Pallet Coffee opens in Olympic Village with specialty roasts and heated patio vibes

Pallet Coffee Roasters, a Vancouver-based specialty coffee chain, officially opened its newest location Thursday, July 9 at 2035 Yukon St. in Olympic Village, replacing a former Starbucks at the bustling intersection of Yukon and West 2nd Avenue.

The bright, welcoming café is designed for multiple uses: a quick caffeine stop, an afternoon work session with laptop, or patio vibes. Large windows overlook the constant movement of traffic and pedestrians outside, but the interior feels calm and inviting. A heated covered patio with around 15 seats offers outdoor seating on sunny days.

"It's an amazing neighbourhood. It's a great corner. It's very bright inside," says Deeba Sharifi, head of operations at Pallet Coffee Roasters. "The customers and the residents and the workers and everybody here are very, very nice to us and we're very happy to be serving the neighbourhood."

The opening took about four to five months to prepare. Sharifi noted that residents and workers in the area had been asking about the opening date for months, and the team has been motivated by the enthusiastic response.

Pallet Coffee specializes in locally roasted specialty coffee. The company roasts beans at its roastery in Vancouver and bakes pastries in-house at its commissary. The menu features a wide selection including butter and almond croissants, sandwiches, toast options, sun-dried tomato scones, walnut chocolate cookies, pistachio cranberry cookies, matcha loaf, London Fog loaves, and lemon raspberry loaves.

The Olympic Village location benefits from a mix of residential buildings and nearby offices. "We're hoping for it to be busy because it's a mix of residential and commercial. It's a mix of everything, which is nice," Sharifi says. The nearby Vancouver Police Department precinct is just steps away, and the café is already becoming a familiar spot for first responders as well as office workers and neighbourhood residents.