Prado Cafe

Ordered melted tuna sandwich but they ran out of it so changed to cheese sandwich. This is what I got. Totally different from what they have on their menu. From what I got, their menu is a lie and it doesn’t worth $12.5 cad on Ubereats at all (I paid $13 since they didn’t have a way to give me changes on the difference prices between melted tuna and cheese sandwich) : (

One of the best coffees I’ve had. In addition to oat and almond milk, they offered me soy milk that is not that common anymore. The quinoa bowl has arugula, black beans, and corn, and tastes like a refreshing salad.

I met my wife here today, Thanksgiving Monday. While I awaited her arrival, I did some book promotion online. Prado had a light, cheery, and rustic feel. Smooth jazz played as I entered and the aroma of coffee(s) greated me. The coffee was amazing, and we enjoyed some time here. I highly recommend Prado on Commercial.

What a cute hole in the wall. In December I hunt the city looking for places that use real egg nog for my latte. To my surprise they do, but had run out later in the day... Lol Quiet atmosphere and roomy for being a small place. We will be back. This is an awesome place to just sit back and people watch. Big huge picture windows that cover 3/4 of the room. Enjoy!!

I'm a takeout kinda of person as I always visit between photography jobs. The staff are wonderful, pleasant/relaxing atmosphere and the coffee never disappoints. I finally went for the carrot cake yesterday and it's the best I've ever had, there's something different then the usual recipe. It's my go to when on the North side of the drive and I feel this is your sign for it to be yours too!

Loved the food, the service, the vibe! Very nice place

Had a wonderful flat white there! And the staff is always so nice and welcoming, they make sure you get the highest quality coffee and experience. A must go if you are on the Drive!

Good strong coffee! Nice rustic ambience but very busy most of the time so hard to find a place to sit down.

This is a pretty good coffee shop. The chai latte was super pricey (almost 7$ before tip, with regular milk & no other changes). The interior of the shop was incredibly hot - my friend and I were sweating the whole time we were sitting there. Lots of people here on their laptops working, so overall pretty quiet atmosphere. The chai was good, not great. Pretty average. I can't speak to the food because they use a lot of peanuts in their baking, and everything is in one case together - with my allergy I wasn't able to try anything. There are better coffee shops in Vancouver in my opinion!

Ordered an decaf americano, got an iced decaf Americano. To be fair, it's what I was debating in my mind considering it was 16 degrees, I ordered hot. Apparently the cashier must have read my first thought and ignored what I said. Did not want it go to waste took the iced version. Price is on the high side but this time the coffee was alright.

I absolutely love Prado. They have really good coffee and delicious pastries. My go to is always a good latte and they do it very well. The coffee here has never failed me. Near all the shops on main. They have some seatings and a lot of people bring their laptop or a books

A cute hipster coffee spot on Commercial Drive - GREAT staff and free (Shaw) wifi nearby! Fortunate to have caught them during a quiet period, so my friend and I had the luxury of table seating and fast service Had the Pink Latte (no coffee but has spicy beetroot powder & almond milk) which was smooth, subtlely flavoured & comforting. My friend had the Tumeric Latte (also no coffee) which was also smooth & comforting. We shared the both the date and 'Magic' (coconut, chocolate chips) bars, which were not overtly sweet and tasted healthier than what I expected such desserts to be (a good thing!). They also serve savoury items, perhaps next time we'll partake

This place was the first cafe that blew my mind with their delicious London Fog since moving to Vancouver. They make it so well and very similar to the cafe in my hometown, only this one knocked my hometown favourite cafe down to second place. They now take first!

Awesome. Sister's boyfriend got me a latte. So the latte was ok. Honestly, I couldn't tell the difference from other latte. It was tasty, smooth and milky. Overall, I liked it. I noticed that they don't have a personalize Prado cup or a Prado logo sleeve. Ok!

