Nemesis Coffee

Nemesis Coffee is the Vancouver cafe and roasting group founded by Jess Reno. He opened the first Nemesis in Gastown in 2017, at age 23, after years at local coffee institutions Artigiano and 49th Parallel. In 2026 the World's 100 Best Coffee Bars list ranked Nemesis No. 1 in Canada, No. 4 in North America and No. 15 in the world.

Nemesis buys its coffee through direct trade, choosing expressive lots that show off terroir and variety, and it doesn't dark-roast to mask those flavors. Its standout location is on Great Northern Way, in a dramatic red building inspired by Tupac Shakur's poem "The Rose That Grew from Concrete." Glass walls there let guests watch the roasting.

Other locations include 302 West Hastings St., North Vancouver, Coquitlam and Surrey, and the bakery offshoot Dope Bakehouse supplies the pastries. The cafes skip Wi-Fi on purpose to encourage conversation. Nemesis is a must-visit for coffee travelers heading to Canada's West Coast.