Thailand's Icon Hits West Broadway:

The legendary Thai tea brand — rooted in Bangkok street culture since 1945 — has arrived in Metro Vancouver, and locals are already queueing around the block to taste what the buzz is all about.

By Elke Porter | WBN News Vancouver | February 15, 2026
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If you hopped off the bus on West Broadway this past week, you likely did a double-take. Stretching from the doors of the freshly opened ChaTraMue café at 736 West Broadway and curling well around the block, a line of eager tea lovers signalled that something significant had arrived in the Fairview neighbourhood — and Metro Vancouver's food scene is taking notice.

ChaTraMue — self-described as Thailand's number one tea brand — officially opened its first Western Canada location on February 13, 2026. The brand's Vancouver franchise is led by Earth Setsawat, a UBC graduate who spent years working to bring the storied label to the West Coast. The shop is Canada's second ChaTraMue location, following a Toronto outpost on Spadina Avenue that debuted in August 2025.

Founded in 1945 as a family-run business, ChaTraMue built its reputation on a closely guarded black tea blend, finished with creamy condensed milk and served ice-cold. The menu at the West Broadway shop features the signature Thai iced tea, Thai green milk tea, rose tea, and Thai iced coffee — drinks designed around the bold, tea-forward flavour that has made the brand a staple of Bangkok street corners for over 80 years. Staff guide first-timers through the menu based on their tastes, whether they lean toward coffee, matcha, or milk tea.

The team has also confirmed they are actively scouting a second Metro Vancouver location, though details remain under wraps. With lineups like these barely two days in, they may not be searching for long.

The Essentials

Where: 736 West Broadway (near Willow St.), Vancouver, BC — Fairview neighbourhood
When: Opened February 13, 2026
What: Thai iced tea, green milk tea, rose tea & Thai iced coffee
Who: Operated by Earth Setsawat, UBC graduate; brand founded 1945, Bangkok
Instagram: @chatramue.vancouver

Author Elke Porter at:
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TAGS: #ChaTraMueVancouver #ThaiTeaBC #VancouverFoodScene #WestBroadway #MetroVancouver #NewCafeAlert #Vancouver News #Elke Porter