Things are set to really get humming along The Drive as a brand new restaurant and bar with live music sets its opening date.
Called Osita, the new concept has set up shop inside the ex-Federico's Supper Club, which shuttered in spring 2020 after a 20-plus year run at 1728 Commercial Dr.
Work has been underway since the winter to transform the former home of a long-standing go-to spot for drinks, dining, and dancing into a Spanish-influenced bar-restaurant with live entertainment.
Osita co-owner Jesse Sugarman is no stranger to the neighbourhood, as he is also a co-owner of The Charlatan restaurant and gastropub a few blocks down from this new venture.
Touting itself as a "one-of-a-kind" live music venue, Osita was created out of a desire to rekindle Vancouver's appetite for local entertainment, and is, to a small extent, an extension of Osito, which is an electronic music events company "dedicated to creating platforms for local artistic expression" that Sugarman co-founded.
Guests can look forward to nightly music from local artists and cabaret shows at Osita and its 3,000-square-foot space.
When it comes to food and drink, Osita will feature a menu influenced by France and Spain by way of the West Coast. Osita will use locally-sourced ingredients to create dishes that are interactive and fun and ideal for sharing. There will be a dozen beers on tap, wines, and "extravagant" hand-crafted cocktails.
“Our goal is to provide a unique platform for local artists to do what they love, to add to our community's culture and to share great food and drink,” says Sugarman. “But, above all else, we want everyone who walks through our doors to dance and be happy.”
Osita will open its doors Friday, June 24 at 5 p.m.
