Propaganda Coffee: The best café in vancouver?
To say that I am a coffee “connoiseur” would be a lie. I don’t even like drinking black coffee. How could I then share what is the best café in this city?
Well, I would like to believe that when it comes to identifying “taste” or recognizing something that tastes or looks like more than just the “typical” thing, I have a very good sense of intuition. I may not be the type to debate roast levels or brewing methods, but I do pay attention to how something makes me feel—how it’s presented, the intention behind it, and whether it stands out from the ordinary. So while this isn’t a guide for the hardcore coffee connoisseur, it is a collection of places where coffee meets character, and where the experience is just as rich as the drink itself.
I organized my list with a few things in mind:
The taste of the drink
The food options (and, of course, how they taste)
The café’s environment
My overall experience
Each place will get its own post, starting with my number one:
Propaganda Coffee
This coffee shop is by far my ultimate favourite because it merges all the points I mentioned above. Propaganda is that kind of place where, no matter when I go or what I choose to have, it just never disappoints.
What I enjoy the most is that there’s no sense of “overdoing” it. As far as I can remember, the offerings have stayed the same. You won’t necessarily find specialty drinks or seasonal pastries—and sometimes I catch myself wondering, why not? Why not add something new, like a blueberry syrup to the matcha? But then I realized: when something is already really good and working, not chasing novelty is perfectly fine.
A lot of their customers are regulars, and I think that says it all. You know what you’re getting, you know it’s going to be good, and you know you’ll be welcomed by people who genuinely know what they’re doing.
There is no wifi, just an FYI, so be prepared to do something else or to use your data. I sometimes connect to the TD Bank wifi that is next to the café. What I enjoy in this environment is that anyone who comes in, a lot of the times, spend time bonding and sharing. Some read, some draw, and some just sip on their coffee and do nothing.
Let me start with the drinks:
I always go for a latte—usually with vanilla syrup (at the moment of writing this I go for the matcha with vanilla). I skip the simple syrup; it’s just cane sugar, and I’d rather have something that actually tastes like vanilla. I’m also not a fan of honey at cafés, especially since most places use what I can only describe as “fake” honey.
At Propaganda, though, both the vanilla and hazelnut syrups are homemade—and you can taste the difference. Especially when the drink is iced. I love seeing the little vanilla pods floating around and knowing the syrup was made in-house. It just adds something real.
I drink oat milk and made the switch a little over a year ago. What I appreciate about their lattes is that the oat taste isn’t overpowering. Oat milk has a distinct flavor that I usually notice at most other cafés—but not at Propaganda. That, I really enjoy. Sometimes I also go for pea milk and I’m curious how it would taste in their coffee—it’s very close to regular milk in flavor.
Now, about their pastries:
EVERYTHING tastes good. No exceptions.
Well, okay—almost no exceptions. I do think they could improve their croissant and pain au chocolat. But aside from those, everything else is moist, flavorful, and beautifully balanced.
One of my favorites is the cornmeal muffin. It leaves this subtle aftertaste of salted butter—or maybe it's just a pinch of salt—but it’s just enough to enhance the sweetness. That sweet-salty combo is addictive in the best way. The Honey Raspberry Bran is also delicious. The matcha cookie (I used to not like matcha) is super good... sigh. I said everything is good, ok? ok.
If I had to pick the favorite: the citrus olive oil cake.
It’s not always there, but when it is... run. I usually spot it around late morning or early afternoon, and the second I see it, I grab it. ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. No notes. None. Pure bliss. Spongy and soft. Light as a feather in your mouth. What is on top of it, powdered sugar? crushed sugar bits? enough to feel it and taste the small crunches. Oh. my. God.
Quick heads up: about 95% of their offerings aren’t vegan. So if you’re fully plant-based, that might be a dealbreaker. I’m about 90% plant-based myself and let the rest go so I can enjoy life—and trust me, I’d be at Propaganda daily eating their treats if I didn’t have a little self-discipline.
My everyday go to. Shout out to this spot.
