I just came from Calabria and enjoyed my coffee (which is still hot even now!) and felt compelled enough to sit down and write a review. A rare occasion for me. I am shocked to see poor reviews! weird.

I just started drinking coffee again and have been trying to find the most reliably delicious and hot enough one. This is a remarkably difficult thing to find. It is so disappointing to get a poor one. But the Calabria is consistently awesome. Really amazing. And hot enough without having to ask for it to be extra hot, like I have to everywhere else. I would highly recommend them.

The other reviews of poor service are a big surprise to me because I have always found them great: friendly, accommodating, down to earth, welcoming. I have been going there on and off for years.

Besides, when it comes to coffee, I would prefer to have great coffee and ignore the service, rather than good service and crappy coffee.

(There are quite a few of the poor reviews that sound very similar, I wonder if they are by the same person?)

Went to Calabria for the first time a few months ago and was not impressed at all. The cookie I ordered was nothing special and when I went to pay, they informed me they didn't take credit or debit...?! Seriously? They also have no soy milk and clearly have no thermometers as my drink was scalding hot. Im not one to complain, but the whole experience here was pretty bad. Will not be returning, especially with JJ Bean or Continental down the street.

But Cafe Calabria is pretty awful now. I don't want to be hassled or made to feel uncomfortable in a coffee shop. I think those are the exact opposite reasons why one would visit a cafe. But in this establishment I felt both of those and got overpriced, lukewarm coffee to boot. The true measure of any establishment is to make new and returning customers feel welcome. Calabria seems incapable of adapting to the generational change in cafe-goers. Not only that but why do the good reviews I've read have disclaimers like 'be warned not bring Starbucks coffee in, or sit for 4-5 hours'? Canadians in general are not rude people but for some reason Cafe Calabria has a higher ratio of rude people visiting them? Perhaps it's the people working there that are rude because I've never wanted to dump my coffee on the floor of a cafe before but my last visit to this cafe, with rude service from one of the brothers and overpriced coffee made me want to. It's a horrible place that I would never recommend to anyone. And the paninis at La Grotto are 100x's better so the only thing tying loyal customers to this horrible establishment is a sense of nostalgia, comfort with routine and an illogical idea of what a cafe 'should' be.

The man behind the counter was so rude. He's going to run this business into the ground if he continues to treat his customers this way.
I live in Vancouver and I like to try out places I haven't before. I decide to try Calabria on Commercial Drive.
There were two people ahead of me, so I patiently waited and noticed he seemed to know them by the way he was conversing with them. Then it came to my turn to place my order.
I asked how much his small and large lattes were (because there are no prices listed on the menu board) and he sighed really loud, like he didn't like me asking, anyways I ordered the large latte . I told him he had a really nice place, just so he could (maybe) be a little friendlier, cause by this point I was feeling uncomfortable there.
He then made me the coffee and really fast too like he wasn't going to put an effort to make it taste good, (I always order Lattes wherever I go, and I hadn't had a bad one yet) but he took no time at all to make this one, in fact it was shocking at how fast he handed me the latte.
I took a sip and it tasted like hot watered down coffee,( I think he must of used mostly hot water instead of milk in it). I already didn't feel welcome there, so I didn't want to upset him anymore by complaining about the taste.
So I asked him if he had some cream, and I told him it was because it was a little hot, he abruptly said no, rolled his eyes and replied that he only has milk, as he held up the jug that contained very little in it, so I said o.k and passed him my coffee, he then dumped a quarter of it out, I said "why would you do that?" He said "cause it was too full", and then he said angrily ,"look, here's your money back!", and dumped the whole cup down the drain.
So there I was, not only shocked at his behaviour, but also out of time for my break and no coffee :(

I called him about it later that day thinking he might of realized how rude he was and apologize, but instead he said he had other things on his mind at the time, and continued to make excuses for his bad behaviour, never once admitting that he shouldn't treat anyone in such a way, he was also very defensive.
I asked him why it was he was nice to the other people in front of me he replied because he was familiar with them.
I don't always take the time to write reviews but I thought this deserved one.

Ya know, i want to start out by saying this place is great, the family is nice(which some are) and the coffee is delicious, but i just cant do it! I have been hanging out here for years and have brought many friends to this place, and have given Calabria Bar alot of business, but i give up. Its not worth it. I am always nice with everyone and i cant understand why these guys got such a chip on their shoulders. I know "its business" but doesnt mean you treat your supportive friends like they are garbage and let everyone else in the bar know it. Oh thats right, they yell at people! They try to embarress people but really are only hurting themselves and their business. Unfortunately for them, there are other great family owned cafes down the street where they treat you like friends, not enemies. Oh and by the way, the coffee is mediocre, the flavor isnt that great, and especially not for the price. Try Continentals or Giancarlos for a nice Americano, you wont be disappointed!