If you need to have a gluten free diet, it's arduous to find things to eat. Especially when you're on vacation. Look no further than Commercial Drive and 4th. Found this cost little gem. Locals come here to eat carrying their own mugs for coffee, flat whites, etc. Had the best gluten free breakfast in a long while.

Took them forever to make my drink. 5.48 for a small chai tea that tasted nothing like actual chai tea. It was bitter and gross. Not recommended

Similar to the other Prado locations, the Prado Cafe on the Drive serves up a great cup of coffee and breakfast sandwich. I've come here on 3 separate occasions now: one to grab a coffee to go, one to get a mid-day coffee fix and work on my laptop, and the last one to enjoy a cup of coffee with a friend. Each time I enjoyed my warm cup o' joe. I love the bright natural lighting that comes in from the big windows. It also makes for great people-creeping opportunities. Staff are super friendly, helpful, and know how to make a good cup of coffee. Everytime I'm on Commercial and I need a quick pick me up, Prado is always one of my first stops.

I was walking my friend's dog so I was looking for a coffee shop with some outside seating. I came across this cafe and decided to have something warm before continuing onward home. There are street bike racks out front with permanet patio - I secured the dog by the bike rack and got a cappuccino. I didn't have to wait too long for the espresso, and it was ok in price ($3.90 for 6 oz). I think they use parallel 49 beans for their coffee. To be honest, I can't tell the taste too much as I sat outside on the patio on the cold but dry January Saturday to be with the dog. Overall, I didn't mind the experience and appreciated the outdoor space to be with my furry friend.

Love the high ceilings and huge windows- so, so much natural light. The decor is minimalistic. I tried the "no-name cookie" for the first time here - AMAZING! It was very hearty. It's oatmeal based with chocolate chip and marshmallows. I convinced myself that the healthy nutritional benefits in oats cancel the sugar and fat content in marshmallows and chocolate chips, leaving me with a guilt free indulgence. Anywyas, definitely a new must try at Prado. Great convinient spot to catch up with a friend or have some me-time!

In a word terrible. For such a highly rated place it was just down right awful. Espresso was burnt and the milk was almost scalded. The place was packed and I guess they are better for Lattes and normal coffee. Big Thumbs down. The Drink looked downright horrible as well. I am surprised how they are surviving in Vancouver as it has a very high standard for coffee/espresso drinks.

A little gem in Vancouver! If it's available, try the lavender latte with the West Coast toast. Also, the folks who work here are the kindest humans. Loved this place

Most of the issues come from the fact that they don't pay their staff enough so there's a lot of staff turnover. Owners are the problem as far as I can tell.

I'm visiting from NYC and was recommended this place. I really like the interior of this place but I guess you should never judge a book by it's cover. I ordered a flat white and I was disappointed I took it back and got a cold brew which is cheaper. They charged me for that drink too. It would never happen in anywhere else, I'm super disappointed about the service

I've been here several times in the past couple of years and I like it a lot. Free wifi, cute place to people watch, read, or study. I've also been here for meetings and to meet up with friends. Great coffee, tea lattes, and I can vouch for the ginger cookie and jam thumbprint cookie. There are benches around the perimeter of the cafe and a couple of benches on the street to sit and socialize.

No wheelchair accessibility. I think the coffee is good the food selection and taste is excellent. Staff could be a little more focused on customers.

Came here for breakfast, not really a place u want to go for breakfast because it's a cafe...coffee and drinks are great but stick with the pastries and avoid the breakfast menu - not the greatest.

I quite like this hipster cafe. Hard to go wrong with minimalist decor. I don't normally come to commercial drive, but The Prado here ain't bad. The baristas are really nice. Free wifi. I enjoyed my ice latte. Only complaint would be the fact that it's super hot here when the sun is in full blast....makes the place feel like a greenhouse. Especially when you're seated near the windows facing Commercial street. Oh, and I noticed spiderwebs on the stereo on the ceilings, even without my glasses. Couldn't help but deduct a star for that alone.

