Eaters Gotta Eat: Nemesis Coffee Founder Jess Reno’s Fave Eats in the City

Coffee may well be running through Jess Reno’s veins. The founder and CEO was in his early 20s when he opened up the first Nemesis in Gastown and, since then, he’s grown the beloved brand with the upside-down-heart logo to four locations, the most recent of which opened in February at the Surrey Pavilion. Like all the others, its dedication to superb coffee and creative treats (try the mortadella supreme croissant sandwich) sets it far apart from the competition. When not tackling the intricacies of pastry research (“We truly obsess about all the little things that go into making a croissant so special,” he says) Reno’s eating at these YVR spots and working hard on a yet-to-be-announced concept (or two!) coming later this year.

Zarak Afghan Kitchen 

2102 Main St.
“The owner’s mum makes this cake that’s a take on tres leches and it’s spectacular. It made me so happy. I wanted to eat, like, 10 of them. I’ve got a massive sweet tooth.” Hot tip: that delicacy, called Mum’s Secret Cake, can also be ordered by the tray-full for large gatherings.

ELEM

2110 Main St.
“I’m a classic Negroni guy, and they have this smoked Chef’s Negroni. When they serve it, they lift a lid up and the smell reminds me of midnight mass in a cathedral,” he says of beverage director Winnie Sun’s elixir of dark chocolate gin, spent mulberry campari and tomato vine vermouth with applewood and cedar smoke. Reno also also loved the inspirational quotes playing over the speakers in Elem’s washroom. “I was like, ‘this is so motivating!’ It felt experimental—very gastronomic, Blumonthal-era.”

La Grotta del Formaggio

1791 Commercial Dr & 4092 Hastings St.
“I’m part Italian, and my great-uncles back in Scarborough, Ontario, would grow veggies in their backyard. They’d pull a tomato off the vine, slice it, add a deli cheese, put it on some bread and that’s it. That’s like my childhood core sandwich memory. But now, when it comes to sandwiches, I’m like ‘throw me the works!’ I get Italian prosciutto, all the veggies, just all of it.” 

Wild Blue

4005 Whistler Way
“When I get out of town and want something a little fancy, I go here. Alex Chen and his team are just phenomenal. I still remember the panzanella with fresh tomatoes and focaccia croutons from the first time I ate there.”

Magari by Oca

1260 Commercial Dr.
“It reminds me of walking around Europe and stumbling into a place. Such a great, intimate room. Every dish, and the team, it’s all so good.” (TBH, we’re beginning to think that Magari is every restaurateur’s favourite restaurant.) 

AnnaLena

1809 W 1st Ave.
“I’m sure everyone says this but, wow, the bread! It’s torn and torched, kind of charcoal-esque, and served with this whipped, cultured butter. And the team there…  Jeff Parr and Mike Robbins. Dynamic duo. Crushing it.”

Flourist

3433 Commercial St
“I always go in for one thing, leave with 7 or 8.” Here, Reno’s ordering coffee (“drip or espresso—black, to taste the nuance and complexity”) and a pastry like the chocolate chip cookie, dusted with salt and made with Vahlrona. “The way they’ve set up their retail is so interesting; from dried apricots to cookbooks and salts. Their flour is phenomenal, and they’re doing pizza nights as well.”

Sumibiyaki Arashi

363 E. Broadway
Chef Pete Ho’s new-ish 18-seat omakase experience resto specializing in charcoal-grilled yakitori opens up resos on the first of each month and is booked up… well, for months. “It’s so good! Pete is one of the greatest people in our food scene. He spent a lot of time in Japan doing yakitori and his dream of opening up his own spot has been years in the making.”

Earnest Ice Cream

Various locations
For a late-night sweet treat, Earnest is his go-to. “I always love one of their rotating flavors… they had spruce or pine once, and that was delicious, but it’s all good. And owners Erica and Ben are such awesome humans.”

Tom Sushi

1175 Davie St.
Chef Tom Jeon’s West End sushi spot is Reno’s top pick. “I really love the Aburi torched stuff, but when it comes to sushi I’m an everything kind of eater—give me all of it.”

Next on his list? Gary’s

1485 West 12th
“From what I hear it sounds neighbourhood-y and intimate. I can’t wait to try it.”

Two places his misses?

“Ubuntu (on Fraser Street) was always my Sunday ritual. They did this mushroom turnover. It was so phenomenal, I think about it all the time. I also miss The Pie Shoppe and their pizza nights!” Us too, Jess, us too.