GREENHORN CAFE
Café Society on Nicola

West Enders love their cafes. Every one of us is only a few steps, or a couple of blocks at the most, from our favorite place to meet up with friends and neighbors and friendly neighbours. Global chains or local family-operated, every West End coffee shop has its own faithful patrons, and the same groups of habitués can be found at the same time each day. Cafe society is what it used to be called.

Greenhorn’s senior barista Koko Oyachi, at the record album kiosk on the second floor.

Ganga Jolicoeur and her husband Walter Le Daca, both busy with careers outside the hospitality industry, had long wanted to open a coffee shop that evoked the rich cafe culture of their native Argentina. Ten years ago, following a four-month road trip to Mexico and back, they were driving through the West End and spotted the storefront that would, in January of 2013, become Greenhorn Cafe.

“We loved the idea that it wasn’t on a main street, but was embedded in the neighbourhood,” Ganga tells us. “We named it Greenhorn because we knew the story of the original West End Three Greenhorns and we wanted to honour that history and create something the neighbourhood would find both welcoming and meaningful. We were surprised, and of course delighted, at how quickly it became “that place” and we built a family of regulars.”

The word “cafe” may be understating the breadth of the Greenhorn menu. Those regulars will tell you that the range of Eggs Benedict options alone will keep you coming back, never mind the avocado toast or the waffles with eight choices of toppings (all eight, if you really want them!). After 10 a.m. things get brunchier with the addition of smoked trout, vegan kofta, and steak and eggs dishes.

And of course the dozen or more coffee choices available.

With the onset of COVID-19, Ganga and Walter, like many other small businessfolk, had to get creative to stay afloat and did so by adding a deli section on the second floor of the venue. “We had the deli idea from the beginning,” Ganga says, “and seemed like a good way to offer something different and give people more reasons to drop by than coffee or breakfast.”

The deli has done well, with a wide range of dairy products, deli meats, fish, and vegan substitutes.

Unexpectedly, there is also a wall displaying a collection of reissued music albums for sale. “We have classics from rock, jazz, hip-hop and other genres” Walter explained. “It adds to the feeling that we aren’t a regular coffee shop and have something special to offer.” Somehow it all fits with the overall eclectic atmosphere.

With Ganga and Walter busy with other enterprises (Ganga in creative management and Walter in photo and video work) the public face of Greenhorn for the past five years is often senior barista Koko Oyachi. A native of Japan who has lived in Vancouver for seven years and during the two years before signing up with Greenhorn trained as a pastry chef at a local Japanese cafe. “I just love working here,” she enthuses. “The owners and the staff and the customers are like one big family! I hope I’m here until I have to retire!”

Greenhorn Cafe has made its place in the heart of the West End, in every way, and Koko may well get her wish.

Greenhorn Cafe
994 Nicola
604.428.2912