Waves Coffee

My mom ordered the Maple latte and I got the Caramel latte. I love their latte. Unfortunately this wave did not do the artwork on my latte. Oh well. But its ok. The latte are not too sweet and I have to say they are just right for my taste bud.
I find this Waves a bit cold. Either its because they didn’t have enough heat on or the heating has issue. But other than that, the staff are super friendly.
As a tip download the mobile bandit app to take advantage of their buy one get one free drink coupon. Its a pretty good deal

Tried their Pomegranate Soda (2.10). Thought it was nice and tangy with a good amount of fizz but thought it tasted more like Cranberry. Service was pretty on the spot though! Overall, not the best nor the worse coffee shop that I’ve been to, though it’s a great place to sit by the window and watch the world go by.

We ordered a latte and a maple macchiato. The latter was really a maple latte… in case anyone is picky about their coffee. Both drinks were okay; nothing mind-​blowing here. The barista was very friendly, which would have been a plus if I were a regular customer. The treats in the case — particularly the rocky road bar and the Nanaimo bar — looked delicious, but since we had just eaten at Cannibal Café, we had no room! The space had great light and wasn’t too crowded on a Sunday. Seems like a nice, quiet place to study or work if that’s your reason for frequenting coffee shops. Otherwise, just your run of the mill neighborhood coffee joint.

There is no vibe. The heat was turned up way too high, like, come on its only 2c outside. Not –15. My coffee also was meh.

Place is really great– I love to just watch people passing by, calming atmosphere, nice serviss, there is no annoing music as in other coffee shops as starbucks. .
Coffee was good, although I was slightly dissapointed as I didnt really find any maple flavour in my «maple coffee» .
Communal table is amazing idea!
And their cinnamon buns are great! (best heat up)

Like any other Waves, nifty, convenient and in the perfect area after having papusas!
Open late and well heated for the über chilly nights.

When not feeling Italian, I like coming here b/​c of its communal table.
free wifi.
great gooey cinnamon buns. Fresh panini sandwiches too.
friendly staff.
some patio seating along the side street. Nice corner location with lots of action.

This is like my back-​up coffee shop. When my favourites are packed and/​or I need some wifi action, this is the place I go. Free wifi and lots of seats. Drinks are ok… decent tea selection.
What I notice most about this Waves though, is the temperature. I am always cold here. I want to go into a coffee shop because it’s warm and cozy, not hundled over with my toque still on.

I am usually reluctant when it comes to reviewing what I consider to be fast food coffee chains, however, came in during the week on my walk on a sunny day on the Drive. There was a lady handing out 2 for 1 coupons. The drink was fine, it’s hard to mess up putting tea in hot water, however, the attitude of the lady behind the til was something else. She was rude to me and the happier and more pleasant I was, the ruder she was.

Went for a late evening chai and dessert here. First thing that struck me was the nasty smell. Like something died in there. Wasnt sure of the other options available at this hour, so proceeded to order, anyway. Chai was fine, and the service OK, but the desert was stale… Definitely wouldnt go back, given how many other options abound in the area.

The thing I have always liked best about this shop is that the outside seating is away from Commercial, up the side of the building. In the summer it’s really nice to rest off The Drive.
The drinks are well made, although I NEVER expected to pay nearly 5 dollars for a small Chai?!
It was pretty tasty but that price is just insane, so I won’t likely order it ever again. That is so over the top for a chai mix.
The café inside is actually very nice and with comfortable seating and wireless but they do not have anything non gluten or dairy free to consume besides Soy.
So these are the reasons I don’t frequent Waves, generally.

– EDIT –
Note, this Waves on Commercial was just sold (July 2011?). The old owner was fantastic and ran the franchise like a local coffee house with very high standards. It is yet to be seen what will become of this place. However, I spoke with the new owner and he seemed to indicate that it was a bad thing that the old owner ran the place like a local coffee shop — guess this place will get more corporate. I’d expect the quality of the coffee to decline as well, the old owner was a stickler for a perfect brew.
My review below was for the prior owner.
– End EDIT–
First, note that this review is for the Waves located on Commercial Dr. unlike several of the other reviews posted here. This location is not 24-​hour, nor is it the location that is pictured in the wrongly placed YouTube video in the 1-​star review by @Dick H. Giving 5-​stars to combat the poor reviews who are clearly talking about a different franchise location (would probably give 4 otherwise).
This Waves is fantastic. The owner has very high standards, keeps the place brilliantly clean, is very friendly and makes stellar espresso. There are 2 Wi-​Fi connections and an electric outlet at every table in the place. The paninis are delicious, the deserts are sublime, even the soup is great. My only criticisms of this place, and they are mild, are that the teas are a bit pricey and the selection isn’t ideal, and that the music is almost always 80s pop /​indie (while this wouldn’t be bad if there were a rotation, the fact that it is almost ALWAYS this program makes it a bit stale to regulars).
Great place to work with a laptop.

all i can say is don’t ever apply or go there.
wish i could give zero stars.

I love Waves’ hot chocolate especially because you get a selection including my favourite, dark chocolate, yum! And the staff are always very friendly and will go out of their way to make it just the way you like it.

Waves coffee is always good. I love that they’re a local company. I had an awesome citrus chamomile tea and she even asked if I wanted honey with that. Just what I needed when sniffling with a cold.

hate this place!
sometimes only have 10 people in café and have 300 seeders and feeders.
stop downloading during rush hour… or yet… just stop downloading shit because you boot other people off and slow other people down!
hate this place

Somehow, there will always be people who want to drink coffee at 3am. Waves is the very popular 24 hour coffee shop on the corner of 3^rd and Commercial, full of friends having quiet conversations, and people sending texts while listening to their headphones while staring into their laptops. The coffee is good, and the space is cozy and clean, with a pinch of those classy yet bland decorations perfected by corporate marketing studies.
One of the nicest ways to enjoy Commercial Drive is walking down the open street at 4am, and having the entire neighborhood be completely deserted. And then you can nod to the sleepy guy working behind the register at Waves and the 2 drunks laughing it up and spilling stuff on one of the tables.
Without a doubt, Waves is the very best place to go for those end of the night date «make or break» situations where you still need a little more time before awkwardly asking the other person if they want to go home with you.