Laurence and Chico

A while ago I read an article about this café that was going to be opening in Vancouver. Once I seen the photos, I told my wife we had to go visit this place next time we were in Vancouver. Wait until you see the photos, this place is unlike no other café you been to. Trust me.

Laurence & Chico is a Canadian based womenswear and accessories brand founded in 2015 by Laurence Li and Chico Wang. The duo met while studying at the prestigious Parson’s School of Design.

Laurence & Chico Cafe is located on the West End in Downtown Vancouver just off Robson Street. Just out front of this café is a community piano where anyone can play. While we were there, this older gentleman was playing beautifully.

The Interior

Not sure where I should start??? Wow is where. This space is the most unique and funky spot with the most amazing interior I have ever seen in a café. How do I put it? It’s where Dr. Seuss and Tim Burton come together. These guys’ artwork and fashion designs are way out there. I do however, applaud the imagination.

The cafe was filled with their inspiration – from chairs, tables, walls floors, to even the water closets and the peak-a-boo ceiling.

If you look at the artwork on the walls, you see eye balls everywhere. You see nothing but plant based characters. Totally crazy visuals and with so much attention to detail. I read that you will only see Laurence and Chico drawn in the human form, whereas their families and friends are drawn as animals, plants, fruits and vegetables. Even the mannequins are not normal, they are 7 feet tall and weird looking. (Alien if you will). This just adds to the senses.

The tables and chairs are whimsical, and freaky at the same time. The stools appear to be made out of a huge exercise ball, which I was told were a little interesting to sit on. I loved the monster-like chairs and the pearl bead work on the inside of the creative balloon chairs is amazing.

There is also a little section at the back where you could buy things such as cellphone cases, t-shirts, sweat shirts and jackets. The clothing was very expensive, T-shirts were $125.  One thing I wanted to note was that the actual seats were quite limited. However, there was a bar-like table that you could drink/eat while standing up that looked like a whimsical snake.

This is a great place for Instagrammers. So much to take in.

The Drinks

When we were there I ordered a Vanilla Latte, my wife had the Oolong Milky (their version of the London Fog) and my daughter ordered the Place St Marc Tea.

Laurence and Chico’s roaster of choice is 49^th Parallel. My wife and my drinks were pretty good, no real complaints to speak of. I appreciated getting out drinks in ceramic mugs. I am not a fan of paper cups. They do serve a purpose but not when you are staying in house for a drink. My daughter got hers in a to go cup only because she wanted the design on it, even the cups have their eyeball art on it.

Overall, I felt the prices were very reasonable considering that you get 2 shots in a regular size latte. My latte was $5.45 and the teas were about $3.50 each

They also serve an assortment of teas and fresh juices if you’re into that.

The Food

As for the food, there was quite a selection of tiny sandwiches, desserts and pastries. All of the food looked really good. On this day we went with the Black Forest Mousse Tart and the Honey Bee Lemon Tart. The tarts were also very good and looked almost too good to eat. If I had one complaint, it would be that it was a little pricey. I think both tarts were about $5.50 each.

The Service

All in all the customer service was super friendly. All personnel were smiling and very helpful. They encouraged us to wander around and take pictures. We definitely felt the baristas had a sense of pride at this café.

The cashiers were wearing hats with lace that almost looked like hair, which was pretty cool. The experience to have coffee in such an environment was very pleasing and fun.

The Bathrooms

I don’t normally write about my washroom adventures but I had to this time. When you are there, check out the washrooms, they are very interesting. One of them has a funky mural and a million yellow rubber ducks on the ceiling and the other one has hydrangeas hanging on the ceiling, neon lights changing color and mirrors on all the walls. The sink, soap dispenser and paper towel dispenser are built into the wall as well. I had to really look for it. See the pictures below.

Never in my life have I ever seen bathrooms like these. Incredible attention to detail is the only word for it.

 

The Hours

Monday to Thursday they are open 11:00am – 8:00pm. Friday and Saturday they are open 11:00am – 11:00pm. On Sundays they are open 11:00am – 8:00pm.

Parking

There is some paid parking on the street. I parked in a parking lot behind the shop, still had to pay, after all this is Vancouver, no free parking anywhere.

Last Words

I now have been to over 150 different cafes in the past few years and this was the most unique one so far. I would highly recommend this place to anyone, the staff are terrific, and the atmosphere is really cool. I will be going back to Laurence and Chico’s again, just to see what they have come up with next.