Cafeography
Vancouver

Specialty coffee in Vancouver

Revolver on Cambie Street, Prototype on East Hastings, roasters along Main and C$7 pour-overs as of 2026.

Photo: Thanh Luu, Pexels License

Vancouver’s specialty bars mostly pour beans roasted in the region. 49th Parallel was founded in 2004 by the brothers Vince and Michael Piccolo, with Michael as head roaster.1 It roasts in Burnaby on four machines of different sizes, and its buyer travels to farms to cup and pick lots, so the coffee menu turns over with each harvest.2

Gastown and Railtown have the most specialty bars, with Mount Pleasant next; the rest are spread from Commercial Drive and Fairview to Yaletown, where Small Victory sits on Marinaside Crescent.

Local tip: For an early specialty coffee, Foglifter Coffee Roasters at 3590 Main Street opens at 06:00 on weekdays and 07:00 at weekends, an hour or more before most bars in the city.

Where these cafés are: Gastown & Railtown (5), Mount Pleasant (3), Fairview & South Granville (2), Yaletown (2), Commercial Drive (2), Riley Park & Kensington-Cedar Cottage (1), Chinatown & Strathcona (1), East Village & Hastings-Sunrise (1), Granville Island (1).

At a glance

18Cafés listed
11With opening hours
06:00Earliest opening
19:00Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: Foglifter Coffee Roasters, from 06:00 (Mon–Fri 06:00–19:00 · Sat–Sun 07:00–19:00).
  • Most common features: indoor seating (28%), outdoor seating (17%), bakery café (11%).

Nothing matches those filters here. See all cafés in Vancouver.

Pallet, Elysian and the smaller roasters

Pallet started in East Vancouver in late 2014 and now runs eight locations across Metro Vancouver, alongside wholesale and barista training.3 Its headquarters, roastery and café share one building on Alexander Street in Railtown, where a 60 kg Joper roaster from Portugal does the roasting and the bar suggests a long black pulled with single-origin espresso.4

Elysian traces itself to a small café its founder opened on 5th Avenue, and it now roasts at 7th and Ontario in Mount Pleasant, next to its café at 2301 Ontario Street.5 Smaller roasters run bars of their own: Doe Coffee Roasters on Clark Drive, Agro Coffee Roasters at 1359 Powell Street and Origins Coffee Roasters on Cartwright Street on Granville Island.

Gastown, Railtown and East Hastings

Timbertrain was founded in 2011 by two lifelong friends, Jeff and Peter, and has cafés in Gastown, Grandview-Woodlands and Port Moody.6 The Gastown bar is at 311 West Cordova Street (weekdays 08:00–16:00, weekends 09:00–17:00), and the Depot is at 551 McLean Drive. East Van Roasters, at 319 Carrall Street, opens Tuesday to Saturday, 10:00–17:00, and Milano Espresso Lounge pours at 36 Powell Street.

A short walk east, Prototype Coffee at 883 East Hastings Street was opened in 2019 by Matt Johnson, who started out at Revolver. It roasts small batches on four Aillio Bullet roasters, offers up to 20 pour-overs, and serves steamed coffee: cold brew steeped 12–18 hours, then steamed and served warm.4 Revolver itself is at 325 Cambie Street, open weekdays 07:30–18:00 and Saturdays from 09:00.

Main Street, from Mount Pleasant to Riley Park

Matchstick opened its flagship café in 2012 under Spencer and Annie Viehweger and added a Riley Park café in late 2016.7 Spencer Viehweger judges growth by whether the coffee, the relationships and the community are getting better, not by size.7 Noct Coffee, at 4807 Main Street in Riley Park, opens at 08:00 on weekdays.

Further north on Main, Foglifter Coffee Roasters at 3590 Main Street is the early start: 06:00 on weekdays, 07:00 at weekends, and open until 19:00 every day. Honest to Pete Roasters, at 2109 Alberta Street, opens 08:30–16:30 daily, and Prototype has a second bar at 222 West 5th Avenue.

What specialty coffee costs in Vancouver

On Pallet’s drink menu as of 2026, an espresso is C$4.10, a long black C$4.40 and a cortado C$5. A flat white or cappuccino costs C$5.50, a latte C$5.90 and a pour-over C$7; drip coffee runs C$3.50–4.00 by size, and oat or almond milk adds C$0.50.8

Most specialty bars here close by 17:00. Dose Espresso Bar at 1517 West Broadway shuts at 14:30 on weekdays and at noon on Saturdays. Revolver on Cambie Street is the later option, open until 18:00 from Monday to Saturday.

Sources

  1. 49th Parallel Coffee Roasters, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  2. Our Story, 49th Parallel Coffee Roasters, accessed October 2026
  3. Our Story, Pallet Coffee Roasters, accessed October 2026
  4. The Sprudge Guide To Coffee Shops In Vancouver, BC, Sprudge (Gregory Walters, January 29, 2024), accessed October 2026
  5. About Elysian, Elysian Coffee Roasters, accessed October 2026
  6. Our Story, Timbertrain Coffee Roasters, accessed October 2026
  7. Matchstick Coffee: Growth & Grace In Vancouver BC, Sprudge (Lori A. May, January 10, 2017), accessed October 2026
  8. Drink Menu (PDF), Pallet Coffee Roasters, accessed October 2026
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By area: Mount Pleasant Chinatown & Strathcona Gastown & Railtown Yaletown Commercial Drive

FAQ

Specialty coffee in Vancouver: questions

Which coffee roasters run specialty coffee bars in Vancouver?

49th Parallel, founded in 2004 by Vince and Michael Piccolo, roasts in Burnaby, and Prototype roasts small batches on East Hastings Street. Pallet began in East Vancouver in late 2014 and runs eight locations across Metro Vancouver. Elysian roasts at 7th and Ontario in Mount Pleasant, Timbertrain dates from 2011, and Matchstick opened its flagship in 2012.

How much does a latte cost at a Vancouver specialty coffee bar?

At Pallet Coffee Roasters, as of 2026, a latte costs C$5.90, a flat white or cappuccino C$5.50, an espresso C$4.10 and a pour-over C$7. Drip coffee is C$3.50–4.00 depending on size, and oat or almond milk adds C$0.50. Most specialty bars in the city close by 17:00.

Where can you try steamed coffee at a Vancouver specialty coffee bar?

Prototype Coffee at 883 East Hastings Street serves it: cold brew steeped 12–18 hours, then steamed and served warm. Matt Johnson, who started out at Revolver, opened Prototype in 2019; it roasts small batches on four Aillio Bullet roasters and offers up to 20 pour-overs.

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