The last martini was served and sipped at Kitsilano's Blue Martini Cafe & Jazz earlier this year - only no one knew it was curtains for the venue.
Situated at 1516 Yew Street, the New Orleans-inspired bar and restaurant was known for its live music and Italian food, the latter of which drew from the offerings at sibling venture Francesco’s Ristorante Italia. Francesco's, which was the restaurant operation of B.C. Restaurant Hall of Fame-r Franceso Alongi, shuttered in 2017, but was reborn in a new location on Burrard Street in downtown Vancouver the following year as Don Francesco.
Those dishes were "merge[d] with the depth and character of New Orleans, the home of many jazz greats," to create what Blue Martini calls "a menu with southern charm and Italian comfort."
Blue Martini was last active on social media at the end of January 2020, and has not updated their channels or website to reflect their closure, however OpenTable indicates that the restaurant is permanently closed. Calls to Blue Martini were unanswered.
The events calendar for Blue Martini shows that their last live music performance at the restaurant venue was slated for March 11, 2020.
Blue Martini "hosts some of Vancouver’s finest soul, jazz, and blues musicians, dedicated to offering everyone who comes in a truly memorable experience," reads their website.
Sale listings for the business at 1516 Yew were active until recently. The address has since been tied to another restaurant operating in the Metro Vancouver area, and we have reached out to this popular local bakery and eatery to find out if they are able at this time to confirm they are planning a second location in the former Blue Martini space.
