cafe villaggio

not bad at all. stopped by for a late breakfast. my latte was excellent. the croque monsieur good, although i'm used to having the egg of the outside of the sandwich, not within it. wouldn't have a problem recommending this place.

coffee is decent and some pastries are excellent. the croissants are flaky on the outside and soft on the inside. location is across the street from the harbour so you get views of the boats and mountains. there is ample seating, though the ambient music is quite loud. free wifi is appreciated. despite all the good qualities, the staff are not among them. they can be quite noisy and can be too preoccupied with talking to each other. their boisterous laughter can overshadow the volume of all the patrons inside. also, the way treat patrons leave a lot to be desired--particularly female ones. these girls are blatantly obvious in their flirtations with male customers that it's embarrassing. also, it's better they spend that time talking too much and put that into cleaning the tables and restroom--it can get filthy, even when it's not too busy. and i am one of those customers who actually clean up after myself.

this cafe is located near some docks in coal harbour, and has a nice view of the ocean. i went to this cafe not for their scenery however, but for their desserts: they have a pretty impressive assortment of cakes and pastries. i picked up a few cakes (cappuccino cake, chocolate cheesecake, and chocolate swiss roll) and two croissants (hazelnut chocolate and almond). the cappuccino and chocolate swiss roll weren't very good; i found them to be stale with a freezer-burned flavour. the cheesecake was fantastic however, and the croissants were also tasty (not as good as the ones from top tier bakeries like thomas haas), but still tasty. the prices here are quite reasonable, and the staff is friendly. this is a good place to hang out and enjoy some treats as well as the scenery, especially if the weather's nice.

cappuccino cake ($5.00):
3/5
according to the description on their label, this consisted of hazelnut daquoise, coffee cremeux, and vanilla custard. the layers of cream and custard were rich, creamy and quite sweet, with a nice fragrance of coffee. unfortunately, i found the chocolate that they used to be somewhat waxy and had a pretty strong, stale flavour that i found to be somewhat off-putting.

hazelnut chocolate croissant ($4.50):
4/5
this is a double-baked croissant that's filled with a chocolate hazelnut paste and topped with flaked almonds. while the croissant was not as crisp and flaky as the ones from the top tier bakeries (thomas haas, chez christophe ect), it was still quite rich and buttery, with a nice fragrance from the almonds. i don't know if they make the filling in house, but it's not nutella (as i had expected), but rather a ground nut paste mixed with chocolate. it had a nice fragrance of almonds; i couldn't really detect much hazelnut in it however. they also have an almond version of the croissant, and i got one for my mom. she absolutely loved it.

chocolate cheesecake ($5.50):
4.5/5
this consisted of a layer of cheesecake that's topped with chocolate mousse and chocolate ganache. the cheesecake was smooth and creamy, with a nice mild tang. i do find it to be a bit too soft for my liking - i prefer firmer new york style cheesecakes - but that's just a personal preference. i was a bit nervous about the layer of chocolate ganache as i found the chocolate in their cappuccino cake to be stale and waxy; fortunately, the chocolate here however was good; smooth and rich with a prefect bittersweet flavour. this is a solid cheesecake; i actually prefer it over the ones from trees organic.

chocolate swiss roll ($4.50):
2.5/5
this consisted of chocolate cake filled with marscapone cream. i did not care for the cake itself: it had an odd chewy, gummy texture and was almost completely flavourless, and seemed to have a bit of a stale, "off" flavour. the cream filling was quite good however: it was light, soft and creamy, and seemed to be quite fresh.

nice hot chocolate, i asked it to be made with milk and to have extra hot. they listened and it was great.
we had a cranberry and lemon scone. real big but was more like a rock cake than a scone ! it was a giant lump of dough with cranberries, not a shaped scone as scones should be. i would have liked to have sliced it in half and put butter in it but that wasn’t possible as it was more cakey than anything. didn’t taste of lemon either though which was a shame...
fairly priced, nice service. clean toilets.

i had just dropped off my girlfriend at work and decided to take the dog out for a stroll by the harbor. i needed some coffee fast lol. upon arriving at the end i noticed a small cafe. why not. upon entering the setup is clean and simple, very updated. service is fast and friendly. nothing wow in terms of flavor. got a smoked salmon sandwich and couldn't finish it. luckily a homeless person was near by and wanted it. i think they just do well because they open early and it's in a tourist area where people are by the westin bay shore (nice hotel btw). coffee tasted stale and i got the mild. perhaps the brew was sitting too long?

can't beat this prime location for a coffee shop. wide variety of eats both savoury & sweet. friendly service & happy to accommodate allergies and will give alternatives to make sure you're happy. "to stay" cuppas are massive, so find a seat inside or outside and sip away while you people watch, read a book, enjoy the breeze off the water, or catch up with friends. enjoy! let me know what you think!@cafevillaggio

looks can be deceiving. although this is a coffee shop, their food is surprising good. all of their items are made in house. i've has their curry and their lasagne which are not only pretty descent but they don't skimp on the portion size. for dessert, in addition to their yummy cinnamon buns try their tiramisu.

good breakfast great location. the breakfast was a bit overpriced and you only got 1 cup of coffee, each additional was extra. the location next to the harbour was brilliant.

nice local place for a quick breakfast of pastrys, coffee and tea. good view of the harbour and within easy walking distance of coal harbour hotel. try the cinnamon bun, yum.

relaxing with a great view. the food is surprisingly outstanding. recommended.

relaxed setting, decent java. a low traffic area results in a quiet, peaceful setting to enjoy a cup of coffee. if you're in the neighbourhood enjoying the waterfront, cafe villaggio is a great little place to warm up with a hot drink in hand. nothing pretentious about the service, making for an easy time.