Afton Hotel and the Ovaltine Café

The Afton Hotel is no ordinary building on East Hastings Street. This four-story Edwardian Italian Renaissance Revival gem has seen it all. Originally designed by architect Arthur Julius Bird in 1912 as an apartment building, the structure’s symmetrical masonry and elegant styling were soon complemented by a few unusual touches, like the curved pediments above two rows of windows. What started as upscale apartments quickly morphed into a bustling hub of government offices, tailors, and even a postal substation by 1914.

Fast forward to the 1920s, when Afton’s upper floors found a new calling as a rooming house, eventually taking on the name it’s known by today. But the show’s real star has always been the ground floor, where a rotating cast of retailers and restaurants held court until 1942 when the now-iconic Ovaltine Café debuted. With its distinctive neon sign—an arrow-shaped beacon of Vancouver’s ‘golden age’ of neon—the Ovaltine has become as much a part of the city’s fabric as the building that houses it.

Step inside, and you’re transported back in time. The café’s interior is a vintage lover’s dream, complete with a coffee counter, booths, mirrors, and woodwork that have survived through the decades. No wonder The Telegraph ranked the Ovaltine among the world’s 50 best cafes, and local author Keith McKellar called it “Vancouver’s most prized antique cafe” in his book Neon Eulogy.

Since 2014, Grace Chen has been the driving force behind the Ovaltine, maintaining its role as a neighborhood staple. With a focus on affordable meals and local connections, Grace has kept the spirit of the café alive, ensuring that the Ovaltine remains a place where history, community, and good food come together—just like the Afton Hotel itself.