Medina Cafe

One of my favourite brunch places! They are one of a few that are opened throughout the week for brunch as opposed to just weekends. Their waffles are a must-​have, and the sauces are always a perfect compliment to the sweet and crunchy Liege waffles.
The dishes are incredible and flavourful with a Mediterranean twist. The servers are very knowledgeable and friendly. The only downside is the fact that there are no reservations, only first come first serve. I have waited 45 minutes one time to get in, and an hour and a half to get in another. But it is quite worth it!

I only stopped by for waffles to go but they were so good right out of the bag as I walked down the street. Delightful. My friend had been talking this place up for waffles, and the wait was so long that we didn’t sit down to eat. Instead I just got a few in the bag and wow. They didn’t need anything on them. They have fancy sauces with interesting flavour combinations, but this waffle is just like cake. Any additional sweetness would have been overkill for me. I did taste the sauces though, and they’re delicious as well!
Service was good and the wait was long so I didn’t get to sit down and eat. But the décor was cozy and homey. I would definitely come back to sit and eat. Everyone was just so nice!

Probably the best breakfast/​brunch place Downtown. Perfectly executed eggs, a variety of really interesting rotating seasonal dishes, and you’ve got to have a waffle even if I can’t any longer due to my diet :(
Excellent coffee baristas as well. Just very well executed, reasonably straightforward food with great ingredients and just enough of an interesting twist. Exactly where you want to go for brunch.

I was meeting up with my girlfriends at Medina Café and being the typical non-​adventurous person that I am, I got the typical foods you would eat at Medina Café. Those being — the waffle, a flavoured coffee, paella and fricassee.
The flavoured coffee I chose was the white chocolate pistachio rose mocha. I had the lavender last time, which was not bad but a little too strong on the lavender for me. This though, was surprisingly flavourful. I could taste the rose and I got bits of pistachio in my mocha. Unfortunately, exactly like what I was dreading, the white chocolate made it too sweet. But other than that I enjoyed it.
Rating: 7.5÷10
The paella was very spicy, maybe even a little bit TOO spicy. The chorizo and pepper made it very spicy and overwhelming that it masked the flavours of the base. The only flavours I could detect was sourness and spiciness, nothing else. I tried to use the avocado to tone it down, but it didn’t help. Trust me, I love chorizo but unfortunately the balance of the spiciness of the chorizo was totally off in this dish.
Rating: ⁶⁄₁₀
The fricassee was somewhat lacking flavour. It was more on the sweet side than the savoury side. When eaten with the leafy greens on top it was better balanced but nothing about this dish really stood out. The meat was pretty fall apart though which was a good thing.
Rating: 6.5÷10
And finally of course, we had to finish with a waffle and salted caramel sauce. I’ve had the salted caramel sauce and it was pretty good so I had to order it again. The waffle though was somewhat disappointing. It was served warm which I thought was good, but the exterior lacked crunch which was disappointing. I remember last time I had it, it was crunchy so I guess it’s just a consistency problem?
Rating of waffle: ⁷⁄₁₀ Rating of salted caramel sauce: 7.5÷10
Overall the impression that Medina Café gives me is that on weekends there are usually long lines out the door (luckily I went on a Tuesday at around 10 and we were seated within 5 minutes) and it’s on the more expensive side. The service was pretty good. I think why a lot of people are attracted to this place is because of the hype and because there’s snot much of this kind and style of brunch food that is open everyday.
Rating: ⁷⁄₁₀

