Eat Streets: Abbotsford’s old town an epicentre of quirky cafes

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Exploring the restaurants that bring Metro Vancouver neighbourhoods to life.

On any given day, rain or shine, there’s a lineup at Banter Ice Cream.

The variable is just how long that lineup will be. Some days, it’s just a few patrons. Other days, it stretches out the door, down the wooden patio ramp and off into the park beyond.

The downtown Abbotsford establishment, near the awkwardly shaped intersection of South Fraser Way, Essendene Avenue and McCallum Road at 33660 South Fraser Way, serves up some of the best scoops in town, if not the Fraser Valley. So, it’s definitely worth the wait.

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“The longest I’ve waited here was over an hour,” admits area resident Melissa Gallardo, who toured Postmedia News around her neighbourhood to show just what the ever-evolving area has to offer.

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A voice in our Eat Streets article on Langley City, where she works, Gallardo had highlighted how much the one-way area of Langley had changed in recent years. Turns out, she noted, that boom has hit closer to home, too.

A resident of Abbotsford for nearly seven years — after moving first from Vancouver to Langley before settling even further east — Gallardo says the downtown core has seen a significant boost in recent seasons.

“It’s become a lot busier,” she says. “There are a lot more coffee shops, a lot more restaurants and a lot more life than when I first moved out here.”

The evolution is being spurred on by creative crossover concepts like The Knotty Brew Crochet Cafe (33723 Essendene Ave.), which features a wall of yarn and other assorted crocheting tools alongside a menu of drinks and bakery bites, and plush velvet chairs for sitting, as well as the Foxglove Floral Cafe (2724 Montrose Ave. Nos. 101-102).

The new outpost, which opened in March 2024, pairs cafe favourites alongside a petite floral boutique (there’s even a deal where you can buy a small bouquet with a latte for $15).

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“I was doing florals out of my home for weddings, etc., as well as markets and pop-ups. I wanted to open up a flower shop, but I also love coffee and visiting cafes, so I thought it was a perfect combo,” says Andrea Mcallister, owner of the innovative mash-up space.

Located in the new Rail District development, just at the end of the downtown core, Mcallister says the area’s residential boom has given her business a nice boost.

“There are so many new residents to the area, so we are seeing a huge increase in foot traffic as well as familiar faces every day,” says Mcallister. “We have a lot of regulars and so many who walk in and say, ‘Oooh, I didn’t know you guys were here!’”

According to Gallardo, it’s a younger demographic moving into the downtown area that is driving the innovation and exciting new openings nearby.

“I think that is what has really brought in a lot of that change,” she says.

Whereas she used to feel like she had to leave the neighbourhood in order to find a cute place to grab a matcha or iced caramel coffee, there are now a number of options for just such trendy beverages and bites right nearby.

“Having the flexibility of more coffee shops and more social spots has become a bigger thing,” she notes.

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On a sunny Friday, we stopped for a lunch at Revive Boutique Bistro (33757 South Fraser Way), an outpost with a unique concept that (as the name suggests) includes home goods, fashion items, gifts and more — along with a curated food menu.

The eatery was abuzz when we visited, with several tables full of patrons enjoying light bites and beverages.

Opened in 2022, the corner bistro has become a hub of the “growing and lively centre,” according to owner Mallery Madsen.

“I knew I always wanted to own a boutique, but I didn’t want it to be just that. I wanted it to stand out and be special in some other way,” says Madsen of the boutique-restaurant idea. “Combining food, wine and a place to celebrate accomplished that.”

Blending inspiration from Greek, Italian and Mexican cuisines, the Revive Bistro menu features flatbreads, nachos, wraps, charcuterie boards and more.

“Our kitchen team is led by a couple of surprisingly young and ambitious ladies who lead the team to create beautiful and delicious food,” Madsen shares of the back-of-house talent.

A heaping plate of Smokestack Nachos ($19) featuring pulled pork and coleslaw was more than enough for two, yet we also ordered one of Revive’s famous flatbreads. Featuring prosciutto ham, blackberries and walnuts, the bestselling Berry Flatbread ($19) proved to be another generously sized dish that was tangy and salty and all-around delightful.

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“It’s good, right?” Gallardo asked with a smile between bites.

We washed the lunch down with Sparking Juice concoctions ($4), flavoured with fruity additions including mango and blackberry.

But, stuffed as we were from our lunch at Revive, we still found room for a scoop of Banter Ice Cream.

Touring the downtown Abbotsford area, there’s an energy that feels optimistic and fresh. It’s a feeling that Mcallister, who grew up in Abbotsford, hopes will serve to further attract more visitors and residents to the “cute and charming” area.

“It has become such a great community to be a part of,” she says.

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Eat Streets: What to know about this area of downtown Abbotsford

Location: Montrose Avenue between South Fraser Way and George Ferguson Way.

Number of restaurants and food options: More than 19.

What are the options for parking? Parking in the area is free, with maximum duration limited to two hours.

What are Metro Vancouver’s Eat Streets?

This article is part one of a series highlighting Metro Vancouver’s must-visit Eat Streets. With the goal of celebrating — and maybe even introducing you to — stretches of community around the region that have a notable concentration of local food businesses. Know of a great Eat Street in your community? Let us know where. Email us at artslife@vancouversun.com.

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Read about more of Metro Vancouver’s Eat Streets:

• Eat Streets: A United Nations of cuisine on Vancouver’s Victoria Drive
• Eat Streets: Langley City’s one-way a hub of local food
• Eat Streets: Delta and Surrey unite over food on this stretch of Scott Road
• Eat Streets: Comfort food served Hong Kong-style at Richmond’s Empire Centre
• Eat Streets: There’s now a world of flavours on Vancouver’s Commercial Drive
• Eat Streets: North Vancouver’s Lower Lonsdale reinvented as a foodie destination
• Eat Streets: Where hippies used to gather on West 4th Avenue, foodies now flock for the old and the new
• Eat Streets: New Westminster gets fresh life on Columbia Street (and in a SkyTrain station)
• Eat Streets: Vancouver’s Yaletown a place to eat, drink, and ‘to see and be seen’
• Eat Streets: The ever-evolving waterfront food scene on White Rock’s Marine Drive
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• Eat Streets: Kerrisdale transforms from typical British fare to a world of delicious new flavours

Bookmark THIS PAGE to read the latest instalment every Wednesday.

Then and now: Downtown Abbotsford

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