Surrey’s corner of Melbourne poured its last coffee on July 31.
Ruex Cafe and Bar, the Australian brunch room at the corner of King George Boulevard and Fraser Highway, announced its closure on Instagram in late July.
“After five incredible years, the time has come to say goodbye. We’ve made the bittersweet decision to close this chapter of Ruex,” the farewell post reads.
This one is a sale, not a collapse.
In the comments, the cafe told followers that a new buyer is taking over and will be changing the space up, but that the community will always be there.
Ruex was the project of owner-operator Jasmine Nijjar, who fell for Melbourne’s brunch culture while living in Australia and set out to bring it home to Surrey.
Even the name is an Australia reference, a nod to the country’s most famous marsupial.
The cafe opened its doors in May 2022, with West Oak and Savio Volpe alum Greg Baja running the kitchen at launch and Melbourne-born bartender Grant Sceney consulting on the drinks.
The menu ran ricotta hotcakes, French toast, shakshuka, udon carbonara, and steak and eggs, backed by specialty coffee, cocktails, and seasonal drinks.
It also carved out a rare niche: a full Australian brunch program in Surrey, with gluten-smart, vegan, and dairy-free options across the menu.
And it refused to keep brunch hours, running Tuesday through Sunday from 9am to 11pm and turning into a lounge and cocktail room after the hotcakes stopped.
The corner it occupied is only getting busier, sitting near the site of the future UBC Surrey campus.
What started as a dream, the post says, became a place of friendships, celebrations, and countless memories.
The comment section under the goodbye post reads like a small wake.
Regulars called the cafe a staple for Surrey, mourned what one commenter called the best coffee in the city, and asked whether this means the end of the Saturday Ruex Run Club.
Several thanked Jasmine and the team by name.
One commenter who had lived in Melbourne wrote that growing up in Surrey, this was home away from home.
The team, for its part, says it is excited about the next chapter and ready for whatever comes next.
What happens to the corner unit now is the new buyer’s story to tell, and so far there is no word on what it becomes.
Ruex joins other recent Metro Vancouver closures including Bruno, Lucy’s Eastside Diner, and Osetra.
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Address: 120-13615 Fraser Highway, Surrey BC