Northern Cafe, Kent Ave
11 people recommend, 1 warns against itvia r/askvan13 comments cited below
What people say, in short
Northern Cafe on Kent Avenue draws recommendations for diner food above a working lumberyard. One visitor highlights hash browns, eggs Benedict and burgers, and another praises its affordable breakfast. Several enjoy the offbeat setting. One diner found it fun but overhyped, while another feels the food has slipped, so the enthusiasm is not uniform.
Address
Northern Cafe, 1640 E Kent Avenue S, Vancouver, BC V5P 2S7, Canada
At a glance
- Best for
- Breakfast, Budget
The evidence
Every point below is paraphrased from a real public comment, ordered by how much the community engaged with it. Caveats and negatives are kept in — follow any link to read the original for yourself.
- Mixedu/Alternative_Salt_424 in r/askvan · Jun 2026taste
Family-run greasy spoon with Chinese-American dishes; fun to try but not worth the hype.
- Recommendsu/Defiets in r/askvan · May 2025
Direct answer naming Great Northern Cafe.
- Recommendsu/OneLargePho in r/askvan · Jun 2026ambience
Describes it as a warm, comforting place.
- Recommendsu/GoBeLikeHD in r/askvan · Sep 2025
Calls it legendary and unchanged, tells people to check it out.
- Recommendsu/edki7277 in r/askvan · Aug 2024
Recommends the Kent Ave location specifically for breakfast and brunch.
- Caveatu/drunken187 in r/askvan · Jun 2026consistency
Warned others off.
- Recommendsu/spectacular_coitus in r/askvan · May 2025ambience
Recommends it.
- Recommendsu/asunyra1 in r/askvan · Oct 2024ambience
Thinks the cafe is worth visiting for its atmosphere by itself.
Show all 13 cited comments
- Recommendsu/Blueliner95 in r/askvan · Jul 2026taste
Rundown diner in a working lumberyard with excellent food.
- Recommendsu/Yvrhunter69 in r/askvan · Apr 2026
Confidently recommends Northern Cafe.
- Recommendsu/CheekyChappy-1 in r/askvan · Dec 2025ambience
Points to it as the spot for diner food above a lumberyard.
- Recommendsu/eternal42 in r/askvan · Oct 2024
Recommends it and says the ground-floor lumber yard shouldn't put you off.
- Recommendsu/shinybees in r/askvan · Aug 2024taste
Loves the hash browns, eggs Benny and house-made burgers.
Also on
Northern Cafe, Kent Ave is on another map too, with what people said about it there.
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Freshness
Details last checked 11 Nov 2026. Recommendations reflect what people said at the time; confirm current details before you go.