It's considered a true Vancouver hidden gem, and soon Noah's Café will have a new address and home.
Opened in the fall of 2020, Noah's Café bloomed from a pop-up venture into a permanent restaurant at 572 Davie St in Yaletown.
The project was born out of the unexpected circumstances of COVID-19, as chef/owner Clifford Chi, found himself laid off and regrouping at home with his newborn son, Noah, for whom the restaurant is named.
Now Noah's Café is gearing up to start its next chapter over in Vancouver's vibrant West End.
"Whoever is wondering where Cliff is… he’s busy DIYing the renovations on our new location on Denman," teases an Instagram video post on the restaurant's account. The video shows a room being renovated, as decor and design elements are removed.
Noah's Café is being a bit cagey about the exact address, but it happens to be 1096 Denman St, at what had until recently been J&P Kitchen Asian Restaurant. The short-lived venture had moved in to replace Banana Leaf, a popular spot for Malaysian eats, which has four other locations in Vancouver.
Open for dinner and late-night eats, Noah's Café serves up Japanese-based western fusion bistro-tapas-izakaya fare, alongside craft cocktails. That means diners can enjoy dishes like Squid & Chips, Beef Tartare, and Uni Creme Pasta, as well as Japanese homestyle comfort fare like Omelette Hayashi Rice available alongside European-style nibbles like smoked olives.
Redevelopment of the property on the horizon
According to Noah's Café, the move has to be made because their current space is set to be torn down.
"We’ll be moving out of our current store soon (probably sometime in November) because of [the] demolition clause," explains the restaurant on social media.
Plans to bring the one-storey building down have been afoot for some time now. In 2018, quirky Vancouver diner the Elbow Room, a few doors down at 560 Davie St, opted to close up shop in the face of looming redevelopment. However, not long after, taco and tortilleria spot Chancho ended up sliding in at 560. At the time, other retailers on the affected block of Davie at Seymour included Royal Vape and All 4 One Barbershop; restaurants Juno Vancouver Sushi Bistro and the What’s Shaken Milkshake spot had already closed. As of now, the barbershop and vape shop remain open for business.
Noah's Café was where Juno had been, but before Chi set up his Japanese tapas restaurant there, Juno had given way to a ramen shop that enjoyed a brief run in the space.
Plans for this particular redevelopment include a mix of retail and residential units.
Be sure to give the restaurant a follow on Instagram @noah.s_cafe to stay up-to-date on the move.