Today I brought a good friend of mind to Cafe Calabria because I have always enjoyed the atmosphere and the coffee and I like the idea of supporting a family owned business but I was so taken back when the Dark Haired brother was so rude to me just because I asked him to blend our iced coffee after they were made, his expresssion was as though he wanted to hit me. I mentioned to my friend that I was very disappointed and maybe had made a mistake going there. That same evening I spoke to a family member who had a bad experience with the same brother on the same day, he asked me if that guy was always rude and nasty? He recommended the bar to his friends so the 3 couples went there for coffee but my Nephew's wife was eating an ice cream cone and was told that she could not come in while the others were having their coffees, and that she had to stay outside, she was trying to respect their wishes and remained outside to finish her icecream cone and had planned on ordering a cappuccino once her icecream was done, but the owner came out and told her that she could not sit in one of their chairs and had to stand on the sidewalk. This so called business man lost 8 customers today and probably doesn't even realize it. Apparently he told them that he wasn't starving and didn't need their business. I read several of the comments written here and see that the Continental Bar directly across the street is also family owned and the owners are friendly and appreciate their customers so I think that they will be getting my business in future.

Wow, the instant you step into Calabria Bar (also known to some as Cafe Calabria), you feel like you've left Vancouver behind and walked into Italy. It's obvious they've spared no expense creating this atmosphere. From statues, to wonderful chandeliers, to great bistro tables and chairs. You just can't help but to sit back and relax with your cup of cappucino or latte.
They also served yummy looking paninis and a wide selection of gelatos and desserts.

I have to chuckle when I hear about the bad/indifferent service at this place. These guys despite having some of the best coffee in Vancouver are first and always wops. I don't mean Italians, I mean wops, the kind we Italian/Canadians always cringe at and are ashamed of in their midst. Here is a little anecdote, I took a relative from Italy there to show him a Italian/North american coffee bar, Kitsch and all. When he tried to take a picture, The old man owner freaked out!! Not even a trace of civility, just pure anger!! Oh well, it is there place but it is indicitive!
P.S. The biscotti are homemade and the best!! go and have fun and please don't tease the wops!!

Horrible experience! My friend and I were waiting in line to order coffees and I took a few bites of the sandwich I bought from the bakery next door. The owner very rudely told me that I should have read the sign and cant eat inside. (I missed it!) A little upset at the way he spoke to me, I bit my tongue and put my sandwich away and still ordered drinks. We sat inside for a short time and moved when a table opened up outside on the sidewalk. Reading the sign "No outside food inside cafe" I figured I could eat my sandwich. (I really did not know) The owner ran out and proceeded to scream at me and told me to read the sign. I repeated it and said that it didn't state anything about being outside. He told me it was common sense and I should know that. When I mentioned that it wasn't common sense to me because I don't run a restaurant, he said a person like me shouldn't anyway. I angrily asked him if he was calling me stupid and he replied with "Maybe you are stupid!" He told me to get lost and went inside. Outraged at the way he treated me, I went back in to speak with another employee. He also did not want to listen to my shocked but calm explanation and told me "He was nice to you." The owner came over and yelled at me as I was trying to explain my frustration. I asked him why he was trying to personally attack me by calling me stupid and he replied with "You are attacking me" and yelled "Get out of here" more than once in front of everyone! I have never been so mortified over and honest mistake. If he had just told me nicely, I would have eaten my sandwich later. I don't know how they get away with it..

Some of the previous negative reviews are right on. I was meeting a friend on the Drive for coffee and pastry and decided on Calabria, a supposedly 'authentic' coffee place, not like the "S" across the street.

When I arrived, my friend had already tried to get seated inside, but they would not until I had arrived. Considering we were meeting at a specific time, especially considering my friend walks with a cane and could not remain standing until I got there, they would not seat her! And, didn't seem to really care about us as potential customers.

Never again. Way too many places in Vancouver get good word of mouth, but provide TERRIBLE service! I have my own espresso machine at home, so I am not going for the coffee. I could make a good cup at home, but I do expect to be treated with respect, a place where our business is appreciated. It will never again be Calabria, no matter how much the anti-S crowd crows.