Gama Cafe

This place is lovely from the minute you walk in the door. The décor is cozy and beautiful.
The service is very friendly, our waitress was very helpful and always smiling.
Now the food, what brought us here was the Tommy toast. I had been daydreaming about it since the first time I saw the picture. It was a let down :(. It was cubed bread, toasted, with chocolate sauce and icecream. And it was a whopping $ 15!!! How can someone justify that? I also tried the pumpkin soup, $ 7 and it was pretty good.
Unfortunately, I won’t be back.

Service here on a Sunday night was subpar. There was one waitress for the (admittedly, only half-​full) café. The waitress seemed to be very irritated and passive aggressive, especially when questioned about Groupons.
Don’t get the tiramisu coffee, it’s nothing special. I wish I had gotten a milk tea. Half of it was ice, which was disappointing.
The fettucine alfredo was very small but tasted fine, but I wasn’t blown away. The location itself is a step up from the old Gama Café but I preferred the quick counter service style and the lower prices associated with limited seating and a subpar location. It’s a cute place though!

This place was suggested to me for a casual work-​related meeting, and though apprehensive at first, I am convinced I found a new favourite! Seating is ALWAYS important to me, and Gama has it down. Cozy booths, and seating is arranged in a way to encourage privacy without feeling cramped or closed in. The menu is a little small, but the selections are unique and healthy. Prices are a little higher than average, but well worth it.

Walked by the «Open» sign not lit. We too a chance and went in. Owner was welcoming and friendly. The time we went — we were the only ones– we did mention that the sign was not on and as soon as the owner turned it on– people started arriving. Clean environment with plush pink couches. Bought the Dark Rose Coffee and it was delicious. Would go again for date, chill night with friends or grab a drink to go :). Parking right in front — but it is street parking :)

So after our dinner. We went to gamacafe for desert because why not it’s Valentines day haha it is a Taiwanese desert house. As you walked into a café, you felt so cozy because of how their interior comes together nicely. The candeliers, red comfy velvet couches and the colours of the room just fits perfectly. They are open a little bit on the later side and is a nice little spot to take someone after dinner, first date or if you’re just looking for some late night sweets. The waitress was very attentive and polite. We ordered Golden chocolate Tommie toast for $ 14 We rated 3.5÷5 it was delicious but very sweet so if you have sweet tooth you will love this. So overall, we gave this café ⁵⁄₅. Would love to go back and tried something else.

We used to always visit Gama for their green cap teas and winter melon tea at their old location and have gone to their new location a few times now.
Their décor is gorgeous! It’s very princess-​y with plush upholstered chairs. There is wayyyy more seating than before as well!
I haven’t tried as many of the food items at their new location. I loved the pancakes though and assume they are still great. Their drinks are now served in giant tall glasses which always have great presentation. When you sit you also get some water as well.
The drinks seem to take awhile to make sometimes though not too outrageous. We got groupons this time and the waitress was confused about how to use them and whether they were legit.
They have lunch and dinner specials that seem like a pretty good deal. I think I will return and try them out soon!

Sorry for the café. Not good tea. Go a couple blocks to Steeps Tea Lounge.

My girlfriend and I had been to Gama four or five times over the course of a month, and had been pleasantly surprised by the food and drinks, as well as the atmosphere (we would often come here in the evenings to study with a coffee & snack). Up until now, our only gripe was that they frequently run out of menu items, or advertise dishes that they no longer serve. However, on our most recent excursion to the café we had an extremely unpleasant experience.
My girlfriend is a visiting student from Japan, so naturally she uses an international Visa card to pay for her purchases. This had never been a problem at any store in Edmonton, and she had even used it to pay at this same café multiple times. This time when she went to pay for her food the server, in an very offensive tone, rudely asked her to not use an international card, told her that she ‘would remember her face’, and to get a Canadian card for next time.
Had the waitress informed us of this new store policy in a polite manner, and had not been a senior employee who we’ve seen on previous occasions training new staff, we would have not been so disgruntled. Needless to say, there isn’t going to be a ‘next time’ for us; and for a Taiwanese café that is popular among international students, I imagine we won’t be the only ones to avoid this establishment from now on.

Went for waffles with my sister last month! Giant portions and very delicious! We would definitely share one next time as it was a lot to handle! The loyalty program is great incentive to come back as well!

