Location, location, location: The mantra for real estate holds true for commercial spaces, like restaurants, but sometimes even with an ocean view, nothing lasts forever. Such is the case with the West End's Beach Bay Café & Patio, which shuttered this week.
Located at 1193 Denman St., The Beach Bay Café & Patio was a modern, semi-upscale Pacific Northwest-style concept that slid into the space that had been home to the much-loved Raincity Grill for years.
Beach Bay Café and Patio/Facebook
Beach Bay Café launched in 2015, and held on remarkably long for never having been much of a critical darling, and for seeing a few chefs come and go, including Felix Zhou, who has gone on to appear on Top Chef Canada and launch two locations of his Heritage Asian Eatery (a third, at YVR Airport, is forthcoming). The opening chef was Scott Korzack (previously of L'Abattoir and Bambudda, currently with Autostrada); Chef Michael Winning has run the kitchen there since late 2016.
A significant portion of the restaurant's allure was certainly the English Bay views, though these days it seems even they can't hold much water: The Boathouse closed their English Bay location last year, too.
To capitalize on those views, Viaggio renovated the space before the 2015 launch of Beach Bay Café, getting ride of the more closed-in and dark-toned Raincity vibe.
Beach Bay Café (like its predecessor, Raincity) was operated by Viaggio Hospitality Group, who remain in place on site, and will be opening something fresh in its stead. However, "the plans and timeline for the new space have not yet be determined" a rep for Viaggio told Vancouver Is Awesome via e-mail.
