It is been a while that I wanted to write about the Yeti cafe in Downtown Kitchener.
The Yeti cafe is located at 4 Eby Street N Kitchener, right in front of the Kitchener farmers’ market.
I should say up front before diving into more details, the Yeti has the coolest name and logo among the coffee shops in Kitchener-Waterloo (at least among those I know), which I think really suit a cafe business. I also really liked the interior setup of the Yeti.
I particularly liked the plates hanged on the wall each from a country, a Canadian province, or an American state …
However, I am afraid that the name, logo, and interior are the best things about the cafe!
I might have set the bar very high before visiting Yeti, but here it is…
After many times passing by Yeti, on a Saturday morning, we decided to have our morning coffee at the Yeti while visiting the market.
Previously, there was a bakery shop (I think a German one) at this place, which was replaced by Yeti in May 2012.
In that morning, the place was full of freshly baked breakfast buns and breads.
Initially, we wanted to order cappuccinos, but after acquiring about the cappuccino cups and number of espresso shots they use for cappuccino, we opted for double Macchiatos.
We also ordered a cinnamon roll which was freshly baked that morning.
The Macchiato is made of an espresso shot with a bit of frothed milk. However, the definition of the espresso-based drinks could vary drastically from a cafe to another.
Our drinks were served in big cups, which is not really suitable for a Macchiato. The Macchiatos were very light and watery.
It could be our mistake to order double Macchiatos, but drinks were a total disappointment!
The cinnamon roll was fresh and tasty.
I suspect if we had a happier experience with their coffee, we would have had a more positive judgment on the quality of the roll too.
Nevertheless, the Yeti cafe offers some traditional European breads and bakery, which I will go back to try them (especially their pretzels).
I also found very good-looking drinks/smoothies (I am not sure what they are. They could be protein shakes) in their fridge, which I wanna try in my next visit …
The Yeti @Facebook.
bottom line: I wish they could get a better espresso machine and a trained barista to improve the Yeti as a coffee shop!
This is a good thing to put your energy towards. Complaining about a coffee at the yeti.
Really??
I’ve never been disappointed by *any* of the Yeti’s offerings and absolutely love visiting this East Village gem at every opportunity. The Yeti’s welcoming space is actually the old Grainharvest Bakery location… and they honour this history and community by continuing to stock fresh Grainharvest breads, rolls and pretzels. All this is in addition to their own fresh baked creations. Although I’m working on trying them all, I’m quite stuck on their Lemon Bars at present.
WRT their espresso bar, I’ll be honest… I haven’t tried *every* drink on their menu; however, I have tried more than one! I have enjoyed their cappuccino, americano, moccacino and Mexican hot chocolate (in addition to their quality everyday FTO brew). ALSO, I really have no concern whatsoever as to what type of vessel my drink is served in, so long as the flavour, layering and/or and temperature is right. In fact, I couldn’t imagine the Yeti without their eclectic collection of serving dishes, mugs and glassware (including fresh water made available in old-school ‘Pop-Shoppe’ bottles!)
The machine *did* get relaced. I may be wrong, but a photo above appears to picture the old one. Also, it’s difficult to determine from the post as to when the original visit actually took place. I do see leaves on trees, which begs the question of WHY wait several *months* before posting a review about an independent, local business when so many factors can – and do – change in the meantime?
Everyone’s idea of what constitutes the ‘ideal’ cafe experience is obviously different… if not entirely subjective. Not to discount the blogger’s experience… but the old machine was likely the single culprit responsible their less-than-perfect Macchiato. If “Taste of PhD” isn’t willing to acknowledge this and give the Yeti’s espresso another shot (so to speak), I encourage anyone reading this to do so in their stead!
Thanks Iggy for your feedback!
You are right! I have posted the review a couple of months after my visit to Yeti …
and that’s only due to my occasionally, very busy schedule with deadlines and school….
I am very happy to hear from Yeti’s regulars and their positive experience with Yeti’s offerings!
I have judged my Macchiato using exactly same criteria you mentioned in your comments and unfortunately didn’t like it … But, as you mentioned, it is an entirely subjective matter!I
I have also mentioned in my post that it could have been my mistake to oreder double Macchiato …
I am happy to hear that they’ve changed their machine and more than happy to try their espresso-based drinks again and I will revise the review accordingly : )
I will try one of their espresso drinks that you liked (cappuccino, americano, moccacino )
P.S: You might have noticed that there are two authors in this blog, the Yeti review was written by me …
Hey… thanks for your response.
I trust you’ll enjoy your follow-up visit to the Yeti when the day comes. I also highly recommend their sandwiches… my personal fave is the Cowgirl (myself, I’m a bacon lover, but for those not so inclined they have a fantastic homemade vegan alternative available).