Java U Cafe - Richmond

Vegan wrap wasn't edible since the tomatoes were slimy and had a foul smell, after clearly being chilled and warmed up over and over again. The parfait was dece... read more Vegan wrap wasn't edible since the tomatoes were slimy and had a foul smell, after clearly being chilled and warmed up over and over again. The parfait was decent but not worth the airport prices.

Vegan wrap wasn't edible since the tomatoes were slimy and had a foul smell, after clearly being chilled and warmed up over and over again. The parfait was dece... read more Vegan wrap wasn't edible since the tomatoes were slimy and had a foul smell, after clearly being chilled and warmed up over and over again. The parfait was decent but not worth the airport prices.

Well it's just a little coffee and sandwich stop near the Westjet domestic gates in YVR. I've enjoyed their coffee in the past before boarding my flights, but t... read more Well it's just a little coffee and sandwich stop near the Westjet domestic gates in YVR. I've enjoyed their coffee in the past before boarding my flights, but today I tried their roast beef sandwich and it was delicious. #SoGood. Served toasted on an onion bun with red onion and Swiss cheese melted all up in there delicious. AND the price is always right too.

Java U Café is a place that has, up until now, eluded me. I say it eluded me because, contrary to the hours posted on the YVR website, the place has never been... read more Java U Café is a place that has, up until now, eluded me. I say it eluded me because, contrary to the hours posted on the YVR website, the place has never been open during its stated times. Tucked away as it is around gate B20, which also happens to be one of the “old” sections of YVR, I suspect it’s only open during standard hours, i.e.: 9AM to 5PM, but even then I’m only guessing because Java U doesn’t even have hours posted outside its door. On the one hand, I don’t blame them for being sporadic in terms of hours of operation because this area of the airport doesn’t get much traffic – it’s kind of out of the way and only has people passing through it if there happens to be a flight departing from here . . . and that’s not very often. On the other hand, I feel it is incumbent upon YVR to keep all business listings updated. That said, Java U at YVR is just a small kiosk that, according to their official website, “serves exclusively Fairtrade organic coffee . . . gourmet sandwiches . . . Java U brings you quality ingredients, impeccable presentation, and a fast and friendly service.” Sounds really good, doesn’t it? Well, I think all of this is probably true if you visit their many locations in Dorval airport (YUL) which, by the way, look like real restaurants with seating and an expanded selection of food and beverage items. Really, if you compare the YUL locations to the sole YVR location, the latter looks pretty sad. The sandwich I got was a clear case in point. I had a basic ham and Swiss, which was more bun than ham or anything else for that matter (see photos). I ended up tearing away most of the bread so that I could fully experience the ham, cheese, cucumbers and mustard. You know it’s pretty bad when you have to do that. Friendly service? No, more like indifferent. Good food? It was average at best, and even then I think I’m being pretty generous. FOOD: 2.5/5 SERVICE: 3/5 VALUE: 2.75/5 RECOMMENDATION: Well, I finally got to try this place and it was more underwhelming than I’d anticipated. After reading that Java U is a “Montreal-based coffee chain . . . better than most other coffee options read ‘Tim Hortons’ , expectations were modestly high. Were there quality ingredients? Yes, I’ll give Java U that; whenever I was able to taste the innards of the sandwich they were, in fact, quite good. I only wish there was a lot more to it. Impeccable presentation? Not really. I’ve seen gas station sandwiches that’ve looked nice. Would I recommend this place if you’re in YVR? Probably not – there are better options a mere five-minute walk away. Note to Java U: Please do not offer any type of discount for us to try your location again. We provide unbiased experiences we find when we travel and will not accept any coupons to try your restaurant again. If and when we try your restaurant again we will be like any other customer and will provide a follow up report that is unbiased as well. Thank you. PS: If you found this review helpful in any way please consider hitting the “like” button!

Nice place to take a quick coffee before your flight read more Nice place to take a quick coffee before your flight