It was our last day in Vancouver, so we agreed to eat as much as we had time for, starting with a continental breakfast in our hotel until we needed to get to the airport at 1pm. This was our first spot on our agenda. When we got here, there was no wait for the bar area, so that’s where we were seated. Luckily, a table was ready when we sat down, so we got moved.
We wanted to order a lot of things, but needed to limit ourselves, so we got a lavender latte and some orange juice while we narrowed down what we wanted. I ended up getting the avocado toast with a side of Medina bacon and my friends each ordered a Liege-​style waffle. Toppings were extra– they added Earnest ice cream, a mixed berry compote, and milk chocolate lavender.
My avocado toast was very small, but light and delicious! The bacon was also very tasty and thick! All the waffles are pre-​made– you can see a display of them near the entrance, so we were wondering why it was taking them so long to add the toppings LOL. The toppings were put on the side, so I added my friend’s leftovers to mine. I love these types of waffles and was not disappointed! The texture was perfect and really yummy. The ice cream added was the size of a butter scoop, but had a really strong and interesting flavor. Service was good and so was the atmosphere. I’m glad that they didn’t rush us after we paid the bill– we were figuring out our next stop and needed to digest a little.

Let me say… COME HERE EARLY AND PUT OUR NAME DOWN. That is my best piece of advice to you. They open at 9 am. We came towards 10 am and put our name down for 2 and didn’t get seated until 11:30-noon. They essentially tell you it’ll take approx. an hour once you put your name down. And the inside seating is sparse.
Drinks:
Lavender Latte — love the lavender taste, this is by far one of my favorite drinks on the west coast
White Pistachio Rosewater mocha — tasty, they put pieces of pistachio in it. I got this for the first time on this visit and i LOVED it.
Brunch:
Fricassee — 2 Fried Eggs, Braised Short Ribs, Roasted Potatoes, Caramelized Onions, Applewood Smoked Cheddar, Seasonal Greens with Grilled Focaccia. Although all the reviews raved about it on Unilocal,I think they were misled. I honestly thought it was too salty and I wasn’t a huge fan of this dish… But take it for what you will.
Cassoulet — Smoked Bacon, Andouille Sausage, Saucission Parisienne à l’ail with White Beans, Red Wine, Tomatoes, 2 Sunny Eggs. My girlfriend got this dish and I must say its much sweeter (prob from the white beans) but I really enjoyed it! It had much more flavor to it and it wasn’t overpowering! Delicious!
Dessert:
WAFFLES — DUH. But we also tried 3 sauces. They have a variety: Dark Chocolate, Milk Chocolate Lavender, White Chocolate Pistachio Rosewater, Salted Caramel, Raspberry Caramel, Fig Orange Marmalade, Mixed Berry Compote, Passion Fruit, Maple Syrup or Yoghurt.
We ended up trying the Chocolate Lavender, White Chocolate Pistachio Rosewater, and Passion Fruit. DO NOT GET THE PASSION FRUIT. It’s great and all, but not for waffles… Ultimate favorite? DEFINITELY the White Chocolate Pistachio Rosewater. HANDS DOWN. I could just eat this by itself all day ERRDAY.
Service: Superb, friendly, although a long wait…

I’ve been to Vancouver 5 times in my life now and out of those 5 times I’ve been to Medina Café 3 times.
First time, I had the Saumon Fume which was smoked salmon with cream cheese, with organic greens and artichoke salad on a ciabatta bread. it was delicious. I made the mistake of not getting the waffle. A mistake I soon will regret.
My second time, I had the Fricassee, which is 2 eggs with Braised short ribs and roasted potatoes. Also delicious. This time I ordered the waffle with the dark chocolate topping. It was so freaking’ good I was tempted to get another.
My most recent visit I had the Paella, which was a fried egg with Spicy chorizo, Veggies and spicy tomato salsa. This was very light since it had no carbs, but I got the waffle to make up for that.
Note: They charge for the toppings for the waffles. They are $ 1 each and they come in a sauce tray. One topping is more than enough for 2 – 3 waffles so you can easily share the topping with someone else if you both want the same topping.
There is always a wait here, regardless of when we came. They don’t take reservations so you just have to wait. If you want to cut down the wait time, you can tell them you’re OK with sitting at the bar.
For all you fellow Americans, it’s a great time to go to take advantage of the dollar. The till came out to $ 50 CAD but I only paid like $ 35 USD!

Best brunch I’ve ever had. The
Liege Style Waffle with white chocolate pistachio rosewood syrup was amazing. Get this for sure! Les Boulettes was the right amount of spicey and very filling. The staff was on point and helpful.