Great relaxing atmosphere… great selection of tea and coffee espressos. .awesome desserts… never got to try any of the pasta dishes or hot food… i will be back again

Gama Café is a Taiwanese dessert house that’s located right on Whyte. They used to have another location a few blocks east, and then moved to 108 street. It’s a little bit tough to spot unless you know what you’re looking for. The interior is brightly lit with nice and comfy booths. They are open a little bit on the later side and is a nice little spot to take someone after dinner, or if you’re just looking for some late night sweets.
The focus at this restaurants is mostly desserts and drinks. They do have a few hot dishes like risotto. We came a little bit later in the evening, right after dinner so we opted for a couple of drinks and desserts to share.
We started with their Strawbeery Hill Thick Toast. It’s similar to their Tommi toast, but on a smaller scale. It was a thick piece of toast, topped with whipped cream, strawberries, and powdered sugar. It’s relatively good, and moderately priced. I’d consider going back and trying some other flavours and variations of this. It’s a decent portion and easy to share, definitely decent for $ 6.29.
The other dessert we got was their Classic French Brick Tommi toast. This was a whopping $ 14.79. It was basically just cubes of toast, topped with whipped cream, dusted with chocolate and chocolate chips. It wasn’t too different from the thick toast. Though it was relatively good, it wasn’t amazing or anything, and not worth twice the cost of thick toast.
On a separate occasion, we got their red bean pancake. This was relatively okay. Again, as with most of their food, it didn’t really wow me, and I’m not sure if it was worth the cost. The outside was nice and crispy, and overall it was okay, but for the portion, I wasn’t quite sold.
For drinks, we went with their signature cap tea drinks. We got the green cap cold and the. The drinks here are decently priced, and right around the price that you would pay for a bubble tea.
The green cap was really refreshing. The foam is a little bit salted, and mixed together, it’s a really nice a balanced drink. It wasn’t too sweet, and definitely nice to sip on. The was also relatively good. It’s nice and cool and refreshing…

Very pleasantly surprised by the delicious food and delightful presentation. I had the banana chocolate ‘thick toast’, which was almost like a brioche, with a crisp, sweet crust, piled high with bananas, chocolate and whipped cream. It was a bit more like a dessert than a breakfast but I’m not complaining! At a little over $ 6, it was a great price.
My boyfriend had the Fruit Party Waffles and was also very impressed. The only reason it’s four stars instead of five is that our server was not very attentive, even though we were the only people in the café.
Will definitely be visiting again!

I only come here for the green tea cap and the pancakes. Have not tried anything else. It would really help if the staff were more knowledgeable about the menu items. (ie. Is there dairy in specific items.) One of them did not recommend a certain drink to be served hot; so why put it on the menu then?

I will definitely be back for a coffee or date or study session.
I ordered the potted cap green tea. Although the tea wasn’t as hot as I would like it, the flavor was sooo good. Also ordered a Tomi Toast, which was a little too sweet for my liking but still worth trying!
This place reminds me of the Alice in wonderland restaurant in Japan, from the décor to the menu; loved it!

Another hidden Whyte ave gem. I wouldn’t have noticed this place had I been driving by, but while strolling the ave on the holiday Monday, peaked in and since it was open and empty (around 1:30) we decided to give it a try. Other reviews will tell you what kind of food/​drink you’ll find here, so I’ll just let you know about what we enjoyed. First, the mango salad is quite big considering the price (i think it was about 7 bucks) and really delicious. We then tried the pumpkin soup which was a bit too «buttery» for our liking. When we left (just after 2pm) it was beginning to fill up. Overall, a nice little surprise stop on our afternoon walk.

Gama café is a really intriguing place to dine at. From the food to the interior décor, everything is just really exquisite.
1) The Food
The food at Gama Café is really enjoyable and very delicious! I really enjoy the tommi toasts! They are sweet but not overly sweet where your teeth hurt. It will satisfy your sweet cravings in an instant!
2) The Interior Décor
When I first walked into Gama Café, what I saw was just absolutely breath taking. I really enjoyed looking at every square foot of that Café. From the sign, to the hand written quote on the wall, and even the washrooms were very elegant!
3) The Quietness
The only downside/​upside of Gama Café is that you should only bring friends who are able to keep their tone of voice at a certain level, due to the noise levels in that Café, that is almost silent. Unfortunately for me, I only left embarrassed because of my friends creating a disturbance in the atmosphere. However, if you are planning on going on a date, or having a few close friends, it would be absolutely perfect!
Overall, it was a pleasant experience! Next time I would be bringing friends that would able to handle to atmosphere. If I was to describe Gama Café in 3 words, it would be: sophisticated, enjoyable, and intimate.

