Vancouver’s food scene is known for its love of bubble tea, ramen, matcha, and fluffy donuts, as evidenced by recent openings like Cafe La Foret’s Royal Oak location and H Mart’s Cafe Monet on Robson.
Now, Unni Pastries is joining the fray, announcing the upcoming opening of their first brick & mortar location in Vancouver’s West End.
Unni Pastries, which began as a delivery and pickup-only operation from a commissary kitchen in 2020, specializes in Korean fresh cream donuts and pastries.
The husband-and-wife duo behind Unni, Garrett and Esther Lee, both studied culinary arts at Vancouver Community College. Esther’s parents owned a bakery on Lougheed, where she gained years of experience assisting them.
The new Unni Bakery Cafe will occupy the former SAKU unit (the one they started with) on Robson Street, which has been vacant for years.
When asked why they chose the West End neighbourhood for their first retail location, co-owner Esther told Noms Magazine, “Our dream was to have a store downtown where my husband and I loved to visit when we had spare time for walks. We love the atmosphere and energy. Love seeing new tourists exploring our city, and now we can show off our pastries!”
Garrett and Esther aim to create a casual, friendly experience at their bakery cafe, making it the perfect spot for friends to meet or for individuals to grab a quick bite before work or head to the beach.
The menu will feature Korean specialty pastries, their mega-popular fresh creamed donuts, scones, loaves, cakes, and ready-to-go charcuterie boxes, as well as light breakfast and lunch sandwiches and boxes.
Esther expressed her excitement about the new location, saying, “It’s our dream come true. Our new journey is about to begin. We always had so many ideas but faced limitations. Now we can do everything!! We are so excited.”
If you’re a fan of bakery cafes, keep an eye out for the opening of Unni Pastries in the West End, which is set for May. Get ready to indulge in their delicious offerings and be part of their dream come true!
For more new and upcoming food spots in Metro Vancouver, take a peek at our tracker here and subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
Address: 1773 Robson Street, Vancouver, BC