Cha Island Tea

I went there for breakfast. The hours posted on the door for Sundays said Noon. No one showed up. had to go somewhere else. This was not professional. won’t be back

This place used to be The Hemp Café. If I were a betting person, I would say that as soon as weed is legalized, it will return to that concept. We’ll see.
They have a stellar beer selection. Happy hour is from 4:20pm-8:00pm.
Outdoor patio is enjoyable. On October 14^th, we were still out on it. A fun, colourful vibe.
The food is remarkably good. Very homey, but fresh, interesting with well sourced ingredients. Borscht was on the menu last night.
The Sports channel was on the T.V., but often you will get to see old movies and some not so old.
There is a small stage for local acts.
It’s a chill place where you can relax.

Mai Tai’s taste just like they do in Honolulu. Love this place — so chill. Great music, tasty food. I’ll always come back for the fantastic lose leaf tea and those incredible Mai Tais

I had gotten a coupon for a free tea or $ 3 off a beer when I attended a Unilocal event. I was walking around Whyte Ave and remembered that Cha Island was super close by and I wanted a cold beverage for the walk home. My husband and I had never been, a though we have driven by a few times.
Boy oh boy!!! What a fun looking place! We toured around the inside a bit, grazing the menu when my husband exclaims «they have waffles». Truth be told, I love waffles!!! I checked out more of the menu while my husband went upstairs. He called down and told me there’s board games up there! Sweet!!! How fun!!!
Anyways, I ordered the iced tea they had for that day which was black currant and lemon grass. Oh it’s so good. It’s not sweet, which makes it super refreshing on a hot day. The blend of the tea and flavor was delicious and didn’t leave a bad after taste. I definitely want to check out Cha Island a little bit more because the atmosphere feels like it needs to be checked out. Electric! Once I do that I’ll write another review!

Banana Blue Berry Waffles, Steam Whistle, littoral ambiance, fine musical interlude (Shauna Specht & the Sandinistas), friends and family — does not get any better

This place is super cool since the moment you walk in. Also, their food is fantastic. I’ve ordered several sandwiches and loved all of them. My favorite is called ‘El Panino’ it’s soooo good. They also have $ 5 waffles on mondays and they’re great. I would suggest trying one of their iced teas as well. Every time I go, they seem to have a new flavor (pretty tasty). This place also has tables upstairs and you can grab a board game and play with some friends.
Highly recommend.

Stopped in with a friend to drop something off when the waffle menu compelled me to stay. I had heard they had the best waffles in town. I had narrowed it down to three different ones. In the end I opted for the «Salty Dog». The smell of it cooking and my mouth watering. When it arrived it surprised me. I wasn’t expecting a chocolate waffle, but that just made it even better. The waffle was very filling so it’s good I had someone to share it with. The chocolate waffle had butterscotch chips in it, then the waffle was topped with chocolate sauce, sea salt, and pretzels. And of course no waffle is complete with out some real whip cream. Now the only thing to do is decide what to try next time.

This is a great little place to hang out, have a coffee with a friend, study or just grab a tea. The teas are delicious and healthy served hot or cold. The atmosphere is fun and inviting. definitely a great place to go to brighten up your life!

Seriously random. A palm tree made out of carpet, waffles on the menu, ultra huge beer selection, live gypsy music and the game of Life. Loved every minute of it. You’ll just have to check it out for your self, you really never know what your gonna get…

Came here last Sunday afternoon. After coming here once a few months ago, I insisted on bringing my friend in for a smoothie :) I think this won one of the Golden Fork awards for best atmosphere, and it’s easy to understand why! There’s a patio, a cozy second level with high tables (and an assortment of board games), and a stage in the corner. The whole interior is decorated artificial trees and parrots, making it feel like you just stepped into a neighbourhood café in Key West!
As for the smoothies… I had the mango-​peach-​ginger with coconut milk, he had the strawberry-​banana with coconut milk. Mine was so good, I tried to duplicate it at home the very next day!
Still haven’t tried their waffle dishes, but after seeing a few of them served to other guests, I can say that they all look delicious and beautifully presented.
I’ll be back the first chance I get.

