Sugar Beans - Nanaimo

I visited this café for the first time on Sunday, March 5th, 2017 and unfortunately, I do not plan on returning. The café was quite empty, but two of the comfortable chairs in the customer area were occupied by a female staff member and what appeared to be her boyfriend, as they were seen kissing. When the staff member finally came over to take our order, she greeted us with a curt and unfriendly tone. The food options were limited, with only stale-looking cinnamon buns and muffins available. We decided to just stick with beverages. My husband ordered a brewed coffee, but was just handed a cup and told to help himself from the thermoses. The coffee was lukewarm and tasted watered down. I ordered a caramel macchiato, but could barely taste the caramel and there was no froth on top. It was definitely not the best drink I have ever had. I will be going back to Starbucks next time. The lack of professionalism and attitude from the staff member was disappointing. After serving us, she poured herself a drink and went back to relax with her friend in the customer seating area. Not exactly classy. I will not be returning and will be warning others not to bother as well.

We ordered two basic coffees from the only young lady working at the counter. She never made eye contact or smiled at us. When we tried to strike up a conversation, she informed us that she was naturally unexpressive and mumbled something before retreating to lounge on the couch in the customer area and began texting. We observed as other customers approached the counter and left in disappointment. Unfortunately, half of the menu items were unavailable as the kitchen was not open for business. The coffee was decent, but overall, I have no desire to come back to this establishment.

My experience at this restaurant was disappointing. When we arrived, we found that almost half of the menu items were unavailable, the espresso machine was broken, and the staff were unfriendly. When I asked about the tea options, the server was not very helpful and simply read from a paper without making eye contact or smiling. The service was subpar. Unable to order what we originally wanted, we settled for muffins which were stale and tasted like pre-packaged mix. It seems like this business is inexperienced with poor menu planning, low-quality food, and malfunctioning equipment. It's a shame, as I had hoped for a better experience at this cafe.

We ordered cinnamon buns and chocolate explosion! Both were excellent. We grabbed waters, so we didn't sample any of the hot beverages. We came during the soft opening, so will have to try out the hot food when it arrives. I would change the lights to something softer. The bright drop-lights hurt my eyes. Friendly staff.I will return to try the carrot cake!