Turk’s Coffee Bar

If you are looking for a relaxing place to draw or work on a computer avoid this place. It seems other reviews mention similar encounters.
I sat down with my 5 dollar mocha and my drawing at a small table with one chair. I was approached almost immediately by the owner or manager, he asked me if I could move to another spot so that a family could take a cluster of tables near to each other. This is totally reasonable but this guy didn’t ask nicely at all. He was talking about me while I was moving my stuff, saying something about people hanging out on computers, I quietly moved and tried to get though my drink as quickly as possible and do a little drawing. Even though I had just got there I felt very unwelcome.
Shortly after this he came to my table again, he said he was sorry however he continued on that he wasn’t going to allow people to work on computers in his Café (I was drawing on a small piece of paper) and that his shop is about coffee and socializing. I could understand why he would do this if I had been there for a long time or if I was taking a large space but I was not.
After this bizarre exchange I left, feeling pretty awful. I had only been in the café for less than 10 minutes and didn’t even have a chance to finish my drink.
The mocha was too sweet for my taste, served at room temperature and it didn’t seem to have any discernible espresso taste. I felt this was ironic considering that I was told that coffee is their main priority.
If you sometimes enjoy relaxing Vancouver café culture there are many other businesses that will accommodate you with a place to hang out. You will not be welcome at Turks.

To the two baristas at Turks this afternoon who rolled their eyes when I asked for a skim mocha but said yes to whipped cream and then gave me so much whipped cream I couldn’t fit a lid on it (which is really fun when you have a wiggly baby with you)…
BREAKING NEWS: I don’t give a shit about the calories. That’s not why I asked for skim. I was allergic to milk for years and didn’t grow up drinking it, when I did cautiously add it back to my diet I found that skim milk tasted better. That’s it. Thanks for your judgement and attitude though. Good luck in life, because if this is how you treat people, you’ll need it.

I couldn’t finish the cup, the coffee tastes awful, the staff are not friendly, and the place is messy and dirty

I’ve weirdly been here at least 10 times last year and forgot to review that until today when I had a business meeting this afternoon. This is a small coffee shop, always busy, therefore, it’s more of a grab and go situation by default. Mostly two seaters. They serve decent coffee and have limited treats. For a small shop they do excel in other departments as an over all experience.

Definitely a solid place for coffee and the treats. Good spot to meet friends or for any meeting really.
It was clean. Staff was friendly. Coffee was good. (I had a latte and my friends mocha looked amazing).
The seating was nice. Window seating is super great.
They even have a little patio which is great on nice days.
Comfortable. Feels good. Fine atmosphere. But nothing special. 4 stars.

I’ve always had great times at Turks, and have been accustomed to spending hours sitting happily reading a book, sipping a beverage, and people watching. I hadn’t been in a year or more and I have to say I was a bit disappointed this time. The branding has been updated to match their sister store, Milano, and I didn’t feel the new upscaleness fit with my previous Turk’s experience.
I also found their tea selection to be less than ideal — my mum can’t have caffeine and the baristas had no idea if their teas were caffeinated or not — a bit disappointing. My drink was still good, but I felt a bit more uncomfortable staying for a long time than I previously had.
I’ll for sure be back to give them another shot, but this did not live up to my previous experiences!

One of the nicer hipster feel-​good coffee joints on the Drive.
Parking is available on the side streets, unless one wants to throw money away on the meters on Commercial.
The place is quite classy. Special mention for the décor. The inside was filled with learned-​looking people too. I could feel my IQ and sophistimacation going up as I breathed in the air.
The pastries and coffees here are quite good. I had the hedgehog mocha, which is covered in cream and chocolate flakes. So fragrant. I can still smell it now.
The banana bread I had was a bit more dense than the competition, but the taste was excellent. Not sure if they make it in house, but it’s definitely worth a try. The lemon bread was not too sweet (probably half as sweet as the equivalent from Starbucks), which is a huge plus — most places pile on way too much sugar. This was a refreshing change. I was pleasantly surprised.
This place is definitely on my radar the next time I want a coffee in the area. Recommended.

Excellent coffee, good quality baked goods and nice custom cartoon images on their cups and walls. This place’s good reputation is entirely justified. Only complaint is maybe that this location is usually a bit messy.

i want to like Turks because it’s a local establishment. But most of my experiences here have been just okay rather than pleasant. The beverages and food? Great. The atmosphere is where it gets to me. And it’s nothing to do with the décor or the patrons — it’s the staff.
One time, I distinctly remember working away and the barista started having this conversation with some dudes very loudly about her sex life. I’m all about expressing your sexuality, and feel free to have a conversation about it whenever, and wherever. But let’s keep it t a normal conversation decibel instead of like we’re trying to have a conversation at a rock concert.
The latest time? I was working with a friend and the music was BLASTING. So god damn loud that other people in the shop who were just sitting and having conversation had to talk very loudly to hear one another. And of course, while everybody is entitled to their own music choices, the music just sucked. I felt like I was in a nightclub that caters to 18 year olds or a really bad rave and that I should have been drunk or hopped up on E, and the volume that it was playing at. My friend even had to fashion some ear plugs with tissue to try to concentrate.
The only reason why I continue to come here is because it’s one of the few local places that are open late. Otherwise I would be elsewhere.

I don’t love hanging out in coffee shops as a rule. Turks is the exception. The coffee is consistently good and they actually have healthy snacks (the B square has spirulina, dark chocolate and some kind of crunchy bits). Nice laid back vibe, good music (The Smiths, Clash, New Order). Outdoor patio provides great people watching in the most interesting part of town!