Everyone I know raves about this place. I really don’t understand the appeal. Sure it’s a brunch place with a twist, but the food overall is not impressive. The flavors and overall experience was really disappointing to me. I love my brunch and I’m pretty picky about it so I might not be the easiest critic in this arena.
As expected, I had to wait about 45 minutes before getting seated. Classic for any Vancouver place that is over-​hyped.
The waffles, which I was expecting to be heavenly were lackluster. It was STALE. Now that is unacceptable for any restaurant. The sauces that came with it was the highlight of the whole experience. I just cannot get over the waffle though. Their sausage was overcooked and lacked the moisture that I expect from a good sausage. It was also really lacking in the flavor department
If you are going to come here, skip on the food and get a drink — they have some really cool hot caffeine beverages that were pretty good. The lavender latte was amazing and I’d highly recommend it.
The place was really busy and service was pretty nonexistent. The restaurant is cute, yet a bit frantic. Would definitely not come back here for brunch, maybe for drinks though.

Best first meal ever in Vancouver! My friend and I came for brunch and it was the best brunch we ever experienced. We waited for about 30 minutes before getting seated, which was pretty good as we were told it might be over 1 hour wait. We both ordered the avocado toast and a waffles with a chocolate lavender sauce and a white chocolate pistachio rosewater sauce. The avocado toasts was perfectly portioned and we were left feeling very satisfied, not overly full nor hungry for more. The waffles were the real mvp of our meal, the texture was perfect and super delicious with the pistachio rosewater sauce. The chocolate lavender didn’t have a strong lavender taste, but half way through our waffles, we were feeling adventurous and mixed both sauces and we were left wishing we did that for the entire waffle.
I can’t remember what drinks we got but they were so well made that we spent the first half our delicious meal wondering if they remembered to add alcohol to our drinks, and if we should ask about it. Good thing we didn’t because near the end of the meal, we knew there was alcohol in it (thank to asian glow). Anyways, the point is that the drinks were so well made and I have never finished my drink at the same time I finish my meal!

Hailing from the brunch scene in Toronto I definitely have to say i was impressed by Medina. The menu was pretty inventive; whereas Toronto is pretty fixated on classic brunch items with a twist, Medina focused much more on worldly menu items. What’s more, the ingredients and presentation were top notch .
We also had the coffee spike, a boozy mix that is added to your caffeine of choice. This changes on a rotating basis. Ours was bourbon and chocolate, and made for an interesting americano.
Would definitely go back; just make sure you’re prepared to wait in line!

Delicious lunch. Worth the outdoor lineup for 30 min? NO.
— 4 stars based on the delicious lunch
— expect to spend about $ 20 per head for lunch
— small portions
— Good value for the pricing? Debatable
— service was slower than average
I would return, but definitely not if I had to wait in line outside the restaurant.

Word cannot describe the best breakfast I’ve had in years! Got there about 25 minutes before opening and I was first in line. Once opened and seated, ordered a lavender latte and waffle with rasberry caramel syrup, both were superb! My main was a paella with an egg, chorizo and spicey sauce, words cannot describe how good it was! Yes, this café can be a tad expensive, but well worth it!

