The Gray Olive Cafeteria

Among the cafes of Burnaby, The Gray Olive Cafeteria keeps the steady presence regulars come to count on. It is a fixture more than a destination, and the regulars tend to prefer it that way. The appeal is not complicated: a drink made with some care, somewhere you can stand still for a few minutes. It is one stop in the broader coffee culture of Canada, the kind that reveals itself one neighborhood at a time.

It works as a neighborhood anchor as much as a coffee stop, somewhere to read, meet, or simply pause. What it lacks in polish it tends to make up for in character, which is what keeps regulars coming back. It is the kind of place where you can sit a while, and nobody rushes you toward the door.

The Gray Olive Cafeteria is rooted in Burnaby, Canada, drawing the steady mix of locals and visitors any good coffee stop attracts. The surrounding blocks give it the steady foot traffic that keeps a coffee counter honest. It is the sort of place worth a small detour and an easy one to return to. Part of what a place like this offers is simply somewhere to be for a few minutes, cup in hand.