Cafés
The most serious coffee bar in Steveston, pulling espresso, siphon and cold brew from beans the company roasts itself. Bright and busy a short walk from the boardwalk, with pastries and sandwiches for people who cycled or walked in.
Coffee is treated as the point here rather than as something sold alongside a pastry case. Rocanini roasts its own beans and pulls espresso, siphon and cold brew from them, which puts it at the serious end of what Steveston offers. Plenty of places in the village will sell you a cup. Fewer of them will talk you through what is in it.
Siphon brewing is worth ordering if you have never had it. It takes longer than a filter, it involves glassware and a heat source, and the result comes out cleaner and more tea-like than drip. Ask for it when the counter is not slammed, because it is a slow method and a queue behind you changes the mood of the whole thing. There are pastries and sandwiches too, which matters if you have cycled in from Terra Nova or walked up the dyke from Garry Point and need actual food rather than a snack.
The shop sits on Moncton Street a short walk from the boardwalk, in the middle of the village rather than out on the water, so the crowd is a mix of cyclists, dog walkers and people who work nearby. The West Dyke Trail empties into Steveston, and on any decent morning a share of everyone who rode it ends up here, damp and looking for caffeine. The village gets busy from mid-morning on a weekend and slows down with it, which is the argument for going early. Bring a lock if you are riding in, because bike parking in the village is first come and there is not much of it.
In the Steveston neighbourhood of Richmond.
Get directions (opens in a new tab)Keep exploring
Other cafés and nearby businesses in the Richmond directory.
French-leaning cafe set just off No. 1 Road at the quiet edge of Steveston Village, doing savoury and sweet crepes, sandwiches and proper coffee. A calmer option when the Moncton Street cafes fill up with weekend visitors.
View details
Steveston bookshop and cafe in one room, stocking mostly secondhand titles with some new releases. You can trade in your own books for store credit, and the espresso bar means people settle in rather than browse and leave. Separate kids' and adult sections.
View details
All-day cafe on Moncton Street doing brunch, fusion paellas, eggs benedict and handmade Shanghai dumplings. Fans of Once Upon a Time will recognize the frontage as Granny's Diner. Family-friendly with a kids' menu and a private room for groups.
View details
A tiny family-run shop on Chatham Street making proper Liege waffles with pearl sugar, real butter and honey in about a dozen flavours, from vanilla through matcha and yuzu. They also take custom cake, pie and creme brulee orders for pickup.
View details
A Steveston Village fixture since the late 1990s that roasts organic single-origin beans on site and sells them by the bag alongside the espresso. Locals drop in for a white chocolate mocha, a breakfast muffin sandwich and a bench out front.
View details
A bike-friendly stop at London Landing on the dyke route that rotates its beans through different BC roasters every few months. Cyclists and runners coming off the trail fill the seats, and the baked goods come from small local producers.
View details
From the blog
Longer reads from the editor, with the places worth a detour linked inside them.
The Night Market's final season is the loud story. The quieter one: free admission at the Cannery ends Monday, Britannia keeps summer hours through Sunday, and Steveston does sunsets better than anyone.
Read the guide
Nothing on Alexandra Road is a secret. It is just in a strip mall with bad signage and no patio, which is why visitors never find it. Here is how I actually use Richmond's plazas and food courts, which specialists are worth the drive, and when not to bother.
Read the guide
The West Dyke Trail is about five and a half kilometres of flat gravel between Terra Nova Rural Park and Garry Point, and I ride it most mornings. Here is what is actually at the north end, which way to walk so the wind is on your side, and why winter is the better season for it.
Read the guide
Keep the directory honest
Own Rocanini Coffee Roasters?
Claim the listing to confirm your details, add your hours and photographs, and keep what people find accurate.