I finally made it to try the famous Medina Café for my post-​birthday brunch. Honestly, I think it’s a bit overrated. We arrived at the door 10am sharp and there was this huge list and surprisingly there was a girl a few slots ahead of me with the same name and also for a party of two. Instead of getting us mixed up, they took down my friend’s name instead. We were quoted a 45 – 60 min wait so we head down to Starbucks to chill.
We came back 30 mins after to try our luck and what do you know, we got two seats at the bar. We were handed the menu and I was immediately overwhelmed with the choices. They all somewhat seemed similar but with a bit of a twist. I finally decided upon the Fricassée which consists of 2 Fried Eggs, Braised Short Ribs, Roasted Potatoes, Caramelized Onions, Applewood Smoked Cheddar, Seasonal Greens with Grilled Focaccia. My friend had the Wolves Breakfast (In-​House Cured Peameal Bacon, Double Smoked Medina Bacon, Andouille & Merguez Sausage). I also ordered the Susurluk Soda which seem to peek my interest. It was a Yoghurt drink with Kabosu Citrus Juice, Sencha Syrup, Jasmine Water, Fleur de Sel, and topped with Roasted Green Peppercorns. It was nice to see my drink made in front of me– a virgin cocktail for the morning. It’s hard to describe the drink, but if you like Calpico and club soda, I’d say this is the adult version to it with a twist.
It didn’t take long for our food to come and taking a look back at the door, there were still a long line of hungry diners. We took some pictures and quickly dug in.
The Fricassée, served in a cast iron skillet, was rich from the tomato sauce base and with each bite I discover different elements in the dish. I loved how the melted cheese was hidden underneath the sunny side-​up eggs and arugula. The shaved apple at the top gave the dish a refreshing touch, though it didn’t quite cut through the richness of the sauce. The downside of this dish was the roasted potatoes. It had a weird earthy potato taste to them and I wish they’d served this dish with two pieces of Focaccia since one wasn’t enough to soak up all the sauce.
The Wolves Breakfast was to our surprise a pretty small portion. It represented a Carnivore’s take on the cheeseboard, hence the name Wolves breakfast. My friend enjoyed his meal however he didn’t seem blown away.
I can’t really comment much about the service as there really wasn’t much services needed nor provided. We were just super happy that we didn’t have to wait an hour.

BEST BREAKFAST SPOT, EVER!
Totally worth the wait, had the bloody mary– DELICIOUS!
Had a waffle as an app and basically downed my eggs in a savory skillet.
They get really crowded and its a bit tight between tables. However, the food is fresh and the combinations are delightful. Make sure you check the daily specials, for instance the Mediterranean salad was fantastic!

One of the best brunches I’ve ever had.
/​/​SERVICE /​/​Ridiculously pretentious and a holier than thou attitude from the majority of the people we interacted with here. If not for this, it would have been a 5 star experience for sure.
/​/​WAIT /​/​15 minutes for a party of 3 on a Tuesday morning
/​/​AMBIANCE /​/​Rustic open restaurant with great décor.
/​/​FOOD /​/​
+ Lavender latte: Lavender flavor items make my heart sing and this latte was delicious.
+ Fricassée: The short ribs were so tender, and the rich sauce it was served in was delicious with the focaccia bread accompaniment.
+ Leige waffle: We opted to not get any toppings or dipping sauces to just appreciate the waffle. It is fluffy with the perfect crunch on the exterior. It is a great way to finish off the meal without being too sweet. It is hard not to order one when they are displayed so deliciously when you enter.
*tip: Cute boxes of free matches found at the register!

This review is from a Sunday morning visit to Medina Café.
When you first get here, it is best to put your name down on the list so that you can secure a spot. Weekends are especially popular, more so than on a m-​f so be prepared for a bit of a wait. We put our name down at 9:30 am, and were seated by 10:30 (give or take ten minutes). They do not have a texting waiting service here (or maybe it just wasn’t being used) but regardless, we walked around downtown a bit before making our way back to Medina.
The host is organized and cordial even with all the guests who crowd inside by the door. It is recommended that you wait outside and form a line along the restaurant windows. Surely, while you wait to be seated, you can also browse Unilocal ;) and read the reviews and look at the menu items, or even ask for a menu so that you can be ready to decide what to order.
There is a generous variety here, starting with latte flavours (try the salted caramel! I have had the lavender latte a handful of times but wow salted caramel is YUMMy and was kindly suggested by our awesome server with the cool purple/​grey hair) and in addition to your caffeine section, I noticed a KOMBUCHA section (woah is it picking up in popularity?). There was a variety of food options to choose from, but it was not overwhelming.
We were trying to choose two big items, and I love that our server was kind enough to give gentle suggestions, which totally helps when you are unsure and do not want to miss out on trying something that you will regret not having tried. We ordered an avocado toast (yum and the focaccia was soft and fresh!), a Harissa «Burger» they quoted the word burger on their menu because it is more like a pita and the patty is inside of it, and thirdly Les Boulettes. (Bonus: as a girl who loves to hydrate on H20, this business does a great job of leaving a bottle at your table to pour into your neato pretty gold/​stainless steel? cups).
Lastly, but not leastly (hehe) we ordered a white chocolate rosewater pistachio waffle. I did not regret it at all! For anyone who loves baklava, this waffle is like a decomposed baklava (ingredients wise) on a freshly made, toasty yet gently crisped and soft on the inside waffle, dusted with a good snowing of powdered sugar. As I write this, I feel bad for those with a nut/​gluten/​sugar allergy, but for the rest of us, this flavour is a big win. I want to go back right now to have that flavour. I want Medina to have a portable food truck close to my workplace so I can snack on this deliciousness. Can Medina read this and invent a waffle food truck just for me? PLease ^.^ with a promise of always having all waffle flavours in stock. :D

