Your Guide to Kombucha in Vancouver

With spring already warming into summer in Vancouver, a refreshing drink is always welcome. Particularly when enjoyed on a patio! While a flight of craft beer is always a thirst-quenching option (I’m a fan!), if I want a non-alcoholic beverage with some healthy benefits, kombucha is my go-to. It’s a healthy fizzy drink alternative on tap at many establishments in Vancouver. Have a glass or flight, fill your growler, or grab a bottle to go!

But first, you might be wondering what kombucha is, and why it’s considered healthy. This fizzy delight is a carbonated tea that has been fermented and brewed using bacteria and yeast. With its healthy probiotics and antioxidant properties, kombucha is said to help with immune system function, brain and digestion health, and also provide a natural energy boost.

Essentially, it’s good to sip on after a big meal, or perhaps the morning after a night of enjoying a night out on Granville Street or enjoying a few of the aforementioned beer flights at any of our craft breweries! Here are eight places in Vancouver that have kombucha on tap:

O5 Rare Tea + Kombucha Bar

A unique haven for tea lovers, O5 is located on popular 4th Avenue in Kitsilano, right across from Semperviva Yoga. O5 specializes in rare teas, ethically and passionately sourced from all over the world. With a focus on origin and the five elements of nature, they have a varied (and tasty) selection of fermented offerings, all unfiltered, non-pasteurized, and micro-brewed. A complementary food menu is available and a nice bonus is that they are open until 10pm Monday to Sunday. After class tea flight, anyone?

Address: 2208 W 4th Ave, Vancouver (Kitsilano) | Web: http://www.o5tea.com/

Prado Cafe

Prado Cafe’s popularity has allowed for it to expand from its original Commercial Drive location to three more locations around the city; including one right in the heart of Downtown on West Hastings. I love their healthy eats, my friends really enjoy their coffee of choice to serve, and they have several kinds of locally made kombucha on tap. So really, it’s the perfect place to have a healthy brunch!

Address: Several Locations | Web: https://pradocafe.co

The Quinoa Bowl. A perfect meal that is both healthy and light. Have it with a poached egg! Photo @menofcoffee

A post shared by PRADO CAFE (@pradocafe) on Jan 7, 2018 at 8:05am PST

August Market

Also known for having very reasonably priced healthy foods, August Market is a choice spot for kombucha growler refills. Serving local tea brews, they favourite brands like Vancouver staple, Hoochy ‘Booch, and Raincoast Kombucha, made on BC’s gorgeous Sunshine Coast. (Try the Ferrytale Rose – it’s my favourite!)

Address: 3958 Main St | Web: http://www.augustmarket.ca/onto/

Hey fam! The August Market and Kiki’s are always on the lookout to facilitate community. We’ve been kindly invited by Strathcona’s business improvement association to take part in their campaign to make East Hastings the most walkable Street by 2021. We love initiatives like this so we can tackle things head on to see what works in community building. So join us next week on Friday July 14th when we kick off our part of the event! There will be lots of fresh local berries and a portion of the profits will go to Strathcona’s community centre. We love being part of the Main Street community and we want every neighbourhood to be able to say the same. #theaugustmarket #kikisdelivery #strathcona #sbia #community #neighbourhood #walkable #kombucha #berries #popup #market #vancouverisawesome #dailyhivevan #vancitybuzz #igersvancouver #vancity #vancouver #eastvan #mainst #hastings

A post shared by Gogan Brian John Keith (@theaugustmarket) on Jul 8, 2017 at 1:06pm PDT

Field & Social

With a prime Downtown location, Field & Social is an excellent place to grab a healthy lunch and some fizzy kombucha. They exclusively serve Culture Craft Kombucha (founded by Vancouver chef Dan Larsen) and their philosophy of “eat well, feel good” will keep your energy up as you enjoy exploring the rest of the Downtown core.

Address: 415 Dunsmuir St, Vancouver | Web: https://www.fieldandsocial.com

Oddity Kombucha

A newcomer in 2017 to the trendy and brewery-friendly Olympic Village neighbourhood, Oddity Kombucha has quickly become a hot spot for fermented tea. Their founder and owner is an architect and has crafted her creations with design and creativity in mind. They are currently open Monday to Friday, but can also be found on tap across the street at Faculty Brewing.

Address: 1863 Ontario St, Vancouver | Web: http://www.odditykombucha.com/

Faculty Brewing

Along with their crisp craft beers, Faculty Brewing alway has a flavour or two of its across the street neighbour on tap. Kombucha is a great option to mix it up a flight. It makes a great complement to the beer and is a popular choice.

Address: 1830 Ontario St, Vancouver | Web: https://www.facultybrewing.com/

Indigo Age Cafe

Considered one of Vancouver’s best vegan cafes, Indigo Age Cafe is located in historic Gastown. Offering vegan and gluten-free fare, the kombucha offerings rotate and there’s also the option to have a specialized High Tea. I haven’t been to this spot yet, but it’s on my list!

Address: 436 Richards Street, Vancouver | Web: http://indigoagecafe.com

Grocery Stores

If you’re looking to get some kombucha to go, but not in a growler, you will find bottles of locally and West Coast made kombucha in the cooler section of most of Vancouver’s grocery stores. August Market is one of those, with definite bets also including Choices Markets and Whole Foods