A familiar matcha name is quietly slipping into a familiar downtown ramen unit, and the operator behind both already runs the room.
Nana’s Green Tea, the Tokyo born matcha cafe with a Mount Pleasant outpost, is opening a second Vancouver shop in downtown.
A Noms Mag community member (Dinevancity) spotted the signage back in March across from Scotiabank Theatre, at the unit attached to ZUBU Ramen on Hornby Street.
The new Nana’s will take over part of the existing ZUBU Ramen Downtown unit on the Hornby Street side, which has been running as ZUBU’s flagship since January 2023.
The two concepts share the same operator in Vancouver, Seven Leaves Tea, which runs both Nana’s Green Tea Canada and ZUBU Ramen locally.
So this is less a new tenant moving in and more a sibling tucking into the same room.
For anyone unfamiliar with the brand, here is the short version.
Nana’s Green Tea was founded in Tokyo in 2001 by Kazuto Kutami, with a focus on making traditional Japanese matcha culture accessible in a modern cafe format.
Since then, the chain has scaled to over 70 locations across Japan and another 20 around the rest of the world.
The Vancouver outpost was the first Nana’s Green Tea in Canada, originally opening on June 6, 2018 in Kerrisdale before relocating to its current Mount Pleasant address.
What it is best known for is the matcha itself, sourced and powdered in Kyoto, paired with desserts built around it.
The headline items are the matcha parfait and the matcha soft serve, along with matcha roll cakes, matcha tarts, and seasonal pre-order whole cakes like the matcha tiramisu.
The drinks menu spans hot matcha lattes, iced matcha, and a broader Japanese hot and cold tea lineup, with the powdered green tea manufactured in Kyoto using Nana’s own recipe.
The chain also runs a savoury side, with Japanese set meals that round out the cafe into a proper sit down.
For matcha fans living, working, or shopping downtown, this trims a SkyTrain trip down to a walk.
The exact opening date for Nana’s Green Tea Downtown has not been publicly announced yet, but our source has confirmed the opening is soon.
For now, the signage is up and the unit is being prepped on the inside.
Nana’s Green Tea Downtown joins a growing list of upcoming Vancouver food spots, including Ramen Danbo Main, Coco Langara, and Angus T West End.
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: 869 Hornby Street, Vancouver BC