I'm convinced this place is a performance art gallery, the display entitled 'If Apple Made Coffee Shops'. The work, disillusioned looking 20something hipsters arranged in grey hues and oversized sweaters. They are poised over identical MacBook Pros displaying screenplays, illustrations and 'their art'. Looking for the Facebooker collection? Eh maybe you need Waves, down the street. People flock to observe the changing shift of 'creations' drinking bad coffee and squirming on uncomfortable, minimalist furniture. For the price of an americano you can sit amongst them and be a part of the performance. Lucky you! But please dressed appropriately so as not to disturb the aesthetic, neutral colours, essence of Muji, please.

The coffee here is well known in Vancouver and as a Seattleite, the latte did not dissappoint. It did not have that sour/acidic flavor and was well balanced. A little dissapointed in the Avocado french toast... the bread was not toasted or chewy.. just plain bread... and the avocado was thinly spread ... it could definately have used some flavor ..or chili flakes.!

Prado got a facelift, in case you didn't notice. It's subtle, but -WOW -- SHABANG ! The benches out front = um --fkyeah! Much better than two, imbalanced tables that spilled your coffee and were seldom available. Now you can grab any spot where your tush will fit. It's more 'friendly' he-heh. Inside; Well helloooo...! Is it a Mirage?! Well, it IS a Mirage but it's actually there too ;) Also noticed some gluten free thingy's. Yup! Prado you're back in my cafe @beandar! *Congrat's S.P!

Minimalist and bland, Prado is nearly avant-garde in its rejection of decorations and image. Very popular with the apathetic younger generation, it's also a good place to study or work without fear of distraction from say colors, or art. With its eggshell white walls and Helvetica menu board, the only thing hanging on the walls is a clock, and even that is placed conspicuously near the ceiling. There is a hanging mobile that singularly stands out as decorative, but true to the café's theme it is made from nothing but blank squares of white paper. The coffee is very good, and the treats are served in large portions and are delicious. The only problem with Prado is that it tries so hard to not be pretentious that it becomes pretentious in the process. Kind of like the kids in high school who would only wear black clothing, even in the summer heat.

Coffee, there is so much of it nowadays, and it's all personal preference as to what bean you enjoy, and what dark water brew you get. If you are looking for someone that is serving 49th Parallel Coffee, and you someone find yourself on Commercial Drive... here it is. It's a pretty little place that gives off a rustic, classic type look even though this place is not that old. If you are looking for 'Apple' geeks, you will find them here, locked into their MacBooks doing their own thing, minding their own business. It's definitely a 'hipster' kind of place, and a great place to just sit around, with all it's big windows, to people watch along Commercial Drive. It's a wooden looking place, from the apparent showing beams holding the structure up, to the floors, to the big communal table (gotta have one of those now) it is a place that fits along the stretch of Commercial Drive. When I was here I remember a cool vibe of beats playing in the background while I was sipping on my brew while it was raining outside. Everybody in their own mindset on their phones and laptops here. If your missing the hipster vibe that a Starbucks will not give you.... come here, enough said.

I ordered a peppermint hot chocolate. I had a few sips, and I did not taste the peppermint at all! I came back and told them that, they offered to put more peppermint. Asian barista seemed annoyed as she was the one who made my drink, squirts a few drops of peppermint syrup, I had a taste and still don't taste anything. She added more, and finally it tasted mildly like peppermint. It's my first time here, not sure if I'd come back again. Atmosphere seems cold, my drink came lukewarm and I've had better hot peppermint drinks elsewhere. For a hot chocolate for $4.50 I'd rather spend somewhere else. I give 2stars for pretty drink art.

