Picture yourself in an episode of the Walking Dead. The day is drawing to an end. You and your team are trudging along the desolate road. hoping for a familiar & calming sight. The frail looking train track accompanies you on your trek. You turn to your left and there it is. A coffee shop by the name of Old Crow Coffee.
Now instead of being on the episode of the Walking Dead, you're in the heart of New Westminster. New Westminster is being known as a city full of heritage buildings and bridal shops. Unlike East Vancouver and Gastown, New Westminster is not established as city known for its variety of coffee shops. However, with the addition of Old Coffee Crow, that is slowly about to change.
Old Crow Coffee is located at 655 Front Street in New Westminster. It's brand new. Literally. It just opened today (March 9th 2015). Old Crow Coffee is located just minutes away from New West and Colombia station. As someone who relies on transit to get around, that is great news. Very accessible. As someone who was born & currently resides in East Vancouver, I tend to frequent local cafes scattered amongst Commercial Drive and Main Street. However, upon hearing the opening of Cold Crow Coffee, I decided to venture out into New Westminster and shake up my routine by trying something new.
Old Crow Coffee is very aesthetically pleasing. If you are expecting one of those minimal, simple
cafes full of people glued to the screens of their mac book, think again. Now, I'm not the best at describing the interiors of businesses but Old Crow Coffee gave me a gothic, castle like vibe. Old Crow Coffee is one of those rare cafes that invite you to sit down & socialize with friends and family instead of isolating yourself with a laptop or book. Instead of going down the hipster route and blasting Simon and Garfunkel, Fleetwood Mac (no disrespect, they're my favourite band) or Bon Iver, Old Crow Coffee pumps out tunes from Bon Jovi, Janis Joplin and more.
Since Old Crow Coffee is new, I did not have high expectations for their coffee. After going to many new cafes and being disappointed by the quality of their espresso shots, I decided to go in without any hopes. Old Crow Coffee gets their beans from Bows and Arrows coffee, a small business run in Victoria, British Columbia. A lot of coffee shops in Vancouver take pride in serving up variety on their espresso menu by using beans from roasters across the world so it is refreshing to find a coffee shop that goes local. As for their tea, they serve loose leaf tea from Granville Island Tea Company. They have an extensive food menu. Since it was sunny out, I decided to have an iced latte. I was pleasantly surprised by it. They added the perfect amount of ice. Some cafes are guilty are scooping up too much ice, thus watering down the latte after a while. The beans were well roasted and grinded. No burnt or acidic after taste and no ruminants of beans that were poorly grinded. For a cafe on their opening day, Old Crow Coffee has the craft of grade A espresso down quite well.
When my friend and I went to Old Crow Coffee, it was very busy so I did not have the opportunity to gather an opinion of the service. However, shortly after my friend and I sat down, everyone cleared out, leaving my friend and I as the only customers in the cafe. Shortly after, more people came in and the person who I assumed was the owner warmly greeted everyone who entered. I know people who work in the food and service industry have to be nice by nature but the person who acknowledged everyone seemed legitimately genuine. Most people think good coffee shops is 100% good coffee but to me, a good coffee shop is 75% solid espresso and 25% polite service and Old Crow Coffee exceeds that.
Will I return to Old Crow Coffee? Absolutely. Despite Old Crow Coffee not being a part of my East Vancouver cafe staple, I will go out of my way to become a regular while trying their food menu. While it may take a long time for New Westminster to be as established as parts of Vancouver when it comes to the coffee scene, it does not hurt to support a cafe that is trying to make itself known in an area not known for their espresso. So instead of relaxing at the Starbucks a few blocks up or settling at the Waves a short walk away, give Old Crow Coffee a try.
Website
Location: 655 Front Street, New Westminster
Phone Number: 778-960-8790
Hours: 7:00 A.M-6:00 PM
