Best cafes in Kelowna that aren’t Starbucks 

I visited four local cafes and ranked them to find the best spots for students to study, sip, and save. 

Here’s the criteria: 

Study Space: How conducive is the environment for studying? 

Seating: Availability and comfort of seating. 

Wi-Fi: Quality and reliability of the Wi-Fi connection. 

Accessibility: Walkability, bus access, and ease of getting there. 

Barista’s Pick: My rating of their recommended drink. 

Personally, I’m a sweet coffee girly (trying to get into Americanos, but this is a tough one to beat).  So take my ratings with a grain of salt 😁 

 

Cafe 1: Analog  

Analog is a modern, earthy-vibed cafe on Sunset Drive in Downtown Kelowna! Honestly, a great Instagram spot. I think it’s a beautiful cafe with a good, standard assortment of drinks and pastries. I will say, seating is a bit limited for workspace, so I hope you find a good spot with all that natural lighting. And thankfully, accessible outlets for the whole ecosystem! 🙌 

From Queensway Exchange, I’d say it’s approximately a 10-minute walk, so I’d recommend taking that time to walk by the water before enjoying a coffee.  

The barista recommended an iced vanilla latte — specifically 12 oz. for the perfect espresso to milk ratio. I will say it is such a classic drink, can you ever go wrong?  

Study Space: 4/5  

Seating: 3/5  

Wi-Fi: ✅ 

Accessibility: 4.5/5  

Barista’s Pick: 5/5 – 12 oz. Iced Vanilla Latte  

 

Cafe 2: Bean Scene – Pandosy  

The Pandosy Bean Scene feels as if you were in a small, quaint tourist town with only one cafe that was also kinda sorta a mini art gallery? It’s so cute and clearly loved by Kelowna locals.  

And I’ll say the price reflects that. The food is quite pricey, but I’d say the drinks are pretty standard cafe pricing. There are a lot of really great seating options with two floors and access to Wi-Fi and outlets. I even took one of my remote finals here one semester. Another great thing to note is that it’s right beside a bus 8 stop — which you can take straight from campus!  

The barista recommended a baby oat mocha — which is just a small mocha with oat milk. Tasted delish (I love chocolate).  

Study Space: 5/5 

Seating: 5/5 

Wi-Fi: ✅ 

Accessibility: 5/5  

Barista’s Pick: 4/5 – Baby Oat Mocha 

 

Cafe 3: Bright Jenny – Laurel Avenue 

I would argue Bright Jenny is a super welcoming and spacious cafe right beside downtown! It’s definitely a bit of a walk from Queensway Exchange (maybe a 15-20 minute walk) but I know there’s a bus 6 stop close by. It’s definitely worth the walk!  

Connected to the cafe is The Bright Lab, a great coworking space where you can enjoy your coffee and get cozy!  

The barista recommended a flat white for students. Again, I’m a sweet coffee girl, but for you, reader, I drank that whole thing as it was. And it will take some getting used to, but I did enjoy how it wasn’t super milky and the coffee taste was really strong (just with a little bit of honey, it would have been perfect). 

Study Space: 5/5 

Seating: 5/5 

Wi-Fi: ✅ 

Accessibility: 4/5  

Barista’s Pick: 3.5/5 – Flat White 

 

Cafe 4: Abbott St. Cafe

Abbott St. Cafe is a really cute and quiet spot near the hospital, and close to the beaches along Abott Street. Just a 5-minute walk from the bus 8 stop. They have a classic cafe menu with different kinds of pastries and sandwiches.  

I honestly really enjoy working here because it’s quiet and a great place to just lock in. But… I would recommend sitting on the second floor if you enjoy people watching. 

The barista recommended an iced shaken espresso that comes with sweetener. Which was wasn’t my cup of tea (or coffee… in this case) – I’m sure if you wanted a flavoured syrup, they could whip that up for you! 

Study Space: 5/5 

Seating: 5/5 

Wi-Fi: ✅ 

Accessibility: 4/5  

Barista’s Pick: 3.5/5 – Iced Shaken Espresso  

 

All in all, I’d say all the cafes visited were a success and I would recommend them all for different reasons. It’s an opportunity to get off-campus for a bit and explore the city as a little break and change of scenery. The local business scene in Kelowna is really great and welcoming, so it’s just nice to chat with the baristas.  

A tip for my low-budget baddies who want a place to study but don’t want to spend a whole lot on specialty coffee is buying drip coffee! Even if it’s not on the menu, the chances are pretty high if you want a drip coffee from a cafe, LOL.  

Thanks for joining me on my journey! Let us know what your favourite local cafes are! 

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mia Mendoza is a transfer student in her third year of the Media Studies program and loves telling stories. She really enjoys personality tests, anything to do with pop culture, and trying new foods! Her favourite thing to do in Kelowna is taking long walks on the beach and buying overpriced coffee  <3