Aaaaahhhh.... Cafe Prado....... For the longest time, I couldn't even figure out its name ! Between us it was "THE" cafe... "you know the one at the corner of 4th..."; cause I guess that they had lost their mini sign, or that putting the sign out wasn't on the task list of the employees at that time ;-) And then it was "Cafe PradA"... hum... too much shopping I guess !! ;-) Eventually we figured out its real name... But really, who cares ?!?! Cause what's most important is how good their coffee is !!! I just LOVE it ! It's my saturday morning spot... you know... first day of the week-end... would SO much love to sleep in... BUT little monsters wake you up BEFORE 7:00am (how on earth do they know it's the week-end, so that they can wake up EARLIER than usual ?!?!?!). So, you dress with the first thing that come under your hand, you fill the double stroller with mini-monsters in pyjamas, so excited to go out, you start zombi-walking toward Commercial Drive.... All this with your eyes half open. And then you enter you wonderful cafe Prada...mmmm.... the smell !!!! You order your tall cafe latte... AND the raspberry bar (don't tell me you've never tasted it ! that would be a crime !!!).... You wish you could stay in this great clean, bear, tranquil space. But NO. Remember ? You have your mini-pyjamas-monsters... So you bobble your way to the nearest park (luckily just half a block from there). And then it's HEAVEN !!! You sit on a bench and start sipping your perfect cafe latte. not too hot. not too warm. coffee taste perfect. not too strong, not too weak. AND not burnt !! Bon. you still need to share your delicious, scrumptious raspberry bar with your mini-monster... but hey. that's a small price to pay for this really nice moment to wake-up and be ready to start your week-end ! :-)

This place has great staff, but that's about it. Constantly understaffed, which seems ridiculous considering the prices. Can they not afford to hire more people?? Turn over seems constant, which isn't surprising considered I once saw what looked like a ten year old working. Not even sure how that is legal, much less helpful. As someone who has worked a lot of food service jobs, this location comes across as having incredibly poor management. I hope the upper management either changes or the place shuts down and a shop that treats their staff better replaces it.

Came here with my bf after work on a Friday. We decided to sit outside because it was too warm inside. This cafe does have their own outside seating but there was also a Public seating area outside the cafe which we decided was really cool so we sat there instead. I had an iced lemongrass tea in a glass jar which was refreshing but it was sort of watery so I couldn't taste the lemongrass. I think there was too much ice added or they didn't seep it long enough. My bf ordered an interesting drink that wasn't bad but he didn't like it. I forgot what it was called but it was part soda and part coffee. It wasn't that sweet and the coffee was strong enough that you could taste it. We also had an inside-out peanut butter cookie with chocolate filling which was yummy. The peanut butter was my favorite part because it was crumbly and peanut buttery. The chocolate filling wasn't bad but I thought there was too much of it and it was too sweet for me.

I remember when this used to be a pleasant location to work on the weekend and have a nice cappuccino. I used to know the staff that had been there and it really added to the experience. The other week I went in to order my usual cappuccino with soy and the girl at the counter said I should have it with milk since it foams better. I told her politely that I wouldn't mind it, but I prefer the texture of soy. The barista beside her asked me if I was lactose intolerant and I told her no, but I prefer soy milk. They both pushed me into trying the milk saying that if I wasn't allergic I should try it and I said, no, I really don't want milk and could you please make the soy cappuccino, and could they make it extra hot because I was going to have it to go. The one girl rolled her eyes and made the drink really quick and dropped it on the small counter making a mess and walk away. I didn't want to bother asking her to remake it or heat it up (it wasn't extra hot and it was more liquid than foam). I just wiped up the cup, went down the street to another coffee shop and ordered another cappuccino. I won't be returning.

This is the best part of my review, so instead of putting it at the end, I'm putting it at the top. I just went to the Prado website- it is incredibly minimalist, perhaps even more so than the cafe itself. And the name for the email address is "whitewalls." Love it! Like others have already stated, it's easy to walk by this place and notice that absence of things. The decor is quite stark. The big windows facing out to the Drive, gave me many opportunities to peer inside and wonder about this place. So I finally went. In the spirit of things (the boring decor) I ordered a boring drink- plain latte. It was quite good. Not sure what type of espresso bean they use, but it has a rich full flavor. The cup was a little small compared to what I can get elsewhere. I enjoyed sitting in here reading, and occasionally peeking out at the pedestrians who were peeking in. While I would not claim this to be the best place on the drag, it's a place that I will return.

