Kick back and enjoy an island getaway in the heart of Edmonton. Cha Island, just off of Whyte Avenue, serves as a tropical vacation destination all year long and doesn’t operate along the lines of conventional tea shops. “We do whatever we want. That’s what’s so fun about setting ourselves up as being an island,” says owner Jake Raynard. “We’re not pegged as a tea shop or as a bar or as a coffee shop. We can be whatever we want.”
After travelling the world, Jake knew when he came to Edmonton in 2009 that he wanted to open an iced tea shop with a different vibe. He had most recently been living with his wife Mia in Taiwan and saw how popular the true fresh-brewed drink was with westerners who had grown up on the powdered variety. “I knew I wasn’t in the right tropical climate for an all-year iced tea shop, so I thought I would build a shop that felt like you were on a tropical island somewhere. It sort of grew into what it is now.”
Ambiance is great, drink selection is good. I'm only giving it 2 stars though because there is only one vegan menu option, and it's 'so so'. If there was more available for vegans to eat, I would visit more often.