I am constantly driving past this place and I decided to come in because why the heck not right? After reading pretty positive reviews and hearing they have bubble tea, I came in on a Monday. This place is huge and has so so much potential but falls short. Walking in, the wall is lined with shelves and old pickle jars filled with a large variety of teas. Straight ahead is the counter and where the barista makes all the drinks. The place is certainly not dirty but it looks old, aged. It also doubles as a shisha place and there were a couple tables smoking. They had a couple pastries in the fridge but they didn't look fresh. A lot of the menus were tattered and said they had cakes but none were in sight.
I initially came in deciding I'd try the bubble tea but I decided to grab tea instead. I also decided not to take any chances on ordering any sort of pastry as they didn't look appealing and as if they had been sitting there for days. Though my boyfriend ordered bbt and what was nice is that all their bbt is made from fresh fruit, no powder except for taro and coconut I believe. My tea was alright, you can't really go wrong with tea. I noticed she did use tap water to fill up my cup more? My boyfriend didn't have any complaints about the bbt but didn't say it was great.
My experience at Jax was not anything negative though I don't think I will be coming back. The environment was not a place I would enjoy grabbing a coffee to sit back and make conversation with a friend.
While I find both the inside and outside of Jax to be slightly off-putting I cannot deny they make a wonderful latte. I went with a large french vanilla and felt it was a really good size for the $4.95 that I paid. The not to sweet and not to strong taste was exactly how I wish french vanilla's came from Tim Horton's when I order them there. Jax also has a food menu that is quite reasonably priced and offers a good variety. I like that I can get things like nacho's here if im in the mood for something more filling than a sandwich or soup like alot of other coffee places offer. Jax could easily be on the same level as alot of the coffee shops down on Whyte if they would do something about the atmosphere. The inside is very dark and the furniture is in pretty rough shape like for instance the table I sat at while waiting for my latte which was covered in burn marks. I will continue to come in for great take out or for some quiet time to be alone with my thoughts but I can't see myself bringing friends in to hang out and catch up. It just doesn't have that kind of a vibe to it...don't just take my word for it though go and try it for yourself!
I initially came in deciding I'd try the bubble tea but I decided to grab tea instead. I also decided not to take any chances on ordering any sort of pastry as they didn't look appealing and as if they had been sitting there for days. Though my boyfriend ordered bbt and what was nice is that all their bbt is made from fresh fruit, no powder except for taro and coconut I believe. My tea was alright, you can't really go wrong with tea. I noticed she did use tap water to fill up my cup more? My boyfriend didn't have any complaints about the bbt but didn't say it was great.
My experience at Jax was not anything negative though I don't think I will be coming back. The environment was not a place I would enjoy grabbing a coffee to sit back and make conversation with a friend.