Porter's Bistro Coffee & Tea House ~ Since 1916 at Historic Murray's 5 Corners

Our Daily Special

Daily drink specials Egg Nog Latte and Peppermint Mocha! Yummy.

New Owner!!!

Welcome to the new management of Porter's Bill Buurmeester. Bill has a love for great music so watch for Porter's Listening Lounge nights to be hearing some amazing artists.

Porter's Bistro is more than just a great coffee & tea house, we also have great food for breakfast, coffee breaks, lunch and dinner!

There is fresh baked bread for sale every day.

Please look at our Events page calendar to see what is happening at Porter's!

Need a unique place to celebrate your next event, we can hold a private party for you. Food for your next event at home or work, we cater too.

Porter's has it all including dime store candy, local crafts & artwork, gourment delights & wares from Vista D' Oro, Aunty Penny's, Honeyview Farms, and Gourmet du Village.

Reviews:

Edible Vancouver
Urban Spoon Vancouver -give your reviews to Urban Spoon about your experiences with us

Links to artists, artisans, performers, & local information:

Lucky Shot Photography-Chris Carroll
Keith Galick ~ photographer
Brian Croft ~ Artist - greeting cards available at Porter's for purchase. $4.ea
Zachary Symes ~ photographer
Robert Heinrichs ~ Artist
Dennis Enns Trio
Ingrid Brunkhorst Hurrell ~ photographer
Langley Tourism
Murrayville Hall
Murrayville History
The Princess and the Pea B&B (a.k.a Travellers Inn)
House of De•Lovely
Bob_2006 ~ photographerThe painting used in our header design is a watercolour painting (detail) by Brian Croft.

Links to our suppliers:

Honeyview Farm
Ralph's Market
Coast Mountain Dairy
vista d'oro
Gourmet du Village

Porter's Upcoming Events

Christmas Shopping while you Relax!

All of our Christmas stock is in on the retail side. We would love to welcome our customers to start there Christmas shopping right here at Porters. This year we are carrying everything from picture frames to candles and Purses to coffee cups! Crazy ay!

Please come in an welcome back Julia, Rebecca and Adam back for the Christmas season.

Please look at our calendar below to see what is happening at Porter's!

Saturday Jan 28th 6:30PM
 Dave and Dale now known as Three D's and a B.
We will be serving our regular music night buffet for 16.95. HST extra. ( Roast beef dinner )
We will have a license for the evening.
Reservations can be made thru the Porters phone number.
The evening is already 50% sold out so  reserver quickly!

Visit our Facebook page to answer important questions in the discussion area about what we would like to hear from our customers at Porter's

 

Click on the name to link to their website for more information.

Musical Performances

Garth Johannsen, Dennis Enns Trio, three pound cloud, Jack n' lefty, Dan Beer, Vic Dahl, Dave & Dale, Tim Lindberg, Lee & Rankin, Flying Ritas, Tucker Green,

 

Menus

Breakfast ~ Sandwiches ~ Soups & Salads

~Baked Fresh Desserts & Breads ~

Organic Free Trade Coffee ~ Espresso ~ Teas & Drinks

10% Seniors discount

Special : Sat/Sun only......The Big Breakfast Wrap! $8.95

Proudly serving Grounds For Coffee Cinnamon Buns voted Vancouver's Best!

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New

Home made
Belgian Waffles
With fresh
Strawberry/Blue Berry Sauce
and topped off with
Custard Sauce & Fresh
Whipped Cream
$6.95
Add a side of Bacon $2.50

Served Saturdays & Sundays Only

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Call ahead to place your lunch order and we will be happy to
have it ready for you!

How to find Porter's Bistro Coffee & Tea House

21611 48th Avenue, Langley, BC V3A 3M7

Call: 604.530.5297

email: Porter's Bistro

Located in the Murrayville '5 Corners' Area of Langley BC we are just moments away for locals and a short drive from Hwy 1 for others.

View Larger Map

Historical Porter's General Store

The general Store was first built in 1888 at Murray's Corners; however it did not become Porter's General Store until sometime after that. P.Y. Porter bought the store in 1916 and opened it as his own. The store remained open during the Great Depression. Throughout this time, many customers were unable to pay their bills, and so many people were allowed an open line of credit. Their unpaid bills can still be seen in the McCaskey Files which are still on site. Following the Great Depression, and just prior to the beginning of WWII, the store was rebuilt and downsizing commenced. In 1947, after serving 2 years with the Canadian Armed Forces, Eldy Porter took over the store and continued operations until his sudden passing in 1997.

This building has been in the Porter family for over 90 years, and it still has all the original fixtures, floors, and cabinetry. You may notice some dips in the floor; these were caused by the weight of the counters. Porter's was also a Canada Post Office for 80 years, until its closure in 1998. In January of 2009, Porter's received its Heritage Building Status.

More from the past and the present.

Back during the Dirty Thirties, when bills were harder than ever to pay, Karen Lescisin's grandfather P.Y. Porter carried a lot of people in the Langley area. "We have a billfold with old bills that people couldn't pay," she says. "I don't know why we kept it. I guess we're proud."

There's been a store at this site since 1888. P.Y. Porter started working there at age 14. In 1916, when he was 25, he purchased the place, naming it P.Y. Porter's. "It was a general store," says Lescisin. "It had everything in it from hardware to clothing to dry goods." When her father Eldy Porter returned home after the Second World War his father made him a partner in P.Y. Porter and Son.

Lescisin has always lived in the Murrayville section of Langley. "I probably started working in there when I was 10 years old, somewhere in there."

 Eldon Porter outside of Porter's General Store". Philip Eldon Porter, died on Dec 26 1997. In 1997, Karen, PY's granddaughter, took over the store and renamed it:
Porter's Coffee & Tea House

She took the reins in 1997 and changed the name to Porter's Coffee & Tea House. Along with the morning lattes and homemade muffins, Porter's still sells candies like it did in 1916. "We have them in candy jars." And a 1911 cash register is on the premises. "It's so much a part of my life and everything in the store is original. The countertops are from the 1800s. People say, 'This is so unique.' They love the ambiance. You can make things look old but they don't have the same character."

These days Porter's is up against Starbucks and other coffee chains. "It's just a different way now. People just seem so into name brands."

Lescisin's hoping her own 10-year-old daughter will carry the family tradition when she's done. "She enjoys working down there, she helps me when I'm working there. But it's her choice, what she wants to do. It's just been in my family so long. It's got so much sentimental value.

"People still come in and say, 'If it wasn't for your grandfather, we wouldn't have had food on the table.' He helped them survive."~ canada.com

Sharon Symes & Karen Porter Lescisin~ photo by Ingrid Brunkhorst Hurrell 

In March 2009 Sharon Symes & a partner took over the store after Karen had closed to spend more time with her young family. After getting underway Sharon became the sole owner of Porter's Bistro in October 2009.

In 2011 Bill Buurmeester became the new owner. Bill wants to bring in more music to add that local flavor to the area.

To find out more about the history of Langley visit the links below: Langley Heritage Society
Murrayville History

Photogallery

Video