Cafe Bon Vivant

Very friendly place. Came here at 8:30pm and still place has a lot of people. Drink is so delicious, got a milk tea and bf got his iced latte. Definitely will come back.

Atmosphere is a little better than some of the places in Richmond, however, for most of my shaved ice and bubble tea experience I like to be as much to the source as possible. Lots of pearls and fruit on the shaved ice compared to other places that I have been to, therefore, I understand that it is $$$ but compared to the fruit ratio vs. other places I can’t complain too much. I advise sharing if you want a sampler.
I do agree that the service was bad. It wasn’t so much the timing of the service as it was the attitude which was a turn off which prevented me from ordering anything more than shaved ice.
I was going to spend more than $ 5 but their attitude combined with their $ 5 aggressive min charge was a bit of a turn off, especially since most people end up spending more than $ 5 anyway by default.
They get an extra star for the shaved ice themselves.

All my family and I wanted was dessert after dinner, so obviously we weren’t going to est too much and just share a shaved ice at $ 10. However, to eat in there had to be a minimum of $ 5 a person, which would mean ordering way more than necessary… dumb rule tbh, especially when your store is empty!
Guess that’s why they closed down.

I don’t know how this place has any decent reviews, the place is overpriced and the service is atrocious. I come here often because of my friends but they never fail to disappoint me with the bad service. Don’t waste your money and especially not your time here. One time, a bubble tea literally took something like 45 mins to an hour for me, the server didn’t even apologize for the long wait or give an explanation. Anyways, this place is a waste of time and money.

I have been there numerous times since it opened a few years ago. Food and beverages are okay. Service is horrible.
I recently went there to get bubble tea, and the café was empty. I sat down to eat some food that I had bought at another restaurant and was asked to leave. I could understand if I hadn’t bought anything, and if the café was busy. But that wasn’t the case.
It was the last straw. I will not be returning there. I’ll be going upstairs to get my food and bubble tea.

The bubbletea is decent. The atmosphere is decent. The service is atrocious.
One of the first times I went was to study late at night. My friends and I each got a bubble tea and gathered at one of the larger tables that were meant for 6 people. We were studying when the owner came up to us and said that because we only had 4 people, we should move to a smaller table in case a party of 6 came in. Seeing that we had all of our materials strayed about, we packed up and moved to a smaller table where we were cramped. Throughout the rest of the night, we stayed at that cramped table and there were no other customers that sat at any of the larger tables. I’d understand if a large party was coming in and asking us to move, but the store was empty so why did we have to move?
Forgetting this bad experience, I went in recently to grab some bubbletea because its better than Sammi’s in the mall. I came in a group of 4 but only two of us were grabbing bubble tea. Usually, we would’ve left if we saw lots of people in a busy café but since there were few people. we thought we could stay. Two of our friends went up to the counter to grab something, but the owner of the store told us we couldn’t sit down unless all 4 of us grabbed something. WTF? We told him that the rest of us didn’t have money but he told us that we could just leave the store then. And leave the store we did. We all drove to Pearl Fever and they welcomed us with better bubble tea and service. Sure, we could’ve saved the drive but we couldn’t support such a rude owner.
BEWARE.

Went to try this place for the first time tonight and the experience was horrible. When we first got in around 8pm we thought it was a cute little café and expected nothing more than to have a little dessert. Went to place our order and it went downhill from there.
First we ordered cheesecake, they said they had absolutely no cheesecake of any flavour the rest of the day. They were open till midnight… First disappointment, but fine. We looked at the menu again.
Tried to order again and asked for a tiramisu and hazelnut fudge sundae. They then say: we have no fudge or tiramisu. So what exactly on your menu do you actually carry???
We then asked… So what do you actually have? Ended up ordering a simple strawberry banana sundae and a crème brule they suggested that wasn’t even on the menu.
Went to sat down, already extremely upset. 30 minutes later we still had NO FOOD. 30 minutes for a sundae???
FINALLY the food arrives. The strawberry banana sundae turned out to be one single sour strawberry on 2 scoops of ice cream. Vanilla and chocolate. Not even one little slice of banana existed!!! Cost over $ 7!!!
Crème brule was so shallow and small you have to look down the cup to see it…
DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY AND TIME HERE.

