Second Cup

Went here as I was in dire need of caffeine. Pretty sure they had the slowest barista of life working on Sunday. If this guy was employed at a Starbucks downtown during the week, there would rioting worse than Canuck fans. You would hope that with the ample time taken he could get my drink correct, but sadly not the case. Skip this place and go to one of the many other coffee shops in Kensington.

Second Cup is a chain coffee shop very similar to Starbucks. It’s solid, comfortable and predictable, just like a Starbucks. They have a small amount of coffee retail and gift items scattered around the store for you to peruse while you wait in line for your latte, just like a Starbucks.
They have a good amount of seating, good for conversations and meetings, some bar style spots along the window looking out along 10^th street if you want to do some people watching while downing your americano, or pop open the lap top to do some work.
I do like that they have several pieces of local artwork up on the walls and it’s available for sale. Even though they have a large network of stores, it’s nice to see them supporting local artists. They’ve even got a selection of beans that you can buy in bulk. There’s nothing to dislike about this Second Cup location and it’s nice to see them support local, but in a neighbourhood like Kensington, with The Roasterie a mere block away, it’s hard to ever make this my choice stop for coffee.