The Commercial Drive area is jam packed with some of the most amazing coffee that this city has to offer. Authentic Italian joints like Cafe Roma or Joe’s pepper the street and serve up some rich, thick, crema topped goodness. Places like Prado Cafe, Continental Coffee and JJ Bean have not only great coffee, but also awesome ambiance. Suffice it to say, if you love coffee – Commercial Drive has got your back. That said, like almost all streets in Vancouver, Commercial Drive is home to three very different Starbucks. Despite my sick sort of love for this chain, I’m glad there aren’t more.

Location #1: East 2nd at Commercial
1752 Commercial Drive
Vancouver, BC V5N 4A3
(604) 251-5397

At East 2nd, right on Commercial Drive, is the area’s best and biggest ‘Bucks. There are lots of comfy chairs and sofas to loiter on, and the location, a big old heritage house, offers up beautiful views of the street. The staff is friendly, young, and not quite as intimidatingly hip as the other Commerical Drive baristas. This is probably the only Starbucks on the Drive that’s really worth lingering in.

Location #2: Broadway Station
2517 Commercial Drive
Vancouver, BC V5N 4C1
(604) 875-6065

Commercial and Broadway can be a bit sketchy at times, but the Starbucks across from the skytrain does a great job of keeping the ruffians at bay. This is a busy commuter Starbucks, and while there are a few great spots to sit and sip, it lacks the lazy coffee shop ambiance that a lot of other Starbucks offer.

Location #3: Safeway – Vancouver #189
1780 E Broadway
Vancouver, BC V5N 1W3

Desperate for a short, non-fat, half sweet peppermint mocha, with sugarfree vanilla and no whip, but pressed for time? As in most Safeways, there is a small Starbucks in the Broadway and Commercial location. They don’t have the biggest selection of baked goods or takeaway items, and have been franchised out, so the service and drinks can be a bit shotty – but the convenience can’t be beat.

http://www.starbucks.com/

We found ourselves in the mood for some good, good Chinese food as opposed to the dirty, greasy stuff one usually associates with takeout and finds equally appealing.

Yes, this time around we felt like an authentic experience, and word of mouth as well as some basic internet research brought The Pink Pearl to our attention. So we ventured down East Hastings in the dark of night to seek it out.

The Pink Pearl is huge- a great rectangular expanse with white walls and traditional Chinese decor. It reminded me of a convention centre, actually. This was part of the experience. Our server here was very cordial, and food arrived course after course seamlessly. It seemed the serving staff were slightly telepathic.

While the Pink Pearl describes itself as a Chinese Seafood restaurant, there are still plenty of items on the expansive menu that feature poultry, beef, pork and vegetarian dishes. We were boggled at the selection and took a long time to order, passing up Peking duck (a little too hard on the wallet) for other classic fare such as wonton soup, ginger beef, lemon chicken and seafood. I would have dearly loved to eat the braised abalone, however the price and the scarcity held me back. The food lived up to and exceeded our expectations- we were very pleased. The Pink Pearl is deserving of its reputations as one of the best Chinese restaurants in Vancouver.

Address:

1132 E. Hastings St.
Vancouver, BC
604-253-4316