Came on a Friday night and they were short on staff. Was told that we had to wait 25mins just for shaved ice. Also all cakes were sold out so had to order a simple banana split. The ice crème they used for the banana split was very good. It wasn’t a cheap DQ type ice crème as it tasted very rich and smooth. We also ordered the Volcano drink and that was very well made as well. Overall the quality of food and drinks were very good. The service is something that needs to be improved.

Really nice interior and very spacious. Good place to hang out and chill but coffee, and drinks are subpar and quite overpriced — comparable to Starbucks prices but not worth the value. Also service is very slow.
The only thing I would suggest is the shaved ice here. It’s actually really big and can be shared with a lot of people. They also sell sandwiches, soups, and other desserts but haven’t tried them yet.

love their cheesecake, love their rice, love their bubble tea

First, I was thinking to give them 4 stars because of the waiting time, but the staff has the sweetest smile and came to let me know 2 times that my order is coming, so I need to give them 5 starts!
The New York cheesecake is just perfectly right! I like without any sauce on, that could taste the real sweetness of the cheesecake, and I love it!!!
Milano coffee, actually it’s really my first time try this coffee, and I really like it! It has the balance. And the staff made the perfect cappuccino for me! Actually he was a pro to make coffee I believe, listen to the patience that he had to make the shot of the espresso… good personality, good quality skill!
Only one thing that I was sad. I had no luck to try their waffle because they already sold out. Gotta try it!
I’m looking forward to coming again! Good food! Good service!!! It just the way should be! A za! A za!!!

great food and service. Had waffles with strawberry Nutella and banana along with a traditional ham, bacon and egg breakfast + latte.
Was just what we were looking for. Hope they stick around for many years !
Next up bbt!

The food really enjoyable! I liked the Belgium Waffles. It was very tasteful with a lot of fresh fruits. None of them were bruised, or not fresh. The only down side I would say is wait time. It takes a while for them to prepare, but they have magazines and such a comforting setting to accommodate you in your wait.

I love this café, tucked away in the very corner of Henderson Market.
Many of their items are made fresh in house, including what I suspect to be one of, if not the best cheesecake in the tricities. They’ve seemingly got a loyal customer base within the community, and I find it interesting that they aren’t open very early. This seems to be because, despite the fact that they’re called a «Café», coffee is put on the back burner in favour of bubble tea and sandwiches, but their coffee drinks– when made– are well made.

I have come here several times in the past year. I think it’s about time I write them a review, since I have recommended this place to a few local friends already.
This is one of the few bubble tea cafes in the lower mainland that still serves Fresh Taro (not made from powder) bubble tea. And they make it right. Love the chunks of taro and the softness and sweetness are just right.
The café is spacious and the ambiance is relaxing. They are serious about the food and drinks they serve. I am not a big coffee drinker so I have not tried their coffees, but it seems they are quite proud of them. I have tried their sandwiches, their soups, their bubble teas, their teas… I have even tried their omelette and their ramen noodles. It’s just instant noodles, but the toppings you can choose to add makes it a more nutritious meal. Everything so far has been very well done.
The only thing I still haven’t had a chance to try is their desserts and pastries. They have a lot of pictures outside, but for some reason I don’t really see a lot of desserts in their display case. I’ll have to go specifically for desserts next time to see if they’re good too.
There is a flower shop adjacent to the café, which I think is operated by the wife. Having fresh flowers adorn each table is a nice touch you won’t see at other BBT places.

Incredible little eatery, with exceptional service and delicious foods. Their sandwiches are reminiscent of something familiar and homemade, but still have amazing flavor and restaurant quality ingredients. The bubble Tea is yummy and carefully made. Every worker is friendly and works efficiently. The best part of coming here, though, is the atmosphere. Bön vivant is what I imagine restaurants to be like in heaven. :)

not bad place to drink bbt (bubble tea) also its very close to the bus stop.
even she made a wrong tea base i’ll go there next time ;D

Staff very friendly, love their hours, very bright and clean café. Love their variety of food and beverages! Their Cheesecakes are a must try and so are their bubble tea. Since I have found Bön Vivant, I NO longer go to Big Orange to get bubble-​tea. Bön Vivant is THE go to place!