Nope! If you know it's bad coffee, you shouldn't serve that coffee. If you are a true barista. I ordered an Americano when there was long line up. and I got shittiest coffee in my life. I don't know if they missed another shot of espresso.. I'm not sure, but obviously everybody could see it's wrong coffee if they have eyes. It was coffee colored water.. I think they put a just half shot?? It was still busy, I didn't want wait long for asking exchange.. so I just drank up and went to Starbucks.. I'm so regretting I tipped on this shitty americano..

Coffee is good here. Nice quaint little coffee shop but pretty busy. There are pastries that look good but didn't try any. It's a little rustic looking but feels new and clean. The staff are friendly. Definitely would come back if i'm in the area.

I see this little café full of people as I've passed by before. It looks cute. I thought today I'd go in. Everyone was on their lab-top computers. Tap, tap tap. I assume they have free wifi. There were big windows but no one was looking at anything other then their computer screens. They might as well have been in a basement. Just sad. Lots of hipster types wearing loafers tapping away at their devices. Perhaps they're version of socializing in the real world is sitting outside their home on a computer? Not hating, I just think it's ironic. The service was decent. My tea cost $4. Not cheap. Like the bag was probably 30cents and the rest of it was water so I think it's safe to say that's pretty ridiculous for tea. Positive: The teacups were nice. I didn't order food because of the unimpressive food options. The washroom was dark and the key didn't work well. One of those "you just have to keep shaking it" keys.

Good space to study but the lemon/orange cake was obviously a few days old - Americano and tea was ok - birds nest cookie was yum but not worth the price overall just come here for the coffee avoid the food

This is a charming coffee and cafe spot for breakfast and brunch. We were visiting from San Diego and stayed at an Airbnb around the corner from this place. It was an easy walk and we strolled right in with our 3 y/o and ordered. There is ample seating space for singles and small groups. I ordered the Prado Special (Avocado toast with arugula and poached egg) and hubby got a waffle with Ricotta. The servings aren't as big as US portions but that's probably a good thing. Everything was tasty and I would definitely go again. It did take awhile for our items to come out so I wouldn't recommend if you are in a hurry unless you are just getting a baked pastry.

THE best people watching in East Van and a great place to have a conversation or spend a leisurely afternoon with a book, journal, or laptop. But don't expect to work super efficiently or finish a major project. Specialty drinks are hit or miss, espresso is medicore, and coffee is OK. Pastries are decent. Sparkling water is on tap and self-serve, though! I don't understand the complaints by other reviewers about snobby or unfriendly service. I expect prompt, professional, and polite. The staff are all of these. This is a cafe, not a concierge service. There's a tiny wooden "parklet" open to the public just outside on the sidewalk with benches and tables. It functions as extra seating for Prado when the weather's nice. If you're hungry, bring over a sandwich from La Grotta del Formaggio across the street, an absolute institution in this area. Leave your Lululemon and Herschel in Kits. Here you'll need to wear grungy looking clothes and carry a beat up leather messenger bag.

This is a really nice spot to go sit down and have a coffee or use your laptop. Neat, bare, wooden decor. Good coffee. Lots of light - it has huge windows on two sides, facing South and West. Good wifi and lots of people working or surfing, most of the time so you'll fit in right in. And, if you're just having a coffee and a chat? Yeah, that works too.

