly and angry that we had the gall to be standing in her way. She didn’t bother to say “excuse me”, just like any professional employee at a coffee house would say in a similar situation. She just went by without saying a word. My friend was also bothered by your employee’s attitude and he commented on it. We left and went to the Davie Cafe instead. I can cite at least another two times when I was mistreated by your employees at the Davie shop. I am sure I am not alone in this feeling. I saw a cartoon in the Xtra West depicting Melriches employees as close to psychotic. It would be nice if you cared about the people that you hired. All I have to say is that if your employees continue to behave in this manner, I will be very happy to see Starbucks putting your coffee shop out of its misery.
June 30th, 2008 at 9:28 am
I went to the Melriches on Davie and the customer service is JUST AWFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Real bitch with sholuder length brown hair that needs a good slap across the chops.Wont go to the dump!!!!!!!!!
July 12th, 2008 at 3:03 pm
hahaha…I love Mel’s on Davie because of the staff! Wow..I find all the comments so foreign to my experience. You gotta get in there, you gotta make your presence known – make your coffee happen! It is soooo Davie Street and I don’t want it to change, EVER!! Anyone who would want Starshmucks burnt roast and robotic smiles over real people, real people who banter (the quality of which is up to you), whether it’s a crap mood or smiles with a boogie down, they’ll make you a kickass coffee!
Take your sensitive asses down to the Elbow Room ;). hahaha
Much Love.
September 20th, 2008 at 9:26 pm
I agree that the staff can have too much attitude. But the deal, the tradeoff, is that it’s a comfortable relaxed place where you can hang out for hours, all day if you want, and there will be no attitude at all about buying more or moving on. Not many places around, like that.
March 23rd, 2009 at 4:53 pm
I would have to agree with Heather. The staff are what MAKES Melriches. It has great coffee, nice displays of local art and hilarious staff who don’t take things too seriously. I mean come on you guys, we are talking about coffee here…
Ed, your comment about Starbucks is so alarming. I would much rather have a unique, locally owned place with GOOD coffee rather than another starbucks. Besides, Davie St already has 5 of them between Denman and Burrard! YOu have lots of choices!
Maybe try it again sometime, everyone has their bad days i suppose. Working in restaurants and serving the public for almost twenty years, I can say it can be trying sometimes to be constantly “on” and smiling at everyone.
anyway, take it easy
April 14th, 2009 at 11:55 am
Anyone who complains about Melriches on Davie is nuts. The service is personable and outstanding. Those kids make little money and still act as if its the best job out there. They are real people so if you want robots without personalities then by all means steer clear. The breakfast is a good deal and I have never experienced any stomach problems afterward (I doubt any western palette would). Awesome place great coffee good food, no complaints.
May 26th, 2009 at 10:47 pm
I love Melriches on Davie, every time I have been in there the staff are fun and friendly, heck once you get used to going in you can tell who’s on by the music being played!
Very friendly, great coffee and food, along with finches on Homer and Pender one of the best coffee houses in Vancouver!