A Rare Indian Coffee Moment Lands in Vancouver

Kavita, the restaurant that cracked Canada's 100 Best list in its first year of operation, is collaborating with Alai Coffee to host a four-part brunch pop-up series called Kanteen Sundays — and it's a love letter to old Mumbai's café culture that most of Vancouver hasn't experienced.

The inspiration is specific and evocative: Irani cafés (colonial-era establishments that shaped Mumbai's coffee identity), street fruit vendors, Bombay soda culture, and those mornings that make you stay longer than planned. Alai has been quietly building momentum across the city's coffee shops — Their There, Union Market, and Sula Café now carry their specialty Indian coffees — but this is their first major public-facing event.

Here's what makes it worth clearing your Sunday: Alai's coffee menu includes creations like Salted Butter Cream Cold Brew (inspired by Mumbai's iconic bun maska from Irani cafés) and Raspberry Espresso Tonic (a nod to Pallonji's century-old raspberry soda), while Kavita's chef and owner Tushar Tondvalkar is preparing brunch bites like Bun Maska and Masala Eggs on Toast. The vibe is intentional — live DJs on-site, the kind of energy that turns a Sunday brunch into a social event.

Kavita opened late last year and has already become one of the city's most distinctive Indian dining destinations, built around an "amma-kase" menu (a South Asian twist on omakase, honouring Tondvalkar's mother) that blends local B.C. produce with the Indian festival calendar.

Kanteen Sundays runs May 24 and 31, and June 14 and 21, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Kavita, 250 W. 3rd Ave. Free RSVP online. If you've been sleeping on the Indian coffee revival happening in this city, this is where you wake up.