I don’t drink coffee (except for the occasional sip from my brother’s Vietnamese iced coffee), but I am a little obsessed with coffee shops. I am so thankful to be back in Vancouver, a city by no means lacking in adorable cafes. My two current favourites are Café Joie and Basho Café.

Café Joie, which I wrote about here, is a small café located in Burnaby, on the corner of two relatively quiet side streets near super busy Metrotown. Their vanilla mochi buns are heaven, as is the feather light sweet potato cake. And their sandwiches are simple and good, the way they should be.

Basho Café on Hastings Street in East Vancouver is equally adorable, a mix of dark and light wood finishes, an open kitchen and a counter displaying Japanese-inspired pastries: mochi brownies (my favourite), kabocha muffins, matcha mochi cakes, sesame brownies (some of the best brownies I’ve had), and an array of matcha and black sesame shortbread cookies. They do a great tuna tataki rice bowl and chai latte. And my brother loves their cappuccinos.

Café Joie
110-6125 Sussex Street
Burnaby BC

Basho Café
2007 East Hastings Street
Vancouver BC