Best coffee I’ve had in Vancouver so far. Iced Almond Latte was perfection. So many vegan options for pastries, from cookies to homemade energy bars. Chill vibe with great internet. A noteworthy stop for the lethargic vegan to get re-​energized!

The Irish (or Scottish) guy is hilarious!
Have you ever had a mocha of the hedgehog pesuasion? If not, you’re missing out. The smooth and creamy texture of the chocolate infused milk hits your tongue and angels sing in awed tones as you savor the genius that is hazelnut and chocolate. It’s like drinking nutella. How could that possibly be bad?
The establishment itself is your standard drive coffee shop. Hipsters, seating… interesting music. When I first got in someone’s ipod was playing a song from the second destiny’s child album (this song was not a hit so I knew it had to be a personal choice) which only made me love the place more.
It was a little messy and it looked like there was only one or two staff members. I only interacted with the guy at the front counter who was very sweet and conversational. I felt guilty that we were only in there because we needed a place to call a cab from.
I’m glad I tried the mocha (seriously… so good) and I would def be back to this location in the future.

easy repeat whenever i’m in the area, esp for some internet surfing here, they have a nice long communal bar seating along the wall.
come early for the cinnamon buns ;)
typical nice vibe on the drive. way more homier and cozier than a starbucks

Four years ago, I had the coffee experience of a lifetime at turks west. I went to turk’s on commercial to relive a bit of it today. I saw a sign that said that big 10 won and award I’d never heard of. of course, I had to see what all the fuss was about. The espresso was delicious and the pecan tart was too. I still have warm fuzzies drinking turks coffee and i’m glad both shops have never let me down.

This is my favourite favourite favourite place to get an americano.
Not only would it wake the dead. They’d be dancing flamenco.

I don’t drink coffee, but everyone who does drink coffee really enjoys Turks.
I drink A LOT of tea. The tea selection is average and good, but not amazing.
Great venue for people watching, sit outside if you can!

I love trying out different coffee shops (I’m starting to appreciate places along The Drive).
Turks Coffee Exchange is a very small coffee shop. Not a place to bring your laptop or to read or to basically do anything in there for more than 5 minutes. I went in there around 2pm on a weekday and there was a short line. When I got to the counter I stood there looking like a lost puppy eavesdropping into the conversations the barista was having with the other barista. I tried to make my presence known without seeming too hostile. Eventually I got around to ordering my hazelnut latte. Thank goodness the latte tasted good because if not, that would’ve been a huge waste of my time.
Would I go back again? No. The small latte I got was actually pretty pricey (their cup sizes seemed smaller — think Tim Horton’s cup sizes). Their baked goods didn’t seem very enticing. And I definitely didn’t feel very welcomed. I love coffee shops that make you feel homey. There was no evidence of that at Turks Coffee Exchange.

The worst beans and service you will find in vancouver! If you are looking for rude condescending baristas and Ian unfriendly atmosphere, this is the place. If you must go, get the the light roast. The dark roast tastes burnt.

I’m not going back, which is weird because I’m used to going every day and I still adore Milano coffee. I went to Turks 3 – 5 times a week for two years until April 2013.
I’m not going back for two reasons:
1– It’s a ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ shot of feeling welcome by the staff. Half are great and half are self-​involved and cliquey. It’s the kind of feeling I *used* to get at Prado 3 – 5 years ago. Those odds don’t leave me feeling like its worth my money. Lots of places serve Milano on Commercial.
2– I like consistent food. There’s nothing worse than buying a muffin or cookie, getting to the office to enjoy it with a good coffee and finding it stale. I love the cookies and muffins when they’re fresh so it’s not a reflection on Erin Ireland’s product, but the consistency isn’t there at least one of ten times.
The atmosphere is great, but my money is better spent elsewhere.
Edit:
My last review in November 2011 had Turks with two stars and I wrote «The reason I’m giving Turks two stars is because of the staff.» Still true, it seems, but it’s gone down a notch.

Excellent coffee — no surprise there, coming from trusty ol’ Milano. Nice décor, serene view of green, with Grandview Park right across the street; however, this is definitely a grab and go kind of café. Seating can be considered cozy or downright cramped depending on how you see it, but I’d lean towards the latter. It would certainly be a challenge for parties of more than two to hang out here. One star off for that.
No doubt about it – Turks will be my go-​to café if and when I am in this hood.

Ich bin jetzt zum zweiten Mal im Turks. Von außen kann man in dieser Jahreszeit (Vorfrühling ohne Sonne) nicht reinschauen, daher war ich beim ersten Mal vom Innendesign angenehm überrascht. Klein, aber gemütlich, mit einigen Einzeltischen entlang einer langen Sofabank und wenigen einzeln stehenden Tischen. Eigentlich ideal um mit dem Laptop oder einem Buch den Nachmittag zu verbringen. So sieht auch das Publikum aus. Das Turks hat aber zwei entscheidende Nachteile: 1. Es ist relativ teuer. Ein kleiner Mocha kostet 3,57 Dollar (und schmeckt nur mäßig), ein kleiner Americano 2,37 Dollar. 2. Noch störender: Die Musik ist viel zu laut. Beim letzten Mal spielten sie Rockmusik, dieses Mal eine Schnulzenplatte á la Waltzing Matilda. Da viele Leute mit GesprächspartnerInnen kommen und somit zwecks Verständigung versuchen lauter als die Musik zu reden, ist der Geräuschpegel in dem kleinen Raum absolut störend, selbst für jemanden wie mich, die ich Umgebungsgeräusche normalerweise easy ausblende.