The world's largest Western martial arts school now has a cafe that mixes swords and coffee.
Academie Duello, located at 412 W Hastings St., has taken over the space directly next door to expand its school and add a community gathering place called Café Duello. The location had been home to similar concepts from Bon Chaz and Laughing Daughters.
"We decided to make the front part of it a cafe, just so there was a community space for not only our members to come but also people from around the neighbourhood," Café Duello manager Travis Smith tells V.I.A.
Smith notes that the area lacks the community coffee shops that other neighbourhoods, like the West End, have. As with most independent cafes in Vancouver Duello serves a variety of locally-made baked goods (mostly brioche) and pastries, along with a selection of coffee-based drinks. Smith points out a non-alcoholic espresso martini as a unique offering.
Café's themed space includes games, decor for guests to enjoy
At the same time, the new cafe offers a uniquely themed space in Vancouver. There are swords used as decor and the cafe steers into the themes of Academie Duello with a mini European martial arts museum, plastic axe throwing, board games and more.
"It's kind of a nice primer to try 'Oh, that was fun. It would be really cool to try with real axes,' and we got that next door," Smith says of the café's plastic axes.
The back half of the space is used by the school, so customers can watch classes in action.
"It's the only place in Vancouver where you can come sip on a coffee and watch people do swordplay or shoot archery," says Smith.
They've got a doorway through to the academy, so customers can take a gander at what happens in a Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA) school.
Plans underway to offer movie nights, D&D events
Community building is also part of Café Duello's mission. People have shown interest in Dungeons and Dragons events around all the medieval and renaissance-era gear or movie nights at the academy; the cafe is a way to make that possible, says Smith. The Princess Bride will likely be the first movie night, though no date has been announced.
Smith says the special events will fill a gap in options for locals and give enthusiasts somewhere immersive to visit and take pictures.
A community calendar is being created and will be shared on social media in the near future, Smith adds.
Café Duello is in its early stages. While it's already open for business, a grand opening event will be held on July 5.
However, they hope to add more to their museum, which already includes replica gear, a model trebuchet, and arrowheads.
"The celebration will feature live swordplay demonstrations, an open archery range, special menu tastings, and a chance to win exciting prizes. This is an opportunity to explore the fascinating world of HEMA while enjoying the finest in café culture," reads a press release about the event.
Café Duello is located at 426 W Hastings St and is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday to Friday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays. The cafe is closed on Sundays. Follow @cafeduello on Instagram.
Watch: Behind the scenes at the world's largest Western martial arts school (2021)
With files from Thor Diakow
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