Another international chain is doubling down on Downtown Vancouver.
A Noms Mag community member (tasteofvancouver) spotted coming soon signs for Chaiiwala along Granville Street in Downtown Vancouver, right beside the existing KFC.
This would mark the second Chaiiwala location currently in progress in the downtown core.
If you have been following the brand’s run into the city, Chaiiwala already has signs up for its first downtown location at the Landmark on Robson development.
The new Granville Street spot quietly adds a second Downtown Vancouver outpost to the pipeline before the Robson one has even opened.
For anyone unfamiliar with the chain, Chaiiwala is a UK-born concept that calls itself the “King of Karak.”
The brand traces its roots back to 1927 in New Delhi, where the founders’ ancestors ran a tea stall built around a secret Karak Chaii recipe.
The family modernized the concept in 2016 and turned it into one of the fastest growing independent beverage chains in the world.
Across Canada, Chaiiwala operates 20 locations, with seven already open in BC.
That includes three in Surrey, plus stores in Burnaby, New Westminster, Langley, and Abbotsford.
The Granville Street and Robson openings will be the brand’s first inside the City of Vancouver proper, and they bring downtown two new outposts of one of the fastest growing independent beverage chains in the world.
The menu leans into spiced South Asian comfort food alongside their signature drinks.
You will find Karak Chaii, Karak Coffee, and English Chaii on the beverage side, plus an “English-ish Breakfast,” Sweet Bombay Toast, butter chicken rolls, masala chips, and chilli paneer on the food menu.
The Karak Chaii is the brand’s main pull and the drink that anchors the whole “King of Karak” identity, brewed from the secret family recipe that goes all the way back to that original 1927 New Delhi tea stall.
For dessert, the lineup runs through gulab jamun, gajar halwa, and a few other classic South Asian sweets.
The Granville Street location pairs well with the area’s existing late-night drink and snack pull, especially for the office tower and student crowd cutting through downtown after work or class.
There is no confirmed opening date for the Granville Street location yet, and the coming soon signs are the first public signal that the unit is being built out.
We will keep an eye on the build-out and update once a soft opening window is announced.
Chaiiwala Granville now joins a growing list of upcoming food spots in Vancouver, including OIDE LABO, No Ne Kitchen & Bar, and Chayan Robson.
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: 952 Granville St, Vancouver, BC