When we visited Time Out Market Vancouver, we had a few missions.
Find the cheapest meal.
Try the most expensive dish.
And discover which vendor had the longest lineup.
Honestly, we expected that last challenge to be difficult. With so many famous restaurants and well-known chefs gathered inside Oakridge Park’s luxury food hall, we thought the crowds would be spread across the market.
We were wrong.
It wasn’t even close.
Mello had a lineup of roughly 30 people wrapping around the dining area, making it easily the busiest vendor we saw during our visit.
And by the time we left around 5 PM, they were already sold out.
So naturally, we had to see what all the hype was about.
What Is Mello?
If you’re not familiar with Mello, the brand first built a cult following in Vancouver with its original Chinatown location.
Over the years, the shop became famous for its brioche donuts — soft, pillowy donuts made fresh from scratch with rich fillings and creative seasonal flavours.
In fact, selling out early has become part of the Mello experience. According to the company, they make their brioche donuts and fillings fresh daily, and because the process takes time, quantities are carefully planned to minimize waste. If you know what you want, they even recommend pre-ordering to avoid disappointment.
Now, Mello has brought its famous donuts to Time Out Market Vancouver, giving Oakridge visitors a chance to try one of the city’s most popular sweet treats.
Mello Time Out Market Vancouver Location & Menu
📍 Address: 650 W 41st Ave, Vancouver, BC V5Z 2M9
📍 Located inside Time Out Market Vancouver at Oakridge Park
Mello is best known for its brioche donuts, which start at $4.75 for classic flavours and increase for premium or special flavours.
On our visit, the selection included:
- Strawberry Cream
- Matcha
- Dark Chocolate Pudding
- Peanut Butter & Jelly
- Nutella
- Lemon Curd
- Salted Caramel
- Tiramisu
But donuts aren’t the only thing on the menu.
Mello also offers old-fashioned donuts, cookies, cakes, and other desserts.
Still, if it’s your first visit, we think the brioche donuts are absolutely what you should be trying.
The Strawberry Cream Brioche Donut Review
For our visit, we chose the Strawberry Cream Brioche Donut.
The first thing that stood out was the texture.
The outside had a light coating of sugar with just a tiny bit of crispness, while the inside was incredibly soft, airy, and almost pillow-like.
It had that perfect brioche texture where it feels rich and fluffy without being heavy.
Then there’s the filling.
Mello does not hold back.
The donut was packed with a generous amount of strawberry cream that was light, smooth, and rich without becoming overwhelming.
What impressed us most was the balance of sweetness.
A lot of filled desserts can become one-note sugar bombs, but the slight natural tartness from the strawberry helped cut through the richness of the cream.
After one bite, we completely understood why people were willing to stand in line for this.
Is Mello Worth Waiting For?
In our opinion, yes.
Out of everything we tried at Time Out Market Vancouver, Mello was actually our favourite item.
That’s saying a lot considering we specifically visited to test the market’s cheapest meal, most expensive dish, and most popular vendor.
At under $6 for most brioche donuts, it is also one of the more affordable ways to experience Time Out Market.
The only catch?
Come early.
If our visit was any indication, waiting until late afternoon might mean you leave empty-handed.
Looking For More Time Out Market Vancouver Reviews?
This was just one stop in our mission to explore the entire market.
We’ve also tried the cheapest meal at the market, Feenie’s $13.99 cheeseburger, as well as some of the premium offerings.
For a complete breakdown of every vendor, menu photos, pricing, and our tips for visiting, check out our full Time Out Market Vancouver guide.
We’ll continue updating our Time Out Market coverage as we try more of the food hall’s most talked-about dishes.
