Yama Cafe

vancouver's specialty coffee scene has gotten genuinely serious over the last decade, with east side neighbourhoods leading a lot of that push. yama cafe, sitting on e hastings in the van east corridor, is part of that story without making a fuss about it. the regulars here are devoted in the way that only happens when a place consistently does right by you, visit after visit. you don't build that kind of loyalty by accident or by half-measures. what yama has going for it is specificity: a distinct identity in a part of the city that rewards people who actually walk the street rather than just pass through it. worth getting there before the mid-morning rush settles in, when e hastings is still waking up.