And then there was one: High-profile Vancouver chef David Hawksworth has culled his local empire by one with this month's quiet closure of its Kitsilano outpost of Bel Café.
The Hawksworth Group took over the former Quince space at 1780 W 3rd Ave and launched its sophomore Bel Café there in the summer of 2018. The addition of the cafe was a few months after the business had set up its event and catering commissary space at the address.
As June got underway this year, however, Bel Café in Kits was no more, bringing its tenure in the neighbourhood to an end after five years.
The closure came with no fanfare (food scene-watchers in Vancouver note that a paper sign on the door delivered the news) and all of the Bel Café's online real estate has been updated to list only its original downtown location, which is situated in the posh Rosewood Hotel Georgia alongside Hawksworth's eponymous upscale restaurant.
Much like its downtown older sibling, the Kits Bel Café offered a menu of pastries, coffee and tea, and specialty drinks. In addition to the baked goods, they had a casual café menu of items like savoury toasts (think kale and eggs, or avocado, or tomato and burrata), sandwiches, and salads.
The former Bel Café in Kitsilano is currently listed for rent and awaits its future commercial tenant.
