Most people assumed the famous Taiwanese mango drink chain was done in Metro Vancouver after three of its locations shut down in March.
But those were all owned by one single franchisee.
Several Noms Mag community members spotted signage for MACU Tea now up on North Road in Burnaby, right beside Pizza Maru.
The shop sits in the Lougheed pocket, the same area where we first got a tip back when the original three MACU Tea locations were in the middle of closing.
Several months later, that tip has its physical proof.
If you missed the saga, here is the short version.
The franchisee who owned the Robson, Burnaby, and Richmond MACU Tea stores shut all three earlier this year and reopened the same units as Alfa Tea, a brand that many regulars have already nicknamed “the MACU dupe” because of the near-identical menu.
That left the Kerrisdale MACU Tea, run by a separate franchisee, as the only MACU standing in BC.
North Road changes that math.
This new shop is run by yet another franchisee, and it brings MACU back to a stretch of Metro Vancouver where it has not had a presence before.
“The North Road location represents a vital chapter in our journey within British Columbia,” the MACU TEA project team said in a statement.
“With signage now visible to the public, we are excited to invite the community to join us this summer for an unparalleled tea experience that celebrates freshness and craftsmanship.”
For anyone outside the bubble tea circle, MACU Tea, was founded in 2008 in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, and has since expanded to over 400 locations worldwide.
The chain markets itself as a leading name in the premium tea industry, built around what it calls “drinking desserts,” which pair traditional tea bases with fresh fruit and artisanal toppings.
In Vancouver, though, the part that actually matters is mango season.
When mangoes are in, MACU Tea consistently draws lines that wrap out the door, with the fresh mango drinks pulling regulars from across the region.
That is the version of MACU that locals are hoping the North Road shop will deliver once it opens.
For now, the storefront is signed up but not yet running, with an opening targeted for this summer and no firm date announced.
MACU Tea North Road joins a growing list of upcoming food spots in the Burnaby area, including Captain’s Boil at Gilmore and Yin Ji Chang Fen.
For more new and upcoming food spots in Metro Vancouver, take a peek at our tracker here, and subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
Address: 3355 North Rd #260, Burnaby, BC V3J 7T9