Gama Café changed locations since I was last here. It’s no longer at the back of Sazby’s inside. Instead The Gama Café has it’s own space down on Whyte and 108 Street. The café itself is much bigger, with lots of comfy seating, high ceilings, and really cute décor. It feels more like a Parisian café, but of course the drink/​food options are mostly Taiwanese (although there is some risotto and pasta dishes on the menu).
Gama café is probably best known for their milk cap teas. These are a tea (usually available hot or cold) that have a salted milk foam on the top. It sounds strange yes, but you stir it all together and you get a refreshingly delicious drink that balances sweet and salty, with light and creamy. Green cap is my favorite, but I also recently tried the rose cap, which is delicious. I prefer the cap drinks iced, but they are pretty good hot too.
Last time I was here I got a warm green cap tea, which was served in a tall glass, which seems like it would be more for a cold drink, but it was still good. I also ordered the Golden pancake I think it was called liquid gold). Taiwanese pancakes (from my understanding of having them here at the Gama Café) are nothing like pancakes we’re used to here. These are little pancakes filled with custard or different sweet fillings. The one I had was like a tapioca filling. It’s soft, warm, sweet, and delicious. You get two little pancakes (which are just a little bigger than a loonie) for the price on the menu.
Game Café was open til 11pm when I was there (it was a Thursday) and wasn’t super busy (although there were a few University students hanging out). If you don’t want to stay in you can order your food or drinks to go. I stayed in and it took a few minutes for the food, but not too long. The waitress was really friendly.
Gama café is a little out of the way, but it’s a really cute café with lots of great food and drinks, lots of which are pretty unique here in Edmonton. I hope people will come by to check this place out.

A very unique food spot. The interior of this café has a fusion of asian, french and goth look to it. Definitely something I have never seen before. Personally, I think it works! I tried the Green Tea Milk Cap. I would definitely recommended this! Again, very unique yet very good! I also tried the Taiwanese Pancakes and Porcini Risotto. The pancakes, not bad. I like the one with ham & corn as well as the one with cheese, but don’t like the red bean version. The risotto, a mixed bag. The flavour is there but the consistency sucks. Overall, it was a good unique experience. Would definitely come back.

Gama Café recently moved a few streets west of its original location on Whyte Ave and is now housed in bright, fancy new digs. Fancy! Comfy booths, plushy cushions, this is definitely a cute place to bring a date for after-​meal drinks and desserts.
No signage on the outside. Love places that do that. Makes it feel like only you know about it. Or at the very least, a pleasant surprise when you stumble upon it.
Menu consists of two pages. Coffee, tea, waffles, Taiwanese pancakes, toast and a few hot dishes to round things off.
— Green cap ($ 4.95) — one of their signature cap tea drinks. I ordered the green cap cold — sweet, fresh brewed tea with a butter foam on top. The foam was unique. It tasted salty on it’s own. Mixed in with the tea, the drink was light, refreshing and had a flowery aroma to it. Interesting.
— Taiwanese milk tea ($ 4.79) — both my buddies ordered the Taiwanese milk tea cold. One is pretty much a Taiwanese guru so we awaited his verdict with much anticipation. Result? Pretty close to the real thing. A bit sweet in his opinion. Next time, he said he would ask for less sugar, which I’m sure is possible.
— Marshmallow thick toast ($ 6.49) –we tried to order the Taiwanese pancakes but apparently, they don’t make them on the weekends. Strange. We went with our second choice, the marshmallow thick toast. First time having thick toast. Crunchy on the outside, light and fluffy on the inside. I found the marshmallow slightly too sweet for my taste buds.
Cute little spot to grab some Taiwanese style desserts and drinks. The waitresses are dressed up in black maid uniforms (costumes?), if you’re into that.

The recently opened Gama Café is the new iteration of the Gama Store which has supplied Whyte Ave with Taiwanese tea and sweet treats for a while now. The new store is brighter, more welcoming and feels more comfortable while still offering their staples of green cap teas and unique Asian desserts.
The menu at the Gama Café is pretty unique and may be puzzling at first. The true jewel of the Gama Café (and the Gama Store that preceded it) is their green cap milk tea which is similar to a pure bubble tea that is topped with a salty milk foam. It sounds like an odd drink, but it’s actually quite delicious! The drink menu has some other odd but tasty tea-​based beverages as well as smoothies and more options such as cappuccinos, lattes and macchiatos.
The food menu is equally unique as the majority of options are desserts, most of which are unique Asian treats. The Gama Store used to specialize in Taiwanese pancakes but the new Café has opted to offer waffles, tommi toast (stacked bread squares) and thick toast (crunchy dessert toast) covered in sweet and savoury options such as marshmallow, chocolate, honey, fruit and cheese. I would definitely opt for one of the sweeter options and find someone to share with as the portions can be pretty large!
The hot food menu is fairly minimal but they offer a few vegetarian pastas and risottos that look very tasty. While I opted for one of their thick toast treats, I may have to return to gauge the quality of the hot food offerings. The small amount of hot food offerings really reestablish the Gama Café as a desserts-​first destination and the savoury options on the menu definitely take back seat to the sweet ones.
The Gama Café is a great destination for unique drinks and desserts, offering the staples that the Gama Store has always offered while introducing a new setting and new menu items that make it a really cool dessert and drink location. The limited hot food menu and the lack of explanations of the menu items hold this place back but overall I had a pleasant experience there. If you’re looking for somewhere to drop by after dinner or just to get a sweet treat with a friend, the Gama Store offers an interesting and comfortable destination.