Earlier this month, Do Chay, a restaurant specializing in modern vegetarian and vegan Vietnamese food, closed up its original Yaletown location, opting to shift focus to the owners' second outpost on Kingsway.
Do Chay had been operating at 1269 Hamilton St for the past couple of years; previously, Do Chay's operators, siblings Patrick and Victoria Do, had run their omnivore modern Vietnamese concept House Special in the same space since 2016.
Following Do Chay's exit from Yaletown, it seems Vancouver food fans won't go long without knowing what is poised to take its place - and, moreover, fans of modern vegetarian Vietnamese fare also won't be going without an option in Yaletown for long.
That's because what's moving in is a concept called Buddha Chay. "Chay," as it happens, is a Vietnamese word for "vegetarian."
"We specialize in modern vegetarian Vietnamese food," reads a job listing for the upcoming restaurant.
Vancouver's Buddha Chay does not seem to have a website up and running yet but does have @buddhachayrestaurant on Instagram. While there have been Buddha Chay restaurants in Vietnam and Toronto, it's unclear if there is any connection beyond a shared name.
The menu appears to include all-veg versions of popular Vietnamese dishes like salad rolls and Bún bò Huế as well as modern mash-ups like "Vietnamese Fries."
Buddha Chay appears to be making short work of the transition process in the former Do Chay space. The same online job listing indicates the new restaurant "opens within the month," and Buddha Chay's Instagram indicates that will be in December.
V.I.A. will update when more information becomes available.
