Cafe Van Ness

Horrible. We ordered 2 hot chocolates and instead. We just got some lukewarm water with barely a taste of chocolate.
You had one job. it wasn’t busy. And I wasted money.

Great vibe! True neighborhood coffee shop. Good beans, good coffee, good prices, excellent apple fritter (I was splurging). Small inside and out, so the good news is it cannot get overcrowded or too loud. Good music selection (not too loud). WiFi was having issues (they have backup WiFi plan but it is unreliable). If you’re looking for a place to work, charge your devices ahead of time. There are no outlets (well — not that are not painted over). I’ll go back for the great vibe and java.

Rejoice Coffee lovers, Fresno has yet another place other than Kuppa Joy that does caffe latte perfectly and that’s because the barista at Café Van Ness is from Seattle, coffee capital of USA. If you are a coffee snob like me, you know that a good latte should have latte art, and you would never cover your coffee with the top, because the art needs to be appreciated, if you don’t, you just don’t understand coffee or appreciate a good one, you are better off buying Starbucks.
The latte art is so important because it tells you that the barista took the time to make your drink, and made sure the foam is frothed properly with micro bubbles– this concept is comparable to a chef who takes the time to perfect your meal in comparison to a cook at In and out who’s only making a mediocre meal.
Its the perfectly frothed milk with micro bubble at the right temperature added to a prefect shot of quality brewed coffee that makes an excellent cup of latte. If you had gone to Starbucks or other coffee places and tried their latte without the art, you can taste the difference in taste and smoothness of the drink in comparison to one that has the latte art. The reason the taste is so rich and refine is because the barista knows whats he or she is doing.
The caffe latte is $ 3.25 here, and the taste of the coffee is just perfect, because the coffee beans used for the espresso shot was perfectly roasted giving it a perfumery coffee smell, with the nice smoothness and perfect temperature from the properly frothed milk.
They also offer food offering such as donuts, apple fritters, burritos on sat and Sundays and easy sandwiches. Their drink selection doesn’t stop at just latte, they have ice blended coffee, and other coffee favorite you could find at your local starbucks and coffee stores.
The interior itself is really rustic chic almost like a french and Italian café, perfect for a morning coffee and paper read. Its also a nice place to do work or have a casual meeting. This place is not big, but it isn’t crazy crowded so you will find a place to seat either inside or o the patio. The barista is really knowledgable and knows coffee well, she is from Seattle and she knows how to make a good cup of coffee, and she is friendly too.
Plenty of parking lots here, and they do accept cards for payment.

I loved the environment… I ordered a green tea, which tasted like it had a hint of pomegranate (not sure) but it was simply the best! Nice relaxing place to enjoy a nice day outside or to get away and concentrate. Would not travel far to visit, but if I were in the area I would definitely stop by.

I have been to the Gazebo Gardens before and loved the feel of what they have to offer other than just a garden. I visited their coffee house for the first time and decided to try «the Michigan» because I ironically live on Michigan Ave and LOVE white mocha and Irish cream. It was very sweet but delicious ! I definitely would want to try the other drinks they have to offer. Walking in definitely made me miss my studying days in college sipping on coffee and reading. I would highly recommend coming here.

What a great place! Friendly atmosphere, great coffee, and a nice selection of food and drink. I’m only sorry I didn’t realize this place has been open since the beginning of the year.
I ordered one of their «Street Specials» that is lovingly named after a street here in Fresno. The Harvard Street Special was delicious, and I don’t usually enjoy hazelnut.
Their way of making cold brew coffee is really interesting, too! Try the Cold Brew Nitro.
Only thing that kept me from rating it 5 stars were the prices. At $ 5.25 for a medium, I couldn’t make this a habit, or I’d go broke!

The ambiance is here beautiful and the barista is friendly, but the lunch menu is really lacking. I ordered a Maroa & it looks like something I could have made at home for free ‚(. Next time I’ll stick to just coffee.

Looking at all the über positive reviews I must have come on a really bad day. I ordered a hot chocolate and a cinnamon roll…
While the hot cocoa was hand made by a really nice young lady, it tasted like steamed milk and not much else. And the cinnamon roll was an embarrassment of extreme staleness with zero flavor. They should not sell stale baked goods.
The older lady was just plain cold. kept brushing past me without saying two words.
This place was so much better when Donna Mott and her associates ran the place, I will not be back

My favorite coffee place. Period. I found this place on Unilocal and I am so glad I visited!
It’s been hard for me to find a balance between coffee that isn’t sweet enough (I’m a wimp I can’t handle my coffee black) and coffee that is overly sweetened and loaded with creamer that makes you feel bloated afterwards. I have finally found that balance at Van Ness Café! The coffee here has excellent flavor, yet it is just sweet enough and not heavy at all! I had an iced Princeton (dark chocolate and almond roca) and it was perfect! I’m in love!
All of their lattes are named after colleges (I have no idea why) and mostly include chocolate! My fav! It costs about $ 5 – 6 for a 16 oz.
It’s located in the beautiful gazebo gardens so it’s nice to walk around there once you get your coffee.
P.S to me, this place is slightly better than Kuppa Joy in Clovis. The only disadvantage is that there isn’t a large seating area in Van Ness Café compared to Kuppa Joy.