The coffee is great (well, the Americano that I order is good). I live nearby, and Prado has been my go-to cafe. But it's only for the coffee, and there are lots of other cafes I can walk to on the Drive. And that's what I'll be doing next time I want a take-out coffee. The staff at Prado are probably the most pretentious group of people I've encountered in a Vancouver coffee shop (Elysian on Broadway runs them close though). They are far too good looking and cool to ever give the smallest f*ck about their customers. Case in point - today I went in and ordered the usual 16oz Americano to go. The person on the till barely acknowledged me, given that I'm a middle aged man (and look like one), and have forgotten to get full sleeve tattoos and pendulous piercings. Not to worry - the barista will at least acknowledge that I exist, right? Wrong. She's worse. She's much too good looking to bother with me. And it's not just me. While I'm there, she places an in-house order of macchiato on the counter and announces with a barely audible whisper that it's now ready. Nobody in the cafe has heard her, so nobody comes to collect. In the 10 mins it took to get my coffee, she didn't bother repeating it, and so the coffee was left chilling on the counter. When it arrive I thanked them for my coffee (ignored), and thanked them again on the way out (double ignored). Whoever owns Prado needs to speak to their team about the basics of customer service, unless the dont-give-a-f*ck attitude is a Drive marketing strategy.

This place.. where do I start PRETENTIOUS is the word that comes to mind. I actually lived above this shop for a few years and went elsewhere for my coffee. The staff in there seem to have been coached to look at you like they're "OVER IT" when they serve you. Smiling is definitely NOT cool. If you walk by the place and look into their windows you'll see that mood that has been set, no smiling! EVER. Ok they have great oat bars. If you're STARVING and walking by and it's the ONLY place open to get food (that'll never happen on the drive) Run in, ask for Blueberry Oat Bar, avoid Eye contact and leave. When a place overrules Great Customer Service just so they can Milk the Hell out of the Hipster Vibe.. I'm a NOPE! Customer service is King and treating people like humans is important.. yes.. More important than your Lattes.

Good Coffee and Hot Chocolate, pretty inexpensive too. The sandwiches are relatively inexpensive and taste real as opposed to oily and artificial. Hipsters everywhere tho, but food is good enough for a quick take out.

Prado has done an excellent job of branding itself. I was going to start an eye-rolling commentary about the hipsterrific vibe in here, but that would be unfair seeing as that seems to be their target audience! I stopped by on a gorgeous day, looking for a spot to work that was also bathed in sunshine - and Prado fit the bill. Almost everyone in the cafe had a laptop - a mac laptop, I might add, and it's definitely a hub for doing work. Luckily I grabbed a spot by the window and hunkered down for a couple of hours. Their coffee cups are a beautiful robin's egg blue, which is very charming, and the coffee itself was quite good. I found the staff to be quite stand offish in the face of my chirpy personality, and definitely not interested in any additional conversation. The food looked quite good, although I didn't try any. I wouldn't say this is somewhere I'd come often, personally, as I'm not a big fan of the atmosphere, but I had a perfectly fine time and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to my more hipsterified friends!

I love everything about the Prado. Their color scheme is soft and inviting; lots of whites and browns and the little bit of sky/turquoise blue keep things from looking bland. There is a lot of seating, but it never feels crowded even when all the seats are full. This is probably because of the wall to wall windows covering 2 of the 4 walls. It lets a lot of light shine through and it can be a pain when you're using a computer but if you get the right spot, it's not so much of a problem. I order a london fog for dine in whenever I go to a new cafe and the Prado's didn't disappoint. It was a decent size, really good for the price ($3.50 or so, I can't quite remember), and the drink was really flavorful and rich without being too overbearing. The staff are wonderful and friendly and really make the place good. Accessibility: I think there was a short step to get into the cafe and the door is heavy. Unfortunately, there are also stairs to get to the washroom and the establishment isn't wheelchair friendly. Seats are made of wood or metal, not uncomfortable, but can be for somebody with issues with that.

No name cookie was out of this world. If you like peanut butter based treats, you have to try this. Great coffee, not unreasonably slow service, which is the best you can ask for with good coffee. Nice decor, big windows for people watching. I even liked the cups.

