Small Victory Granville
As I clambered into my 2019 Range Rover, I caught a reflection of myself in the mirror. “Damn”, I screamed, “I look so good in my Gucci sunglasses and Channel lipstick… plus my Luis Vuitton bag makes my eyes pop”.
I was definitely going to blend in with the posh ladies of Vancouver.
Turns out, my incognito visit to Small Victory (located in Vancouver’s fancy as hell South Granville district) was a dud – I can’t pull off Transvestite Vancouver Coffee Snob… I just look like a drag queen.
Good news though, Small Victory Granville is not an “abhorrent terror to the eyes” like me, it’s a glitzy and appealing feast for the eyes, with some of the best food in the area and a solid coffee program.
Coffee
Latte – $3.75
Beans – Campos Coffee
It was a surprising moment when I saw that they were serving Campos for their espresso options because I’ve never really liked their offerings. Small Victory has spent time working with them to develop a blend though, which resulted in a much more palatable brew.
The latte was smooth and silky, the espresso ratio was bang on and the presentation is flawless. As you can see from the photo, they serve all the drinks in custom cups from Lindsey Hampton and put them on custom-designed coasters.
For those of you that like their espresso drinks with a bit more punch, the Cortado in the cover shot should meet your desires.
Pour Over – $4.50
Beans – Luna Juice Berry
Small Victory Granville has a very special water filtration system. Regular water is piped into the shop and is immediately demineralized, removing everything in it. Then it’s re-mineralized to the correct alkaline level for the coffee.
Nerd level +100.
The end result is a bright, juicy and VERY tea like version of this already amazing coffee from Luna. Bonus points scored for the awesome Tim Wendelboe tasting cups.
Food
Breakfast Croissant – $6.95
This was a monster of a sandwich and there was no chance in hell I was going to be able to tackle this with just my hands! It had half an avocado in it for Pete’s sake!
Messy, cheesy, bacony and intensely buttery, this was a thoroughly enjoyable experience from start to finish. The only advice I’d give, if you order this, is to get more napkins than you think you need.
Avocado Toast – $7.50
Leave your expectations at the counter if you order this. It’s really odd, but really tasty at the same time. This is a sweet avo-toast, as it’s full of honey!
I have to say, it was an odd sensation to start with, but once you get past the strangeness of the first few bites, it’s actually very enjoyable. It’s a savoury-sweet experience, with nice chewy bread and perfectly ripe Avocados.
Venue
Small Victory Granville is a monster of a coffee shop compared to the rest in the area. It’s huge ceilings give it a nice airy feel, with the white and gold bar adding visual appeal.
The room extends back to incorporate loads of seating, as well as plenty at the bar.
Be warned, however, as I can almost guarantee this is going to become a go-to destination for mothers with Humvee size strollers.
Location
It’s right at the end of the South Granville strip, which means it’s the halfway point for the likely suspects doing Gran-laps with their husbands’ credit cards. There’s lots of buses that stop in the area, as well as plenty of paid and unpaid parking. A Mobi station is close by, but no SkyTrain unfortunately.
Bathrooms
There’s three of them, they’re nice and big, beautiful to look at, but damn it I hate those awful driers that you have to put your hands into to get them to work. I used them, I touched the sides inadvertently and it was wet. Urgh.
Staff
The staff at Small Victory Granville are an absolute delight! The food counter employees know their products really well and made great recommendations, with witty banter infused into the conversation.
The barista team took the customer service to the next level, allowing me to geek out with their incredible lineup of high-end espresso gear, fancy-ass Steampunk tea brewing equipment, their Hipster batch brewer and Seraphim pour over station, with v60 brewing devices!
You can tell they love working there and the enthusiasm is infectious, leading me to bore a poor fellow customer with my incessant nattering about coffee gear.
Conclusion
I’ve been saying for ages that this area could do with a really posh coffee shop and Small Victory have over delivered on that. Their new cafe is beautiful, fun, has great coffee and awesome staff.
I just wish I hadn’t gone commando in my covert attire, as I don’t think I’m welcome back anymore.
The map ID you have entered does not exist. Please enter a map ID that exists.
Did you enjoy this roundup? If you did, I’d be SO stoked if you donated a $1 to my Patron account here: https://www.patreon.com/vancoffeesnob
All money will go to the cost of running this website, plus I’ll give you a bunch more benefits for being a supporter.
Thanks and keep being awesome!