Love this place! I love their iced chai and I love even more that you can drink it out in the garden. Its a little escape from the mundane city life…

WOW! As a coffee shop aficionado, I thought I’d tried it all. But this place blows them out of the water! Just the location would be enough for five stars – gorgeous views of Gazebo Gardens and Van Ness old homes, brick walls and dark wood make it cozy. But they’re also very friendly with great products.
I was greeted immediately by Ephrim, the owner. I told him my trouble finding it, since I didn’t know it was on the grounds of Gazebo Gardens, and he joked with me about it. He recommended the Simpson, a blood orange and Aztec chocolate coffee, which is DELICIOUS; a hint of tartness, not too sweet. I paired it with the oatmeal-​fudge square, which is ooey-​gooey and delicious. He said they have their own pastry company starting up on Sunnyside Ave. in Clovis. I got the Brown coffee for the road (caramel cinnamon mocha); it was just as good as the first. B)
Update: I was contacted by the company that bakes the DE– LI-​CIOUS bars, cookies, pastries, and brownies, and it is called Butternut Baking Company. You can learn more about them on their Facebook page, at the café, at their booth at the Clovis Farmers’ Market, and at the food truck event at Gazebo Gardens.

Great coffee shop with friendly knowledgable staff. They offer coconut milk, almond milk and other non dairy choices as well.

Locally owned and a cute place to spend a nice morning and stroll the garden after. Surrounded by the lovely neighborhood.

This is a fantastic, locally owned coffee shop with brilliantly mixed cups of coffee that pay homage to the neighborhood. The Simpson is just the right balance of sweet, citrus and spice. The apple fritter was just okay. Fresh muffins came out after we had ordered and gotten our drinks and those looked amazing and were warm enough to steam up the glass dome they were placed under. Next time we’ll try them for sure. it gets five stars for the great coffee, which is obviously their focus.

Great local coffee spot with a sophisticated urban vibe. I have a feeling I’ll be in here almost every day.
Try the «Simpson» if you like things that are great.

Great little coffee spot. Jordan the barista knows his coffee, and was happy to suggest drinks to coffee lovers and kids alike. Our Brown (caramel cinnamon mocha) latte and Simpson (aztec chocolate and blood orange) latte off the Drink Specials menu were both great.
They have regular, soy and almond milk available. No reusable mugs, unfortunately.
Seating for 6 inside, and another 6 outside. It was a nice day while we were there and neighbors stopped to chit chat to each other in the parking lot. Seating was sometimes full, but if you wait a couple minutes a table will open up.
The café is attached to the Gazebo Gardens building, and there is a good-​sized parking lot and plenty of street parking.

Great neighborhood coffee spot.
They use Equator beans out of the Bay Area, a solid choice. It’s a small space with limited seating but that conjures a cozy, warm vibe.
Staff are friendly & knowledgeable.
They’re still working on outside seating & wifi but once those get installed, this’ll be a premier Old Fig/​North Tower/​Donut Heights spot.

Holy smokes!!! I am in love with this tiny little space.
As much as I am going to miss Ooh De Lolli being here… I am soooo glad this little café opened up. It is super cute, super chic great atmosphere.
This café just opened up less than a week ago and of course I had to come and check it out for myself. I ordered a cappuccino and it did not disappoint me, it was rather delicious! They have a good variety of drinks as well as pastries. They also have a variety of teas here if you are not into the whole coffee thing. The staff is very friendly, very helpful, making you feel very welcomed as soon as you walk in. Which is very important for business. So all you others take notes lol.
I love the sitting area inside as well as outside. I must warn you… it is rather tiny but I am looking forward to them expanding more on the outside. This place is going to be a perfect place to come and spend your mornings while reading a book and sipping on a nice warm cup of coffee.
I really like that they are open on Sunday’s. Not too many places open on Sundays leaving me with no other option but to suffer a day without a cup of coffee thus suffering from coffee withdrawals for a day!!!
But seriously, if you’re in the area check this place out.