Thought I'd check this place out but highly doubt I'd go back. Some Chinese lady started arguing with me trying to tell me that turkey is ham and I tried to tell her that ham is a pig and turkey is a bird but she kept arguing that it's ham so I'm trying to understand that of the clubhouse says turkey on the menu then why is she telling me it's ham. She starts giving me attitude and all I wanted to confirm is if I'm eating a pig or a bird because I don't eat pigs. Then she rings me through and I'm at my table waiting and waiting for my coffee to be called up and they keep telling me it's coming then she comes to my table telling me I didn't pay for my coffee so I told her I ordered coffee with my breakfast and she starts arguing with me again telling me I didn't order coffee and tells me to go back up from and pay for my coffee and I told her that now I have to put a separate transaction on my bank card and my bank charges me $2 each time and she didn't care at all. She was super rude. My toast was ok.

Woo doggie, this place is packed! Ty and I are here on a 'work date'. How romantic. We've been able to snag a table in this busy joint, right by the giant windows. I'm scorching from heat. But I'm no martyr, it's gorgeous out. Ok, the good: Ty's mocha was beautifully smooth, with a decadent foam on top. I use past tense because it disappeared rather quickly. My almond milk latte on the other hand tastes bitter, sour and... well, unpleasant. I blame it on the almond milk. The brand is 'Pacific', and I'm taking note from now on because some soy/almond milk really enhances the flavour for me while others take away. Pacific is organic and FDALKJFDS approved (whatever the anachronism is) so I'm sure it's a good product, it just doesn't taste good in my coffee... but I'm a finisher so I'll drink it. I will be fat someday. The other drawback for me: There's no decaf available today. Now I know that for the coffee aficionado decaf is blasphemy, but unfortunately for me, caffeine turns me into a crazy person (I get jittery, lose my ability to concentrate etc.,). And I'm drinking caffeine now... whahahahaha! Poor Ty.

I mean it's a coffee house. Basic but nothing special. Limited selection of snacks. It's a good place to work.

Good place to hang out, relax and spend time with loved ones or fiends. We went on a Sunday morning so it wasn't very busy. The sun was actually shining in a bit despite the rain! Definitely felt more like a hipster place; though would fit right into Austin, Texas' coffee culture! We got a mocha latte and a liege waffle for breakfast. Great way to start the morning!

Went to Prado for a quick drink before heading to the airport. It was shortly after 10am and the place was already fairly lively with Sunday early-birds enjoying a coffee or two while catching up with friends/reading the paper. I've been to Prado several times and can say that they are an awesome part of the Commercial Drive neighbourhood and are truly making 49th Parallel (coffee supplier) proud. My 8oz latte was smooth, just peeeerrrfect in temperature, and I was almost tempted to buy something from their baked goods shelf (everything looked amazingly fresh) had I not already bought a sandwich from La Grotta Del Formaggio which is just up the street. I was greeted with a nice "How are ya today?" at the bar. One customer asked for a bit more milk in her kid's hot chocolate (?) and the barista happily served up some for her. This is exactly the type of interaction that gives Prado and other areas on Commercial Drive their charm. They also serve 6oz capps (traditional). They use 49th parallel Old School espresso which is always chocolaty sweet.

I'm going to limit my review to the four things that gave this place five stars: 1) Minimalist interior wins every time. I think I actually said, "I want my house to look like this" 2) Really friendly unpretentious staff, one of which was the owner. Our barista chatted with us for ten minutes like we'd been friends for ages, (and this was *after* his shift was over! Major bonus points). 3) Insanely delicious and well-poured cappuccinos. 4) Treated my two year old like a welcomed guest (as opposed to what I get at some coffee shops,-- "oh, there's another annoying toddler coming into our quiet/hip atmosphere to annoy customers"). The owner gave him a sticker, crayons, and a colouring book, and there was an easily accessible high chair as well. Needless to say, a quiet and distracted child means I can sit and drink my coffee and have five minutes of peace. This is a big deal for me. MAJOR major bonus points there. Pretty much, we were blown away on all fronts and had a wonderful experience. As a sidenote, people poke fun at all the "hipsters with Macbooks", but sometimes I actually need to get work done and I appreciate knowing there's a place I can go and not be disturbed or made to feel like I'm "taking up a seat". Definitely will be popping in there to work in the future. And I always buy enough coffee to justify my seat anyways...