For more than 20 years, Riviera Cafe sat on the banks of False Creek, opening in the 1970s and finally closing its doors in 2001.
Now, once again, the name is returning to Stamp's Landing.
This new Riviera is the venture of Bella Jessel and Erme Guden; while the pair are paying homage to the longtime restaurant, they have their own history with the space at 617 Stamp's Landing.
The pair were coworkers and friends when the restaurant there was Branas.
Branas was a Mediterranean grill for more than a decade until it closed in 2023; Guden was hired first, as a chef, in 2019, and Jessel arrived just before the pandemic shut things down. She'd actually been a regular who became a popular host.
Guden was also there for a spell while it was Kalamish, which recently closed after less than a year.
As a host, Jessel was popular with the customers, Guden says.
"Everybody loves her," he says, describing how she would connect with customers.
"She was dancing with people here, making them happy," he says. "Not only were people coming here to make their stomachs full, they wanted to share their feelings too."
Jessel isn't sure why she's able to make such a connection to customers.
"I don't know what it is, but I used to take care of seniors," she says. "So I have a very big heart for communities, seniors, and family."
Jessel tried to work out a deal to take over Branas, but it didn't pan out, and the restaurant was sold and became Kalamish. When that project closed, Jessel and Guden were able to purchase the business.
Both have a long history in the food industry; Guden worked in similar restaurants in Turkey and New York before coming to Canada. Jessel was born in Turkey but was raised in Germany and lived in Switzerland; while in Europe she also ran a cafe. More recently, she worked with a catering company in Metro Vancouver.
The new Riviera restaurant
The new restaurant will feature a mix of influences; the name honours their landlord, who was the owner of the original Riviera Cafe. The food will include several dishes that were popular at Branas and continue with the Mediterranean theme.
Jessel and Guden plan to mix the daytime cafe and nighttime dinner spot concepts.
"I am opening a coffee and bake shop in the morning," says Jessel. "We will start at 10 o'clock; we'll have our baking, coffee, and a small menu of breakfast foods."
The cafe-style concept will remain through lunch, with soups and sandwiches, before transitioning around 2 p.m. Dinners will run from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. most days; on Fridays and Saturdays, they'll close at 11 p.m. (with the kitchen closing an hour beforehand).
"We are focusing on weekly features," Guden says, noting grilled meats will feature prominently along with Mediterranean bowls.
Jessel is also looking forward to getting her wiener schnitzel on the menu, along with some Swiss features.
"I'm an eater, so there will be lots of dishes that will be explored weekly," she says.
On Saturdays and Sundays, they plan to offer a brunch as well, something they see the community along their section of False Creek is missing.
Community angle
While a waterfront restaurant in Vancouver is often popular with tourists, both Guden and Jessel say they want to focus on their community in the area around False Creek.
One way they plan on doing that is with a suggestion box for future features.
"We are involving our customers because it is hard to cook for everybody's taste," says Jessel. "But what we are doing is everybody gets a turn for their favourites by just giving us a note."
Between Guden and her family, Jessel is confident they'll be able to figure out how to recreate some family favourites if people offer them.
Plans are for the Riviera to have a soft opening sometime in mid-November.
š½ Find more delicious Vancouver food and drink video stories by following V.I.A's Forking Awesome on TikTok and Instagram, and signing up for our Forking Awesome newsletter š¬ delivered fresh to your inbox every Thursday.
