Café Calabria

Me n my boyfriend love love love their affogato! So good! The staff here is very friendly. I tried one of their sandwiches and i could tell that the ingredients used were very fresh but the spiciness in the sandwich was not a very pleasant taste for me. Everything else is awesome and i miss living in commercial broadway because i can’t go to this place as often.

This is classic an Italian place, service was mediocre. I tried one of their sugar buns, thinking it was more like a cream puff. Wasn’t what I expected but It had a hearty sugar bun feel to it. Not my thing necessarily, but It was enjoyable none the less. I wan’t to check the place out after seeing it on Unilocal.Glad I did, but I probably will never go back.

We popped into Café Calabria last night after supper for drinks and sweets with friends. The café is spacious and unique; I really like the atmosphere. Right now it’s decorated for Christmas and really festive. The staff are friendly and provide excellent customer service. We enjoyed lattes, a mocha and a hot chocolate. The drinks were good. The fig and chocolate biscotti was only okay. We will definitely return when we are in the neighborhood.

I have been coming here for years. Great coffee, pastries and panini’s.
Father and son’s own it, awesome friendly family.
Best coffee on the Drive.

Really nice place and really nice people. However, my last double espresso there was at least $ 4, most I’ve yet paid in this town.
That’s a bit steep for coffee. It’s good coffee, but not worth half again as much as Starbucks. I mean, for the price it would have to be stellar coffee and it is merely pretty good.
Not «OMG, this is the best coffee I ever had» good.

This is such a perfect relic of the Drive’s Italian district heritage. A large, quaint space with reproductions of famous Italian statues scattered around, and a real feel that you’ve stepped into a café in Italy.
Alex G and I came her for yesterday and decided it was time for a treat! We grabbed a San Pellegrino (grapefruit — yum!) from the cases in the back which have a bunch of unique items including Italian aperitifs. On our way back to the front we slowed down by the gelato and decided it was just the treat we needed! I tasted the mint choc chip which tasted like it hadn’t been used in a while — it had that slightly sticky texture. I ended up getting a single scoop of nocciola (always my favourite flavour) and it was quite good. Definitely hit the spot!
It’s cash only for everything which is kind of a bummer, but we made it work. The tables are a little small for two laptops but they fit the Italian theme with their marble look.
A fun, slightly odd spot to hang out and watch the world go by.

CASH ONLY !!! Really in this city
Good sandwiches, nice décor like Las Vegas Venetian … Lots of signs about things you can’t touch, cash only, closed sections of Restraunt, etc

Amazing sandwiches. I Highly recommend this culturally splendid Italian establishment. Custom make your sanny or grab one off the menu. Great to grab n go, just eat it quick or the oils from the spicey eggplant will make it a bit runny and not so fresh tasting.
Can’t wait to go back!

I LOVE this place. For many years I’ve walked by and just peeked inside after noticing it looked like a piece of Italy was stolen and place inside the building. Seriously, does Vector work here?! (That was a despicable me reference… lol) Such an interesting place with many statues and even a water fountain in one spot. Anyways, one day my GF and I were making random lists and needed a place to just sit and have a coffee but couldn’t think of anywhere until we drove by and decided we’d see what it was like. The place is massive, tons of seating and beautiful rustic Italian music playing mixed with oldies, it legitimately felt like we were in a small café in Italy.
The menu is huge with lots of specialty coffees, sandwiched and even gelato. The only thing that is confusing is that there aren’t any prices listed beside the items so when we ordered we had no clue how much it would be until he told us and that kinda sucks because it’s CASH ONLY. Luckily we pinched our pennies together and had enough for 2 drinks and a biscotti (Prices vary from $ 3-​$ 6ish for drinks and $ 3 ish for a biscotti). The coffees are made extremely well and tasted really good but the biscotti was the main attraction, it was beautifully soft and have a really great chocolate flavor. I enjoyed the ambiance of this place and the products they serve, can’t really complain.
The one thing I will say is that if you aren’t paying attention when you choose a table you might see yourself at eye-​level with a sculpture of David’s wang in your face… yea even though it was just a sculpture I decided we had to change seats in case someone got a picture of my head eye-​level with… it’s head. DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY MEMES COULD BE MADE ?!

Great espresso, Great pastries and pretty darn good food in general (altho I admit I have only had a couple of the sandwiches) and don’t forget the delicious gelato. It’s right on The Drive, so you know it’s cool, but it’s the décor that puts it over the top, WAY over the top to be exact. This place is so jammed with Italian tchotchkes it looks like the prop room for the remake of Ben Hur. As you make your way thru the Italian marble statues, fountains, Roman suits of armor and the plethora of wall and ceiling murals, you may wonder why they also feature many Flash Gordon posters on the wall, well just ask your waiter for the answer to that one (I don’t want to spoil it for you, or him). Come in for the espresso, stay for the movie lore.

Wow. Amazing place for coffee, cake and ice cream. Open late until mid night. This would be a good place to bring your friends from out of town. I am amazed by their decoration for sure.

The Frank’s Special is amazing, as is the Tasty Turkey. The crowd is diverse and the coffee is excellent, as is the service. We feel really comfortable here!
2 sandwiches and a large mocha was $ 20. That’s a lil pricey but we were very satisfied.

