Jam Cafe

This was recommended on one or two travel blogs I found. And, wow, it was pretty great. The Fat Elvis Waffle was awesome and the Gravy Coops and Fried Chicken and Waffles were also good. I wish I had another opportunity to try some of their Benny's. The Fat Elvis Waffle was my favorite of what we tried. Definitely give this place a try!

Our daughter had a Professional Day, so we were able to go out with my mom for breakfast on a Monday morning. We decided to try out the North Vancouver location of Jam Cafe.

From what I know, other branches of this restaurant tend to be super busy with lineups out the door. Not the case with this one. We walked in and got a table very easily! It's a very spacious restaurant with a fun vibe to it; while there was no lineup to get into the restaurant, it was still quite busy inside.

Featured here:
Lavender Latte
Mocha
The Fat Elvis Waffle
Blueberry Hill Pancakes
The Gravy Coops

The Fat Elvis Waffle is supposed to have peanut butter drizzled on top but our daughter isn't a fan of peanut butter. Instead, the restaurant drizzled condensed milk on top. This was at my request as I had searched the menu to see what other ingredients might possibly be used as a substitute for peanut butter. I was very happy that they were able to grant my request.

My jaw dropped when the Blueberry Hill Pancakes arrived. Blueberry Hill? More like Blueberry Mountain! It was a ginormous stack of pancakes! I managed to get through half the stack. The leftovers lasted us two more breakfasts before they were gone! If you like Blueberry Pancakes I highly recommend the Blueberry Hill Pancakes. These pancakes were not only huge, but they were covered with a very generous portion of blueberries & blueberry sauce. There's a bit of lemon curd on it too, but not quite as much of it as the blueberries. I wouldn't have minded a bit more lemon curd; however, the sparse amount of lemon curd still worked fine for me as it's the blueberries I was more interested in.

Very impressed with this place. We will definitely come back sometime!

Service: Good
Parking: Free parking on the street

Always so busy even on a weekdays! The host and servers were courteous and attentive. The food were beautifully presented, eggs were nicely cooked to the way we like them. The portions were BIG! Hubby had leftover from his Charlie bowl and I brought home some of the leftover from the chicken coop plate. Despite their well presented plates, I feel like the sausage gravy is lack of seasoning. I had been to the South and these definitely lack of something. My biscuit and friend chicken were dry, I feel like it needs a bit more gravy. Our highlight was the delicious apple cinnamon french toast! The apples were nicely caramelized and the brioche french toast were soft, had some crispy parts and the cinnamon were balanced.
The place was busy but not too noisy. Our out of town guests loved the place and enjoyed their brunch! Parking can be a hassle around Lower Lonsdale, so come early!

I always like Jam Cafe as the food is really good and they have boozy coffee and drinks. Great combination!

The best thing about this location is the lack of a line on a weekday. It makes it so much more accessible for me. Many times I want to dine at Jam Cafe in Vancouver but the lines outside even on weekday mornings deterred me. I guess this will be my go to until I see lines all the time.

Service is friendly and ok. Need to flag them down for water top up though.

I finally get to try the Charlie Bowl after hearing so much good things about it. Sadly I was very underwhelmed by it. I think the lack of color, mostly beige after the eggs are gone, played a part. I had no idea what I was eating. The biscuits were a bit dry. Surprisingly it actually tasted better the next day after I microwaved it. Not so dry after that.

The portion was huge and I couldn't finish it. Looking at other diners' dishes, it seemed like everything was a generous portion. Come here very hungry.

I would get my favorite fried chicken with waffles, French toast or Benny in future. That never disappoint. The Fat Elvis also looked so good.

I'll be back again. Street parking is available.

Happened to stumble upon this place in Vancouver, and so lucky we did. There was a line already outside, that moves relatively quickly. Staff is really friendly and service is quick. The food was delicious! I had the fried chicken Benedict. It had some southwest flare with corn and tomatoes. Chicken was juicy and crispy and their potato hash browns were really good, kids absolutely loved them. Husband had the smoked salmon Benedict was that also really good. Eggs were nice and runny, everything was fresh! Kids also had the apple and walnut pancakes which was decadent and fluffy. Tasted so good, like eating an apple pie. Kids dug into them so fast, couldn't get a nice pic. Would definitely come back here again.
The interior is very cute and cozy feeling with a huge moose head over the reclaimed wood (cabinet doors) fireplace

So happy with our recent experience at Jam, despite the little hiccup with my order.

I am Gluten and Dairy free, so I made sure the waiter knew that. I've been here several times before and they've been great. When my food came, I took a small bite of hash and noticed it tasted like butter. My palate is great and as a foodie who has her own blog, I was instantly able to recognize my hash was cooked in butter rather than oil. I called a waiter to double check and she confirmed there was an error in the kitchen and they were going to rectify it for me by cooking another batch of has in oil.