The first time I went to Cha Island, I didn’t understand all of the hype. I was dragged by a close friend who LOVES the place, and was quite hesitant to go. I remember ordering an iced tea, and thinking that it was mediocre.
I have been quite a few times since then, and now I really do understand the great things that everybody says. The guys that work there and own the place are really friendly, and are great when it comes to questions that you may have. The tea there is to die for, and the selection is huge!
I ask for suggestions when it comes to food and drink, or I just say «Surprise me!» and I am pretty much always pleased with the result. Staff know their stuff, and they’re always really friendly.
Relaxed atmosphere, and great for hanging out with friends or just sitting by yourself and reading and enjoying a tea. They have crib boards and decks of cards everywhere, and coming to Cha Island always has something to offer whether it’s live music, waffles, good food, or delicious tea.

Walked into here today hoping to get some good iced tea. When we walked in, there was only one person working behind the counter. Now granted he was probably the only staff member there, but my wife and I stood there for a good five minutes without even acknowledging us. He even walked passed me without smiling or making eye contact. I did not want to give this guy our money so we left.
A place that ignores customers doesn’t deserve our business.

I have to say, I have driven by this place a million times but never stopped in. Thank goodness I did, this place is the literal definition of Awesome Sauce! It is zany, crazy, funny cool. It is like nothing else in Edmonton (which makes it oh so Unilocaly!) and, the tea is fabulous. The place looks and feels like you just stepped into the lost set of Tom Cruise’s movie Cocktail. It is faux beach chic in the middle of the most Northern metropolis in the world — irony, these boys get it!
There is a wall of loose leaf teas, super comfy seating, all the beers they carry are displayed by stapling said beer’s coaster to a cork board. The very nice guy that owns the place is so friendly and really seems to care about tea and the product he is serving — he also looks like he probably knows where to score weed… Just Kidding, kinda ;0
Well that’s about it, oh wait, I forgot the best part. THEY HAVE A WAFFLE MENU!!! My cousin! Stephanie just about died with excitement (we are a family that looooves our waffles!) Cha Island, I can not wait to return. And you better have lots of maple syrup in stock because I am bringing the family!

close to whyte ave but you still do not get the whyte ave atmosphere and easy to get to and find, looking over the menu and I liked what i saw. First time i went was for a Edmonton-​based travel blogger meet up and am going back later this week for a Couchsurfing monthly meet up.
chai isand iced tea with a waffle and the tropical décor, turns on the heat. The waffle was yummy delicious. Don’t go before 1pm or you will find yourself waiting outside until they open.

So I just got back from Cha Island Tea. I planned a little travel blogging meetup here (turns out there are a couple Edmonton-​based travel bloggers, who knew?) and I thought Cha Island who be a good spot. I actually had never been there, but I looked over the menu and I liked what I saw, and it’s close enough to Whyte to be easy to find for out of towners, but not too close.
So we got there at 1pm, and there were a few people (not with us) outside waiting. There was a sign on the door saying that if no one was there that they had gone out to get supplies and would be back soon. 5 minutes later this man comes up the stairs to let us in. He let’s us know that it’ll take about 10 minutes for the hot water to be ready for tea.
It was cold outside so my original plan was for a hot tea, but once I got inside with the whole tropical décor, the heat turned on, and a little Bob Marley playing in the background I felt more like an iced tea. So after some more people from out group showed up I got this iced lemongrass drink, which was an iced lemongrass tea with peppermint in it. It was cool, refreshing, and not too sweet. I also got a waffle because it looked delicious… and it was. It took a few minutes for the order to come out, but they were surprisingly busy for a Sunday afternoon. I guess when a March snowfall in Edmonton hits this is a nice place to stop by and spend some time.

this place is super great, the owner is a really chill guy, the atmosphere is relaxed, inviting, and very conductive to studying as well as the food and tea is great and reasonably priced! love, love, love it!!! thanks j
Jake for getting me through finals!