I’ve been coming to Café Calabria for the past 7.5 years and got to know Frank Sr. and his three sons, Frank Jr., Nick, and Vinny. I love the coffee, the atmosphere and everything about this place. When I arrive they all greet me by name and we chat for a bit catching up on our lives. They also know when to take a step back so you can enjoy the place if coming with your friends… I’ll always be a great fan of this place and will keep coming for as long as I live in Vancouver.

Ham panini was good sized with plenty of meat. Kitschy setting of oversized sculptures, fresco paintings, mirrors and chrome. You order at the counter, pay then wait and take it to the table. Seemed like neighborhood regulars more often came for take-​awaythan stayed onsite. The latte was very good, with real flavor and substance, hot, and just right.

Cool atmosphere in this café on Commercial.
I really love this place. It’s got a real Italian vibe to it and great coffee. The staff has always been super friendly too. I wish I lived closer so I could stop by more often!
It does get busy on weekends.

I went to this place late at night (around 11pm) and so I didn’t order a coffee although I intend to do so if I’m back in the neighborhood. The staff were incredibly nice and helpful. I ordered a biscotti. It was the end of the day so the pastries weren’t as fresh as I’d hope they’d be but I was happy. The decore in the café made me laugh! I loved how over the top it is. I’m going to make an effort to come back during the day to try more when there is more of a selection!

Great atmosphere, coffee and Service.
I Spent the afternoon at the Drive and had to make sure I checked out Café Calabria and say hi to Frank. I ordered a cappuccino and was served quickly with a smile. The cappuccino was great and I loved the atmosphere. I said hi to Frank, the owner and had a nice chat with him. He’s always there making sure his customers got great service. saying hello to all those who walk in. I would always recommend to anyone to check out the place enjoy a coffee and say hi to Frank.

I found myself down on Commercial Drive this afternoon. I guess in the day it would be referred to as «Little Italy». After I parked I asked my friend where do you want to eat? He said what about the Japanese restaurant across the street? My reaction… ‘When in Rome…’ (we’re in Little Italy why are we going to a Japanese restaurant?).
Anyways I convinced him to try something more congruent to the environment we were in! Some how we ended up at Café Calabria. This place is a coffee shop/​sandwich shop. When one walks in one is immediately struck by the authentic Italian décor and atmosphere. I think the guy who served us was named Tony! He has a receding mohawk and gold chains on his chest. I’m sure Vito Corleone, Frank Pentangeli, and the rest of the cast of the Godfather we’re having coffee in the back! Haha
Well this place is a gem! I had the tasty turkey sandwich, and a coconut cake. Both were fresh and very good! I’ll come back soon to sit and have a coffee at one of their outdoor tables! Pretend to myself that I’m in Italy! Arrivederci!

My sister and I were walking along Commercial Drive and were hungry for lunch. Good thing we stopped inside of this place. The paninis are amazingly delicious. We were told The Frank Sandwich is a popular one so we had to try it. I understand why it is a popular sandwich. The meat slices are flavorful. The melted cheese and the toasted bread is like icing on the cake.
My sister also had a cappuccino and was in love with it. If bold coffee is your liking, this hits the spot.
The décor it wonderful too. Sculptures in the dinning area. The dinning area is a little tight, so don’t fret if you are almost shoulder to shoulder with your neighbors =).
Service was great. They were friendly and though there was a bit of a lunch rush, service was quick!

Sandwich Wars May 9^th on Commercial Drive
La Grotta vs Calabria Café
My honey and I were planning a hike around Stanley Park and nothing seemed nicer than a sandwich to eat en route. So off we went to Commercial Drive on a mission that became known as «Sandwich Wars».
I ventured into La Grotta Del Formaggio while he, the besserwisser, went into Calabria Café. To be honest he has what I would consider a marked advantage; he is a regular there. I am a regular at La Grotta, at least according to my Unilocal visits. But in their eyes I’m just another Jane Dough. I opted for a white french roll with capiocolo, provolone, lettuce tomatoes, eggplant, roasted peppers, pickles, mayo and banana peppers. Definitely filled the giant hole in my stomach left from the walk. A THREE AND A HALF!!!
No ordering was required by my honey. He just walked into Calabria and asked for a sandwich. Wrapped in a brown wrapper with hash marks on the paper, it was a football and not a sandwich. Focacia, assorted meats, cheese, tomatoes, eggplant, roasted hot peppers, lettuce. The juice from the meat and the cheese had soaked into the toasted bun by time we ate it which gave it a lovely juicy crispiness. Tasty. A FOUR!!!

I was brought to this café first by my Italian in-​laws who kidnapped (oops! Invited) me to have some Italian experience while in vancouver! And they described the place as an authentic italian café. And since that first time I became a regular customer whenever I’m around the area!
So I’ve been to this café many times now and what I like about the place is that you get good coffee, nice panini with flavourful cold-​cuts and you can enjoy a clean sitting space! Also I think that the guys who run the café are funny and cool, but this is applies to them when I have my Italian in-​laws with me! otherwise, I’m completely anther customers!
What I don’t like abou this café is that you need to get cash to pay for your coffee! come on that’s far from being comfortable Café Calabira. I don’t know who carries cash in his/​her pocket! (no seriously who got cash in her/​his pocket now?, I don’t). So several times I had to go out of the shop, walk across the street to get some cash and come back! some other times I just went to another café in the café-​full street!
I aslo don’t like the café when it is not that busy, because they shot the lights off on the unused side of the shop, and that turns the place into a haunted house, esp with the distinctive decoration and statues that have in place: S not always inviting! But during busy hours, this place has a special character that worth checking out while you’re in commercial drive!