Intro 

While other places smother the city with tiny, closet-sized take-out shacks disguised as coffee shops, we dare you to enjoy our gracious, 'no bull' attitude toward your coffee experience. We don't try to look good from the outside (believe me!), but let our coffee speak for itself.

Come and experience the best cappuccino you'll ever have. The legendary Joe's Café, with plenty of seating to sit and watch the world cup, the world news, or just watch the world go by. Joe's Café - the best cappuccino in town, since 1974.

 History 

"Counterculture meets old-world charm on the east side. In the early 80s, when artists, musicians, and the local left began to filter onto The Drive - Joe's, with its battleship linoleum, chipped Formica tables, laundromat lighting, and black-velvet bullfighting scenes, became the hot place to hang out and argue politics into the wee hours." -thedrive.ca

The year is 1974, not many cafés in sight. A small corner shop known as Continental Billiards appears on the Drive. The space soon expands and morphs into Joe's, the place to hang. Lattes, Cappuccinos, and Almond Milks were the order of the day. Since it's heydays of the 80s, it's been a legendary hangout for local characters of all stripes!

Some of our most memorable characters* and earlier lovers of our lattes and cappuccinos include Sarah Maclachlan, KD Lang, Colin James, and 54-40. Wyckham Porteous wrote and starred in the hit play 'Joe's Café', at the Arts Club Theatre. The Ludwigs' song 'Indecent At Joe's Café' rounded off their 1992 album 'Idle and Undesirable'.

The coffee has a fine characteristic and Joe is quite a character. It's the best cappuccino in town!

(*see also 'Is there something else in our lattes?')

Reviews 

  Urban Spoon

"...the most amazing tower of foam!"

  
  Dine Here

 "Cheap eats, Television."

  
  Gowalla

 "One of the best authentic old-style coffee houses in the city with Billiards and free wifi."

  
  Yelp

 "This place is like a time machine..."  
Frommer's

 "...far more politically correct is Joe's Café... immigrant- and activist-laden Commercial Drive..."
Tribe

 "Good and Proper Coffee! Hooray! ...Please enjoy a coffee here and see how it should be done."
The Drive "...the 'granddaddy of coffee independents' at Joe's Café... became the hot place to hang out..."

 Links 

thedrive.caspacer Check out what's happening as far as neighbourhood events and festivals
wikipedia.orgspacer Everything you wanted to know about Commercial Drive, but were afraid to ask - from Wikipedia