Absolutely love this place! I was very surprised by the waffles and their syrups. More than the waffles, however, the Fricasse is worth talking and reviewing about. The meat is tender and moist, going well with the two eggs on top. Very flavorful and leaves your tummy happy! Is it worth the hype? It sure is! Is it worth waiting in line for 40 min? You bet. Is it worth visiting when you drove all the way from Seattle? Heck yes.
So, whenever you’re in Vancouver, go check this place out! Will not disappoint at all.

Sweet baby Jesus. We went here at about 11am on a Friday and sure enough, there was a pretty massive line. They took our names down and said come back in about an hour. We did. Once we returned we only waited another 10 minutes before being seated.
Service was excellent. I tried their Fricassee dish. Um, why in the world do we not have this anywhere in LA?! I’m not sure if it’s a Canadian thing but it is f*cking divine. Braised short ribs (so tender), 2 eggs sunny side up, roasted potatoes, caramelized onions, applewood smoked cheddar, topped with little shreds of Granny Smith Apple. Whoever thought up this concoction of foods clearly was a genius. It’s like a party in your mouth and then some. It’s also VERY heavy so don’t do it before a 10+ mile bike ride (like to Stanley Park, for instance). Who does that?! Um, not me (okay it was me and my friend but don’t tell anyone).
I also tried their latte. It tasted really strong and delicious as well. This is definitely a must try restaurant while you’re in Vancouver.

I’m telling you, it’s worth the wait.
The waffles: It really hit the spot. Slight crisp on the outside, warm, moist, and chewy on the inside.
The avocado toast: It was heavenly. Amazing focaccia bread w/​fantastic texture, topped with generously cut fresh avocados and scrumptious tomatoes seasoned with flavorful spices. Wowza. So good.
The Tagine: It was phenomenal. The sauce had so many different layers of flavor and spices; it was a full on experience. The eggs were beautifully poached, the merguez sausage (a lamb and beef spiced w/​cumin, chili, and other spices) was flavorful, and the chickpeas were the perfect combination to this dish. Don’t forget to dip the focaccia bread! Yum!!!
We added two extra slices of focaccia to finish the delicious spicy tomato sauce from the Tagine dish.
We finished our meal with seasonal fruits which were served in a layer of raspberry sauce at the bottom of the bowl.
Great brunch experience. If you enjoy good food prepared with great ingredients, it will be worth the wait.

Cadre super agréable, serveurs sympas, présentation de la nourriture superbe par contre je trouve qu’il y a toujours beaucoup trop d’épices dans tous les plats!!! je né dis pas que c’est piquant mais trop d’épices…
Par exemple, si vous voulez un chocolat chaud de base bah non ça n’existe pas, il est à la lavande… on a l’impression de boire du produit désodorisant pour les toilettes…
Par contre niveau gaufres elles sont excellentes mais vraiment trop chères!!!

Super Muss man gewesen sein. Waffeln extrem gut. Rechtzeitig vor Öffnung da sein. Lohnt sich