After many years in the restaurant industry, Geno’s Espresso owners Genaro Zurita Amaro and Jesus Amaro wanted to open a restaurant in downtown Vancouver. They opened their restaurant, Amaro’s Table, at 1220 Main St. (formerly the space for Charlie’s Bodega). Based on the success of that business, and their good relationship with their landlord, Gary Ehrig, they decided to open Geno’s Espresso in the lobby of the attached building. The coffee shop opened on July 2 of this year.
Geno’s Espresso (a shortening of the owner’s name, Genaro) offers a variety of espresso drinks, cold beverages and pastries, as well as soups, sandwiches and salads prepared at Amaro’s Table. The coffee shop can be entered through the lobby of 1220 Main St. or by a gate on Main Street that connects to the outdoor space between Amaro’s Table and Geno’s Espresso. It will also be accessible through the lobby of a building currently under construction at 12th and Washington streets.
The logo and the decor have the continental sophistication that makes it clear that this is a business run by the same people who opened Amaro’s Table. Geno’s has limited seating — four stools with a marble counter and two tables with two chairs and one table with four chairs.
Barista Dominique Morris recommended I try a mocha with the house-made raspberry-hibiscus syrup. I’m not normally a mocha fan, but this drink was exceptional — high-quality chocolate combined with the subtly sweet syrup made me rethink my reservations about mochas. It also made me want to try more of the house-made syrups (turmeric and ginger and lavender-mint were available, honey and cardamom had sold out). Morris recommended a dirty chai (chai with a shot of espresso) with the house-made turmeric ginger syrup. I love chai and this was one of the best I’ve had. The turmeric and ginger syrup complemented the spices in the chai — swirling around my mouth in a tingly chai-nado of flavor. Morris also recommended a white mocha with the house-made lavender-mint syrup. But my caffeine intake was already at its max for the morning.
