Heidi’s Cafe (Vancouver, BC)

i happened upon heidi’s cafe on 42nd and fraser one day because my regular saturday family dinner was being held at angel cafe down the street. i was looking for a place to kill time and finish some work before dinner and didn’t feel like venturing too far so i decided to give it a try, even though the storefront looked like any other joint on fraser. heidi’s is right in the middle of the block (between angel cafe and dairy queen).

i went in and the first thing i saw got me a little disoriented. the outside said heidi’s cafe but when you walk in, there’s a booth to the right where you could buy smokes and lotteries. weird. once i saw the huge board full of menu items, though, it was all good. the guys working there weren’t exactly smiley but they were still very friendly and courteous. i later found out the business was owned and operated by the guys behind the counter who were chefs!

as the weeks went by, i kept on frequenting this cafe because of the awesome service and great food. i guess you wouldn’t expect awesome food from a place that has “cafe” tagged at the end of its name but they definitely outdid themselves. most of their stuff is homemade, from the soups to their veggie burgers, to the pasta ingredients. their burgers come with fries, salad, or soup. they also have a large selection of bottled and canned drinks of the western and asian variety. pretty cool…

by the way, you MUST try their veggie burger, even if you’re anti-veggie anything. it’s kind of like eating a potato cake in a burger. it’s sooooo good. it just does NOT taste like those nasty superstore dry bricks. and yes boys, it definitely fills you up, especially when it comes with fries or salad.

and the bacon… mmmmm… this is my personal preference but when i have breakfast, i like my bacon super crispy and oftentimes i have to get the waitress to bring it back to the kitchen once or twice to re-fry it. somehow they’ve read my mind and it’s come out perfectly! or maybe they just take the time to fry the bacon properly. that’s a massive bonus for me.

things to try: carrot cake, veggie burger, yam fries with garlic aioli, omelette.

this place is definitely a hidden gem on the east side.

the GOOD:

• friendly, laid-back staff who treat you like family. they love to strike up conversation and get to know you better.
• very service-oriented and attentive.
• food – big portions, very fresh, piping hot.
• prices are very reasonable.
• free wi-fi and they always let me camp out for a long time.
• desserts are homemade.

the BAD:

• they close at 9pm… which isn’t all that bad for the regular non-night owl but i just felt like i had to put something in this category.

the ANNOYING:

• nothing!

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