First look at Metro Vancouver's new cafe offering donuts, cocktails, and croissant everything

In case you missed the news, Nemesis is opening a new location in Surrey with some exclusive offerings like donuts and specialty cocktails inspired by some fan-favourite menu items. So naturally, we had to be some of the first to go in and see what all the hype was about.

Dished had the chance to sneak in ahead of opening to check out the space and also talk to Nemesis owner Jess Reno about how Nemesis got its start, its mindful expansion over the years, and all of the new food and drink offerings exclusive to this new location.

Where it all got started

For Reno, Nemesis comes from a love of coffee inspired by working in a cafe to support his family.

“We never really grew up with money,” said Reno. “My dad wanted to restart his life, so he flew out to Vancouver and asked me if I wanted to join him. He was going to attend Emily Carr as a student in his late 40s.”

From there, Reno and his father moved into a basement suite on Carolina and Broadway. His father would collect bottles to support them, while Reno ended up landing a job that just so happened to do with coffee.

“I got a job at Artigiano on Hornby Street at the gallery from the lady that sublet the apartment to us,” said Reno. “It was a really busy cafe at the time, but I didn’t really want to be in coffee. I didn’t really know about it at the time; I was like 14.”

But after Reno started to get to know some of his coworkers who were enthused by coffee, he, too, got excited about it.

“I started to meet people who are still here at Nemesis to this day,” said Reno, some of whom were present during our visit of the location. “We became really good friends, and we had this idea to launch our own shop.”

“We wanted to play our hip hop records and make coffee, and lo and behold, we came up with Nemesis, but it took years to figure out how to get off the ground. We didn’t have any family support and no money to back us.”

Then, in 2017, Nemesis opened its first location on Valentine’s Day, which Reno said worked really well with the cafe’s upside-down heart logo.

“We opened our doors, and then people started to come to our surprise, and then they never really stopped coming,” said Reno.

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Mindful expansion

Nemesis has grown to open numerous locations in Metro Vancouver, including its location at The Polygon Gallery in 2019 and its immediately recognizable flower-shaped cafe adjacent to Emily Carr University of Arts and Design.

“We’re really trying to be mindful of how we’re expanding,” said Reno. It’s still the same team that it’s always been, and we continue to learn from our mistakes ourselves and grow ourselves as organically as we possibly can. I think the best part about Nemesis is that it’s still operated by the day ones.”

As for what makes Nemesis such a success, Reno said it’s really simple.

“We just really want to feed you the best food we can, source some of the best ingredients we can, give you the best pastry that we possibly can make and coffee as well. And then try to make it all happen within the beautiful space because our customers deserve it.”

Nemesis Pavilion

As for the new location, it definitely continues the tradition of beautiful spaces created by Nemesis. For those who are fans of large windows and a minimalist interior, Nemesis Pavilion is the spot for you.

“It’s kind of got this mid-century modern slant to the structure, which we really love. But there’s a simplicity in its form,” said Reno.

A majority of the space is taken up by light wood tables and bars, and along the far wall, there’s a shelf dedicated to everything that Reno loves, which is partly what makes Nemesis so cool. Records that Reno has been listening to on repeat and staff-favourite books are all on display to add a bit of personality to the cafe.

A huge stainless steel coffee bar occupies the middle of the space. On the side of the coffee bar closest to the entrance, you’ll find a case full of sweet treats and a swanky new espresso machine that coffee fans will be geeking out over: the Strada X, which Reno said is the first of its kind in BC.

“It is like a coffee nerd’s dream,” said Reno. “You have a lot of variable control. If anybody doesn’t know what that means, it means you just get to geek out on your coffee and be able to control all the elements as much as you really want to to help you get the best espresso.”

Marco Ovies/Dished

On the other side of the counter, there’s seating for those who not only want a front seat into the drink creation process but also to enjoy a cocktail, a first-of-its-kind offering for Nemesis.

These cocktails are influenced by many of Nemesis’ offerings. Customers will be able to order drinks inspired by cafe classics like its ube matcha, all the way to a drink inspired by its viral Mortadella Supreme Sandwich.

Speaking of the mortadella sandwich, fans of this handheld that took TikTok by storm will be happy to hear they’ll be able to order it here, alongside other brunch faves like a pork belly eggs Benedict and everything croissant related.

For those looking for something sweet, Nemesis also offers an exclusive treat at this location: donuts, courtesy of its in-house bakery, the Dope Bakehouse.

If you’ve visited its Polygon location in the last few weeks, you may have been able to snag one of these delicious creations they’ve been testing out. During our visit, we got to try the Salted Caramel Brown Butter Cruller, a sweet and salty creation with a crisp exterior and a soft, fluffy inside.

Reno also teased what he called an Iced Capp Cruller, which he said “pays homage to the donuts we all grew up on as a kid.”

Once Nemesis Pavilion is open, these donuts will be exclusive to the location.

Nemesis Pavilion will open its doors on February 21, 2025.

Nemesis Pavilion

Address: 13380 102A Avenue, Surrey

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