Hey Happy
A downtown coffee bar for espresso, beans, and a focused pause.
The barista champion's pourover bar, light roasts and a sense of humour.
Rob Kettner left film for coffee after a snowboarding accident, won Canada's National Barista Championship in 2010, then opened this Johnson Street bar in 2014. It was one of the first places in town to run multiple roasters at once, so the pourover menu rotates light third-wave beans from Drumroaster to Oslo's Tim Wendelboe. The room is calm and bright with desk-style seats made for one good cup and your own thoughts. It takes the coffee seriously and itself not at all.
The move
Ask what is on the pourover bar and let them steer you to a light, fruit-forward single origin. If you want the cult order, the no-coffee Turmeric Cashew Vanilla swirls house-made cashew milk with turmeric, ginger and honey. The black sesame latte is the other regular's pick.
Go when
A weekday morning, when you want a real pourover and a quiet desk to drink it at. Skip a sunny weekend midday if you need a table; downtown finds this place fast.
“Hey Happy was a lighthearted name that basically said, 'We take what we do seriously, but we don't take ourselves seriously.'”
YAM Magazine
Known for
Perfect for