After a few minutes, my GF has brown came and I remember that's how I've always had it whenever I ate here. The Manager came out, apologized and told me my meal was on the house. I politely declined but he insisted so I agreed to have my meal in the house. To have a $22 meal for free did not make me feel good at all but since they insisted, I accepted.

I was very impressed with their corrective action and fully trust this place moving forward. They were genuinely apologetic and did everything they can to make sure I was taken care of. It made me feel valued and as a result, my bus hand happily tipped them 20% for his meal. It is so important to be aware and I am glad I had a great palate and know my allergies and food restrictions.

Love this place; great environment and vibrant atmosphere.

I also love that they gave me an extra serve of hash in place of their toast. Would be nice if they served gluten free toast but they don't. It's OK; has is way yummier than GF toast anyways!

Spacious location in North Van with friendly efficient service. Love the vibes of the space with old fashioned decor.

Candies bacon is delicious albeit pricey at $8 for 2 strips. I got one of the hashbrown bowls that was loaded with meat. It was too rich for me to finish. Hubs enjoyed his dish, especially the accompanying cornbread.

The one in Kits. I went to.
The one on Beatty. I went to.

The one in North Vancouver I would have to say I like best. Here's why.

So, take all the good stuff from the other two locations and remove the bad stuff also from the other two locations....and you end up with the one on the North Shore.

The floor plan with this one allows enough room for each table, so that you don't become part of someone else's conversation next to you. The Feng Shui and energy is open, light, airy and large.....you don't feel cramped.
These two factors are an issue with the other two locations. Especially, the one in Kits is very noisy, so if you're into a more quite beginning of the day....you won't have a problem with that here.

Now the food:
The Green Eggs and Ham. Wonderful. The spinach was freshly cooked, the biscuit was freshly baked and the pesto was just the right amount, and the ham was not too salty. Beautiful. This is to say that I don't even like biscuits, but after this dish I am now a fan. Says a lot.

The Avocado Benny. Well..you know I'm a Benny nut...and it hit the spot. Created with care and attention.

Speaking of attention.....the service was on point. From the front hostess, to our server to anyone that worked there who made eye contact, walked over and checked up on you, to a smile and a thanks for coming.....You guys rocked it

Nothing fell short. Absolutely nothing.

The Jam Cafe originated out of Vancouver Island, Victoria with the first Metro Vancouver location on Beatty St downtown.

That location was so popular (& still is today), such so that it is common to wait up 2hrs to get in!

The second location on 4th Ave in the Kitsilano neighbourhood, aliveated some of the agony of that long torturous wait as the hunger pains got worse, the longer you waited.

JCs portions are massive so come here starving.

I really dig this 3rd location (in Metro Vancouver) a lot here in North Vancouver.

It's easy to get to, on the major high street - Lonsdale Ave, parking is easy & with a quick hop, skip & jump you're at the Shipyards District in a flash.

The decor of JC is rustic & has a 'out in the country' away from the city feel.

Some of my fav hits over the years in no particular order - the Charlie Bowl, Fried Chicken & Waffles, Cherry & Ricotta French Toast & The Flying Buffalo Sandwich.

JCs milkshakes are pretty decent as well.

Watch out for this one on limited release - the Coconut Triple Berry French Toast!

Hot Tip Alert - JC does not take reservations - first come first served! Put your name down with the host & wait till you get called.

Can be challenging in the winter & anytime you're really starving.

Remember, the early bird gets to eat first.

After going Jam Cafe on Beatty Street for a number of years I was excited to try this new location and it didn't disappoint! First thing I noticed was that it had much more seating room and didn't feel nearly as cramped. My folks and I arrived at 8am when they opened and there was no line and by the time we left around 8:50am only 3 more people had sat down.

The food! I can honestly say the quality is just as good as their downtown location! I got the Cinnamon Bun Pancakes, mom got The Old Town Breakfast and dad got the Apple Cinnamon French Toast. The pancakes were fantastic as always. My only gripe is wishing there was icing in the center too rather than just the top!

Mom gave me her aggs which were yummy. Some people may find them slightly underdone but I love how they're cooked. Just remember if you want them a certain way, let them know. Dad is a super picky eater but thankfully he really enjoys the French toast here. I had a few bites and it was fantastic. SO FLUFFLY.

Our waiter was also friendly and attentive. Great atmosphere, great food, and a great experience. We live down in Washington but always try to eat at Jam when we take trips to Vancouver. Still hoping we get one in Seattle one day!