Waves Coffee House - Steveston

Ever since ownership changed the store has been much different, the new staff treats me and my family rudely with poor service and they also end up spilling my latte on me wouldn’t recommend

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 2

Service: 1

Their chicken pesto sandwich is a must-try! I’ve come here a couple of times to study, and it’s such a nice spot to sit and focus.
It seems like the management or owner has changed. Even though I didn’t use to come here very often before, I now visit at least once a week!
The staff are always nice and friendly, which makes the atmosphere even better.

Food: 5

Service: 5

Cozy n warm

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Nice coffee....😍

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 4

Service: 4

Cool place to hang... Free parking is a bonus.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

I’ve been a regular at this Waves location for years, and it honestly makes me sad to write this. Ever since the new owners took over, the atmosphere and quality of the place have completely changed. Employees seem to be changing constantly, and it feels like the staff who built this location into what it was are being pushed out.

I really loved how the café was run back in November, especially under the old manager. She created such a welcoming, organized, and friendly environment. You could tell the team was happy and worked well together, and it made customers want to keep coming back.

Now it feels very different. The new ownership doesn’t seem fair to employees, and bringing in their own family members to replace the original staff has changed the professionalism and consistency of the service. As a long-time customer, it feels like loyalty and experience are no longer being valued.

This place used to be one of my favourite coffee spots, somewhere I felt comfortable and recognized as a regular. Sadly, the new ownership is slowly ruining what made this location special. I really hope they listen to both employees and loyal customers, because this café had something great before, and it’s being lost.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1

Awesome tea latte, friendly baristas :)
a spacious, clean, and comfortable space with nice street and ocean views
I’d definitely come back

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Such kind baristas tonight. Thank you!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

As a frequent customer of this coffee shop in my neighborhood, most of the staff are well trained and nice. However, I have been served by a new staff, Rheanne this morning, no greeting, no smile and very cold face. This is the coffee she made for me. Extremely overflowing and impossible to move. When I told her about the situation, no sorry at all. Very bad service manner. I understand that the head office has taken over this location recently and needs to take a serious look at this.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 3

Service: 1

good food and good coffee

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Love this place for a treat. My favourite is the sasuage, tomatoe egg mcmuffin. It's delicious, and the nanaimo bars. Also the egg bites, I love that you can just buy one as sometimes, you just want a quick bite. The coffee is good as well, I usually get a cappuchino, the caramel macchiato could use a bit of smoothness as the flavour is a bit harsh with the caramel and coffee together it might need a bit more blending. Either way, great atmopshere, food, and staff. Also great seating area for working on your laptop. Thank you Waves, love your coffee shop !!

Excellent coffee, top-notch barista! but the architecture sucks. Super noisy, all hard surfaces. Three aging seniors all straining to hear amidst the background clatter

Was good until they laid off all employees and brought in their own people because it was doing good. The previous staff was nice and the new staff are not personable. Shame on you waves.

I walked into Waves hoping for a peaceful morning coffee. Instead, I got the acoustic experience of yelling my order across a Costco food court during Christmas rush hour. It’s echoey, it’s loud, and it feels like the building is actively punishing you for wanting caffeine in peace.

Morning café ambiance:
What I expected — mellow, cozy, quiet.
What I got — “Welcome to the United Nations Climate Summit. Please take a seat and scream.”

Last visit, the coffee was serviceable. Not bad, not thrilling. I’m a Nespresso snob, so my espresso standards are obnoxiously high, but still — I don’t think “forgettable” should be the highlight of a café experience.

Then came the Too Good To Go order. I was optimistic. That optimism died faster than my sandwich's moisture content. This thing was stale-stale. Hard top bun, weird slightly sour “end-of-life bread” flavour — like it had survived some ancient carbohydrate war and lost. Toasting wouldn’t have saved it; CPR wouldn’t have saved it.

And the taste? Imagine licking the inside of a hemp satchel at a drum circle after everyone’s been talking about chakras and kombucha for eight hours. That’s the vibe.

Overall?
Coffee: meh.
Atmosphere: airport departure lounge energy.
Food: tasted like a philosophy major’s gap year.

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 2

Service: 4

Poor value TGTG surprise bag. The ad says $21 value for the price of $6.99. Ad also hinted at a drink being included, but none was given. Retail value for the food given (breakfast sandwich, egg bites, and a scone) is only around $13+. Definitely not $21. Would not purchase here again, better value elsewhere.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1