Thomas G.
Yelp
Matchstick opened up on Richards st in Yaletown not too long ago. Been here quite a few times since they opened, love that this place is less than a block away from home -- but also have a few gripes. Buckle in!
Food 3.5/5 -- As far as café food goes, they have a pretty decent selection. They have an assortment of ready-made foods and then do a few other things such as poached eggs and soup. The eggs and soup are a really nice addition to have near home, where I would otherwise have to walk *gasp* two blocks! As most cafés go, their ready-made options leave a lot to be desired, however, I will add that they are generally better than what you'd find at most other cafés. This is simply just not a strong point for cafés in general.
Their coffee is great. Love the quality of their espresso, and often get either a double shot or cappuccino. Haven't had their drip coffee however.
Service 5/5 -- I think this is one of the few cafés in town that I go to and genuinely feel like all the staff actually enjoys being there. They add to the overall pleasant vibe. There aren't a lot of opportunities to be attentive in a job where you're behind a counter but they manage to do it. A few examples would be not assuming everything is to go, offering water and cutlery instead of leaving people to either self serve or be confused about whether to ask. They always make conversation too, and I liked that when I would go more often some would remember me by name, or at least by face.
Atmosphere 2/5 -- This May be a bit of a shock because I think this is one area where Matchstick is celebrated quite a bit, but there are some major flaws once you get past their comfortable interior design. Ever since the first time I came to this location I noticed how much the seating sucked. I had an hour to kill on a rainy day and decided to check it out... was impressed by the comfortable leather chairs they have, but only six in the whole store. Sad face! Of course these chairs are a hot item that get snagged up quickly. They have a bunch of two tops with half bench half chair seating, which is probably the next best place to sit. There's a sort of community bar seating area that's 'okay'. It's pretty much the last place I'd want to sit, simply cuz I don't want to sit facing a complete stranger... there's a divider with plants in it, which I also don't particularly enjoy.
Usually I end up sitting at bench seating where I don't want to, but those are the only places that are always unoccupied. The bench seating is not comfortable at all. In the back they have a bench facing the bench against the wall, which I generally use as a table. There's also a bench in the front that has a foot stool which I use as a table. Then there's the middle bench section which is kind of just weird, but thankfully it's normally occupied by small groups of people.
The layout is not particularly conducive to comfort either. I feel like they should have planned it way differently from the very beginning. Wish they had put a whole bunch of comfort seating in a lounge type area, and then had another seating area where they just to try to pack in as many people as possible -- it's always busy here, so often hard to get a spot. There's a wall in the middle of the guest area m that's used as a dumping station -- it takes up a ton of space and I feel like they could have just put a dumping station elsewhere and worked it into the existing frame of the room.
Then they have the other familiar problems with popular cafés. It's always crowded with people who aren't buying anything after their first coffee, and end up staying for hours. I always try to keep making purchases, because I appreciate and want to support businesses where I can hang out and read a book... problem is, lots of other people also appreciate hanging out at coffee shops but then don't keep making purchases. Aaaaand we're back to the not enough seating problem. On weekends I don't even bother going in because every mom on Richards street is at Matchstick with their stroller or bored young children who are forced to be seen at a coffee shop. Welcome to weekend daycares in Yaletown! All the moms have the exact same idea, and that idea is to take their kids to Matchstick. Good luck finding a spot to sit when there are a million strollers in here.
Incidentally, their bathrooms are awesome, but I can't go into great detail about it since I spent so much time critiquing seating.
Cleanliness 4/5 -- Lets finish this on a high note. Generally it is cleaner than other coffee shops but still has the enduring issue of people not bussing their own tables, which is problematic in a crowded and busy establishment. They manage it fairly well.
Overall 3.625/5 -- It all comes to atmosphere. They nailed the interior design but totally missed the mark on utility.