Cha Island Tea serves up tea in the most relaxed atmosphere in all of Edmonton.
If you enjoy tea, you will be amazed at the selection of loose teas available. Recently the owner has begun selling alcoholic beverages and has quite an interesting selection of beers available as well as a few mixed drinks. His selection of waffles, sandwiches, (and now salads as well I believe) can offer up some good snack or light meal options. What I enjoy the most about Cha Island Tea is the relaxed atmosphere as well as the owner’s great mood every time I’m there. Don’t know what kind of tea you want? Just ask the owner and he’ll give you some great recommendations. When I was in there yesterday he was repainting the place so there will be a fresh look in there soon.
They also do have live music there sometimes and although I have never been to one of the shows, I’m sure it would be very interesting to go see.
If you have an hour to kill enjoying some great (hot or cold) tea, pop in to Cha Island Tea (not very far off of Whyte) and relax with a great drink.

You know that feeling you get when you walk into a Starbucks and you start choking on the thick atmosphere of pretention? Then the barista smiles at you and it’s kind of convincing, but you can tell that he/she’s mostly smiling at you because that’s what they’re told to do at barista school. And then you sit there and listen to jazzy/​folky/​whatever music that’s supposed to be the latest cool thing for those living the urban-​adult-​contemporary lifestyle.
Cha Island is the opposite of that.
You walk in, and the first thing you see will be either one of a couple things– Jake (the owner) grinning at you because he’s genuinely happy to see you, or you’ll see some kind of live music, whether it’s a bongo circle, a guy with a banjo, or Jake practicing his Ukulele while there’s a lull in customers.
The atmosphere is what makes this place one-​of-​a-​kind.
As for the drinks, everything is golden. The iced tea is perfect for hot summer days, and good enough that you’ll want it on freezing winter days anyway. The hot tea is great, with a sizeable selection displayed on the wall. Other drinks include the Vietnamese Coffee and the Hibiscus Punch (The Hibiscus Punch is great, and I’ve never seen it anywhere else)
Recently, there’s also been alcoholic drinks for sale. There’s a solid selection of beers, many of which are hard to find anywhere else. The cocktail menu is good too, the Mojitos are to die for!
The food is ALSO amazing (you can probably tell that I love this place).
While most of the drinks tend to be relatively uncommon or hard to find in other restaurants, the food is more ‘traditional’. Paninis and Waffles constitute the bulk of the food available. The Panini is good, but the Waffles are on a whole new level. If I got to choose my last meal on Earth, it would be a Waffle from Cha Island.
Cha Island is where I always meet friends on Whyte. No other place compares–
The tea is phenominal, and there’s a huge selection; the food is top-​notch; everything is cheap; the atmosphere is warm and inviting; and did I mention that there is a pile of board games and cards in the back?
Have no one to play with?
Ask Jake!

I love how legit this place is. The music, the brightly coloured walls that create a carefree and happy environment. Even the people who work there dress like they’re on a perma-​vacation at a tropical island!
Cha Island Tea Co has a wall of various types of tea, and behind the counter they have that magical Ice Tea goodness that you can mix and match with two types of syrups (for you adventurous folk!). If you’ve got a case of the goosebumps, there’s the delicious Burning Spear & Peppermint Hot Cocoa, or the Marsala Hot Chocolate that I have yet to try. Also, the coffee here is pretty damn spectacular.
If you stumble upon the Island with an empty stomach, I seriously recommend getting the waffles, which come with coconut flakes, whipped cream, one or two scoops of gelato (depending on which type of waffle you ordered), and fresh fruit all without breaking bank!
They have panini’s there that are, for lack of a better word, scrumptious, and a beer selection that could satisfy anyone’s taste buds.
There’s also something happening any night of the week, from live music to drum circles, craft groups and poetry nights, or if that’s not really your thing you could always enjoy the sunshine on the deck.
So, if you’re bored go say «Hi» to Jake (the owner). He’ll make you something tasty and provide all the entertainment you need :)

A tea and coffee house with a Caribbean theme, Cha Island has a variety of iced green and black teas. Coffee comes iced, Vietnamese style, or hot (both drip and French Press). Teas can be ordered hot and French Press as well. The space is very bright and friendly, and there is free wifi. If you’re hungry, there is a small selection of pressed sandwiches, as well as waffles.
My iced coffee was shaken right in front of me, made to order with the amount of cream I requested. It was served in open of those tall plastic cups used for bubble tea — complete with the seal on top. Gigantic! And at under $ 4, very reasonable.
The staff are extremely friendly, the washrooms are clean, and it’s right behind Whyte Avenue. Check it out!