When it came time for Khuyen Wales and her family to name The Moth Cafe, they thought about its location. Tucked into the corner of Jasper Avenue and 99 Street, Wales — an architect by trade — had seen promising plans for the area, but also knew it was a bit of an island.
“We thought, ‘Ok, we’re creating a space in a quiet zone in Edmonton, and we’re lighting up this corner,’” she recalls. “I thought it would be fun to think that whoever comes in is like a moth to the flame.”
In January, eight years after it first opened, the vegan eatery announced it will be closing its doors by the end of the year. The reason is complicated: from day one, the building was slated to be demolished to make way for redevelopment. It has continued to face issues — a compromised roof and a heater failure — the owners, understandably, haven’t wanted to invest money in it. Since the announcement, Wales and her family have received an outpouring of support and memories. “It was worth it,” she says. “I think we’ll always look back on this moment with happy tears because when are you able to work with your mom for a very long time? It’s a precious 10, 15 years. That was very special.”
The Moth wasn’t the family’s first foray into plant-based dining. It all started with a tragic loss, when Wales’ dad died in a car accident.
Suddenly, her mom, Thanh Lu, found herself with life insurance money. Her kids encouraged her to put it towards something she truly wanted. That turned out to be Cafe Mosaics, then a tiny, but beloved vegetarian restaurant on Whyte Avenue that felt homey and under-the-radar.
“She always wanted to be vegetarian, but because of kids, because of the husband, she had to cook meat,” Wales recalls.
Lu purchased the restaurant in 2009 and it didn’t take long before Khu and her sister, Jillian Khuong, were involved. For her part, Wales soon noticed the shift in vegetarian dining from deep-fried and cheese-reliant to more health-conscious and whole-food oriented. She also saw the potential for a facelift. In 2014, the family purchased Mosaic’s neighbouring space and renovated the restaurant into its current iteration: a bright, spacious eatery with a health-focused menu.
“I really think that people are not necessarily leaning towards vegetarian food, but they’re just leaning towards more health,” Wales says. “So they want to know what is going in the food, where it’s being sourced from, all these aspects that I don’t think were an issue before.”
In 2017, keen to take on the added challenge of a vegan restaurant, they family opened The Moth Cafe. For a time, they ran both spaces, but then, in March 2025, they sold Cafe Mosaics.
A lot changed with plant-based trends, restaurants and even the world in those years. Plant-based diets, hailed as the future of food due to their gentler impact on the environment, have continued to find a niche, but on a smaller scale. Cost of living increases has changed the way people spend money. But through all of that, there has been a loyal customer base in the city.
“We’re just taking it one day at a time until it closes,” Wales says. “We’ll make peace with that then figure out what to do.”
The Moth remains open, likely until the end of the year.
The Moth
Boyle Street | 9449 Jasper Ave, Edmonton | 780.244.9702 | themothcafe.com
She might be saying goodbye to her plant-based restaurant, but there are still staples of vegan and vegetarian food in the city that Wales loves.
This Vietnamese vegetarian restaurant has earned a spot on Edify’s Best Restaurant list more than once. From beloved tofu rolls to the popular vermicelli special, you can’t go wrong. For Wales, the top choice, though, is soup.
Formerly Die Pie, a plant-based pizza restaurant, Seitans continues to offer tasty slices, but has also added vegan chicken to the menu, ranging from chickun wings to a chicken parmesan po boy to a whole slew of other appetizing options.
This long-standing restaurant serves plant-based Indonesian food — in two locations in Edmonton, and, more recently, in Calgary as well.
