A no messing around guide to the coolest things to eat, drink and do in Vancouver and beyond. Community. Not clickbait.

New Chocolate Cafe Is Cream Puff Heaven

A month ago Scout broke the good news that the “magic-makers at Beta5 Chocolates are on the cusp of a big-little move, expanding operations into the space right next door.” The expansion is nearly complete, and we just took a look inside…

Beta5 founders Adam Chandler and Jessica Rosinski showed me around the almost finished space at 413 Industrial Avenue (just east of Main Street) yesterday afternoon. It looks (and smells) like I imagined it would with 16 pastel pink and mint-coloured seats under an Omer Arbel light installation backdropped by an even more colourful mural. Under glass at the long counter are a bright selection of chocolates all perfectly lined up and neighbouring a formation of cream puffs that is truly the stuff dreams are made of. This is the first time Beta5 customers will be able to see such diversity of product – including chocolate bars and other treats – on display. (What they can’t see are the freezers full of Beta5’s signature ice cream sandwiches!) There’s good coffee too, with 49th Parallel supplying both the beans and the barista training.

Opening day is scheduled for this Saturday. Take a look inside…


    BETA5 Chocolates (Expansion)
    Neighbourhood: East Vancouver
    409 Industrial Ave.

    From Birdhouse to Pony Room: A New Queer Event Space Takes Shape in Chinatown

    With pink tile, thrifted chandeliers, peacock glassware, and an enthusiastic obsession for cabaret, Pony Room is bringing a distinctly playful new hospitality project to Chinatown this summer.

    Maria Celeste Brings Portuguese Tasca Cooking to Fraser Street

    Portuguese food has a real foothold in Toronto and Montréal. Vancouver's been slower to catch up. The Isidro brothers are here to change that.

    Amber: A Gastown Listening Lounge Built Around Sound

    Listening bars are having a moment. Amber opens this May with vinyl programming, a room designed to manage sound, and food that sits between bistro and steakhouse formats.

    Get Ready For Supernova: A New Cocktail Bar Headed for Chinatown

    Two bartenders join forces with a chef to open their first cocktail bar in Chinatown. At Bar Supernova, everything starts at the end - ingredients most kitchens would throw away, turned into something entirely new.